Monday December 8th marks the 28th anniversary of John Lennon’s death. The music world lost a legend and an icon that day.
John Lennon is best known as one fourth of the popular band from Liverpool, The Beatles. Lennon along side Paul McCartney formed one of the most influential and successful songwriting partnerships known to the world of music. They wrote some of the most popular songs ever to grace rock and roll history.He is also greatly known for his own solo career where he intergraded subjects of politics, war, peace and love into his music.
Lennon’s death is one that took the music world by shock, causing many people to feel like time stood still when they heard the news.
“I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news. I was a first year TV/Radio student at Niagara College in Welland. My clock radio turned on just as the newscaster delivered the story. I was simply stunned by the news. “ Says Media Studies Professor Peter Maurin.
Most know what happened that tragic night on December 8 1980, but for those of you who don’t, John Lennon was shot by fan Mark David Chapman in the back four times outside the Dakota hotel in New York City where him and Yoko Ono were staying. That same day, Lennon signed a copy of Double Fantasy for Chapman. When people rushed over to aid Lennon, one person asked Chapman if he knew what he just did. To which Chapman replied Yes, I’ve just shot John Lennon. Lennon was pronounced dead on arrival in the ER at the Roosevelt Hospital at 11:15 pm. Chapman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years to life. To this day, he still remains in prison.
Lennon has been a great influence on artists of all kind. When you ask any artist to name a band that was an influence on them and their music, most of them will probably say The Beatles; some might even just say John Lennon. As a stand-alone artist, his songs touched people in a way that his songwriting with The Beatles might not have. As a solo artist and Yoko Ono by his side, he stood free to sing about topics he felt like such as war, poverty which gave us songs like Imagine, So this is Christmas, Give Peace a Chance and Working Class Hero. He was no longer just a musician, he was a controversial peace activist and an artist.
“As for his place in music/pop culture history, the myth of John Lennon is a significant one. He was the social conscience of The Beatles. He was the one that was political. He was the one that built on the advice given to them by Bob Dylan. It’s that spirit of fighting injustice that has influenced so many over the years; Bob Geldolf and Live Aid, John Mellencamp and Farm Air and perhaps even some of the social commentary that is a part of hip hop music.” Said Maurin.
Millions around the world will have gathered this week to honour the late singer’s life, especially at Strawberry Fields, a memorial garden area in Central Park across the street from the Dakota building. Shortly after Lennon’s death Yoko Ono donated $1 million for the memorial’s maintenance. There are usually plenty of flowers and even fruit around the memorial at any given time in the year.
On October 9 2007 the Imagine Peace Tower was lit for the first time in a city in Iceland. The idea for the tower was originally conceived by Yoko Ono back in 1965 but construction never started until 2006. The tower is now lit annually from October 9, which is Lennon’s birthday till December 8, his date of death. The words “Imagine Peace” are carved into the tower in 24 different languages.
“You can almost hear the sentiments of ”Imagine” as America elected its first black president. Imagine a ”brotherhood of man” which might include a black president? Yes we can.” Said Maurin.
No matter what way you choose to mourn the loss of this musical icon, we will always have his music and the plenty memories to remind us of the peace and love he tried to establish in this world.
