I Read The News Today Oh Boy
John Lennon was assassinated 40 years ago tonight, Dec 8, 1980
A Day in the Life
Song
"A Day in the Life" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as the final track of their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, the verses were mainly written by John Lennon, with Paul McCartney primarily contributing the song's middle section. It is widely regarded as one of the finest and most important works in popular music history. (wikipedia )
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A true legend.
WATCHING THE WHEELS - John Lennon
John, I don't know if you posted this video of the song, but it's a really great one...
The song had been banned in certain places because of a couple lines in it being interpreted as referring to grass:
"Went upstairs and had a smoke" and the closing line "I'd love to turn you on....."
The Beatles always argued for public consumption that such lines do not refer to narcotics, but we all knew they did, just like what "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" means.
Every time I think of this I remember exactly where I was the moment I heard (over the radio) that Lennon had been murdered.
I also get a renewed sense of anger at that miserable piece of shit who killed him. Chapman was denied parole for the 11th time this year. Good job parole board, keep that going until the murderer reaches the condition that he forced John Lennon into.
Although I can't remember the exact situation when I first heard Lennon was shot (but I can see in my mind's eye every detail of my surroundings when I first heard JFK was shot) I agree with everything you said about Chapman - let him die in prison.
December 8, 1980, is a night I'll never forget. My younger brother was a big Beatles fan and a bigger fan of John Lennon. It was my brothers 27th birthday, I was at his house watching a game between the Patriots and Dolphins on Monday Night Football when Howard Cosell broke in between plays to announce John Lennon had been shot and killed outside of his Manahatten apartment building. My brother broke down in tears.
I Never forget a customer I had when I was selling cars. A young woman loved everything to do with the Beatles and John Lennon. She had to have a red VW Beetle that we had on the lot.
When I was younger, John was my favorite Beatle, because he seemed to be such a good person, but as I grew older and what I heard and read about him, I got to know what a flawed human being he was. He beat his first wife and left her for Yoko and was a lousy father to Julian. When he died, he became "Saint John", and that was not the real person he was. There were many songs of tribute to him after his murder. Elton John wrote one to "St. John" with "Empty Garden", which as a song is beautiful, but not true. George wrote a cheerful tune, turning to a more hopeful side of John's spirit. But it was Paul, who wrote a song from the heart that told the story as it should be told. Here it is.
I will always remember where I was when I first heard about John's death and the first song I heard was "Across the Universe" which was very fitting. He might have been a very imperfect person, but he did touch so many lives with both his music and his message of love.
I don't remember hearing that about his first wife. I just always heard the Yoko angle, her being blamed for the breakup.
I always wonder what he could have done though. I think Paul would have had an easier time with his ability to be more main stream. If that makes any sense.
I know some people don't like it but Paul's Band on Run I really like. I remember it from when I was a kid.
John wrote often wrote about his and Cynthia's relationship in songs like "It's Only Love" and "It's Getting Better all the Time". Yoko was most definitely the cause of their breakup, but he even cheated on Yoko for like 2 years. He was a troubled man.
I think John had good things ahead of him, musically, since "Double Fantasy" was just done when he was murdered.
I always loved Paul and Wings. I own both "Band on the Run" and "Venus and Mars". That being said, John wrote a mean song to Paul when he recorded "McCarthey" called "How Do You Sleep?" to which Paul wrote a song in reply on his album "Ram", called "Too Many People". These two songs kept the two from talking for years.
"Band on the Run" is a great record.
Paul McCartney is an incredible musician, singer and songwriter. I am a huge fan. I saw him perform with Wings at the Cow Palace in San Francisco and ten days later at the Forum in Inglewood when his "Venus and Mars" album came out. That was probably in 1975.
"Ram" is also a great record as is "Venus and Mars". I like "Double Fantasy", too. In fact, I can't think of anything by the Beatles or any of the post-Beatles work by the four of them that I don't like.
I met Denny Seiwell, the drummer on "Ram" and some of the other Wings albums last year. He was the first drummer McCartney hired for Wings. Very nice guy. Really funny. He was pleased when I told him how much I like "Ram".
I was driving home from work and heard about John Lennon's death on the radio. It was a terrible thing. He certainly could have created much more great music. Truly a great loss.