john lennon journey

What The Final 12 Months Of John Lennon's Life Were Like

The murder of John Lennon in December 1980 at the age of 40 sent shock waves around the world. His death cemented his legacy as a countercultural icon, with a worldwide following of fans who had grown up listening to his music over the previous two decades.

In recent years, the view of John Lennon's life has become increasingly mixed, with his difficult upbringing brought into the spotlight by the hit movie Nowhere Boy , while his behavior toward his wives and children has also come under scrutiny. Indeed, much of this discussion comes from multiple candid interviews that Lennon gave to various publications such as Playboy and Rolling Stone during the final year of his life, which represented his return to public life after a long hiatus, with, as he put it, "something to say."

Lennon's circumstances in 1980 are important in gaining a true perspective on the life of an artist who had a strained relationship with fame and who was a complicated character in general. 1980 is also a crucial year, as it gives an insight into the future of an artist who had emerged from a period of isolation and transformation with a new view of the world, the music industry, and his place in them both.

John Lennon had given up music for five years

In 1975, five tumultuous years after the break-up of the Beatles , Lennon, with his second wife Yoko Ono , withdrew from the public eye, according to Biography . This was to concentrate on raising his second son, Sean. Lennon had made many mistakes in the raising of his first child, Julian, born in 1963 at the height of Beatlemania, meaning that John was often absent and emotionally distant, as interviews from the last year of his life address candidly.

Lennon had worked nonstop throughout his twenties in the Beatles and had claimed that every moment of the band members' lives were planned out for them, especially while they were on the touring circuit. But the early '70s hadn't allowed for much time to slow down, either. Lennon had pursued a successful solo career starting with John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band in 1970. He contributed music to albums by Ringo Starr , collaborated with Elton John in 1974 on "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night," and co-wrote and performed on David Bowie's "Fame" in 1975, according to author  David Sheff .

With the birth of Sean, Lennon and Ono withdrew "without any great decision," as Lennon is quoted by  David Bennahum , from the music that had dominated his life. He claimed in his final interview with Rolling Stone that he didn't write a single song for five years.

1980 was meant to be John Lennon's comeback

In his return to the limelight in fall of 1980, John Lennon explained that since the birth of Sean, he had taken up the role of "househusband," while also stating in the Playboy interview that: "It was more important to face myself and to face that reality than to continue a life of rock 'n' roll."

The 1970s had been a decade of contrasts for Lennon, the early years of which were characterized by the acrimony of the Beatles splitting and the hedonism of his 18-month-long "lost weekend," during which he and Yoko separated and Lennon joined the ranks of hellraisers Harry Nillson and Keith Moon as a habitual drinker and drug-taker. So Lennon's return in 1980 after five years of domestic normality represented the rebalancing of numerous aspects of his life and his re-emergence to the music industry on his own terms.

Lennon told Playboy: "You breathe in and you breathe out. We feel like doing it and we have something to say," suggesting that he and Yoko felt revitalized and ready to return to public life for the long term.

John Lennon sailed 700 miles to Bermuda

John and Yoko often made decisions using Tarot cards, according to  The Telegraph , and one such reading in the spring of 1980 told them that John was to take a long journey southeast. At the time, Lennon, Ono, and Sean were living in Long Island, New York, from which the island of Bermuda lies 700 miles southeast. The family settled on Bermuda as their destination and home for the summer of 1980 — and most notably of all, John and Sean made the journey by sea.

Lennon had been taught to sail by Tyler Coneys in New York , and the two had become friendly enough for Lennon to approach him to put a crew together for his voyage. On the journey, Lennon, as the least experienced sailor, spent much of the time making food for the rest of the crew, but the story goes that after a battering gale had laid many of the more experienced crew down with seasickness, Lennon took the helm, guiding the vessel through the storm. This was reportedly a transformational and cleansing moment for Lennon.

The family encountered a stable and hospitable environment in Bermuda, granting Lennon a degree of comparative anonymity while also allowing him to recapture his creative muse during the two months they remained on the island that summer. It was in Bermuda that Lennon would begin to write his first songs in five years, tragically also the final material of his career.

John Lennon started writing again after hearing the B-52s

The Lennons lived in the suitably named Fairylands area of Bermuda, according to Go To Bermuda , southwest of St. George's Harbor, where their yacht had docked after their difficult journey.

One thing that Lennon's past half-decade had been missing was nightlife, and the songwriter's familiarity with contemporary music had certainly waned during his hiatus. Exploring the nightspots along Front Street in the City of Hamilton, Lennon claims that he stumbled across a young group dancing to music he had never heard before. The song in question was "Rock Lobster" by the B-52s, released in April 1978.

In his final interview with Rolling Stone , Lennon claimed that he had never heard the song before but said that it immediately made him think of Yoko's music. Ono was more familiar than her husband with the movements that had emerged in popular music, from punk to post-punk and new wave, in the late '70s, and the realization that things were changing apparently gave Lennon the inspiration he needed to begin writing music again. He started playing the guitar again the very next day.

Bermuda was John Lennon's first time writing sober

Not only was Bermuda important in the final year of John Lennon's life in that it helped him return to music, but it also, after a long period of creative inactivity, helped him break new ground in his creative process — he was writing music for the first time without the aid of either drugs or alcohol, supposedly for the first time in his adult life. Musicians who worked on the album that Lennon's Bermuda writing sessions subsequently produced, Double Fantasy, recall that by 1980, Brazilian coffee was Lennon's "only remaining drug," according to Record Collector .

One of the songs written in Bermuda addresses this aspect of Lennon's changing habits directly. "Cleanup Time," which would be recorded in the fall of 1980, is, says historian John Blaney , a title derived from a conversation Lennon had with the producer, Jack Douglas, in which the two discussed how many of their friends and acquaintances were attempting to clean up their acts after the excesses of the 1970s. The song contains the lyric: "No rats aboard the magic ship of perfect harmony."

John Lennon wrote 30 new songs in Bermuda

His two-month residence in Bermuda starting in June 1980 has been described as instrumental in Lennon's overcoming of long-term writer's block and the re-emergence of both his creative muse and his interest in writing, recording, and releasing music. There are a number of theories for what exactly it was about the island that had such an effect on Lennon. Some, such as Gentleman's Journal , point to the island's similarities to Britain, noting that, having not visited his home country in nine years, this may have awoken something in Lennon to get his creative juices flowing once more.

As noted by OZY, Lennon later made a direct link between the 30 songs he wrote in the short time he was in Bermuda with the perilous journey there, and particularly with his six-hour manning of the vessel while his crew was out for the count. "I was so tuned in, or whatever, to the cosmos," Lennon later told Playboy, "and all of these songs came." Lennon composed his sketches of songs on an acoustic guitar and recorded the results himself, including material for what would eventually become his final single and album, as well as much more work that would eventually only be released posthumously on 1984's Milk and Honey .

John Lennon returned to New York City and began recording

Lennon came back from Bermuda re-energized and ready to emerge from his self-imposed hiatus. Packing his first collection of new material in half a decade, Lennon began to assemble the team of musicians and producers who would help turn the rough ideas he outlined in Bermuda into studio takes for his return to mainstream music. However, the newly well-balanced Lennon was not out to prove anything, according to Rolling Stone  – instead, his attitude was "just to enjoy it."

Studio sessions began at New York's famous Hit Factory studio, with musicians including the legendary guitarist Earl Slick. The sessions also included many songs written by Yoko Ono which she had first shared with John over the phone from New York during his stay in Bermuda (she had returned to the US for three weeks to take care of the family's business affairs), and many of the songs initially emerged from this "call-and-response" routine between the couple, according to Record Collector .

In October, John Lennon released (Just Like) Starting Over

The nature of Lennon's comeback was writ large in the title of his first single in five years. "(Just Like) Starting Over" is a sweet single that adequately reflects the unity of his relationship with Ono in the years preceding its release, with the opening bars especially evoking the theme of rebirth and the trepidation of returning to something — the music scene — which is no longer quite so familiar as it once was.

The song is, in fact, constructed from three fragments, says Beatles Bible , with the first section, originally titled "My Life," emerging in embryonic form in 1979 as a love song that John had penned for Yoko. Two unfinished pieces, previously known as "Don't Be Crazy" and "The Worst Is Over" make up the remaining parts, while the song only came together in its final form once Lennon and Ono had begun working in the studio in New York.

On release, the single peaked in the Top 10 in both the UK and the US singles charts, marking an end to Lennon's self-imposed hiatus and signaling that he still had a receptive — though tentative — following as an artist. The single was to become his biggest solo hit in the US after his death.

John and Yoko released Double Fantasy

The studio sessions in New York yielded an album within two months — the same period of time that Lennon had spent rediscovering his creative energies on the island of Bermuda. Double Fantasy, released November 17, 1980, echoed the structure of how the songs were first written and shared between John and Yoko, in which a song sung by one of them would influence the other to respond with another song. So in the track listing, you have Lennon singing "I'm Losing You," to which Ono responds with the song "I'm Moving On."

Despite such tensions providing much of the drama of the album, the lyrics are permeated with images of domesticity and marital bliss -– which many reviewers at the time took issue with, as Ultimate Classic Rock  notes. In fact, the response to the album upon its release was, to put it mildly, mixed, with the record's domestic themes and Lennon's apparent happiness being bones of contention for many critics. In hindsight, however, these revealing elements have come to show Lennon's state of mind in his final days, and tragically, Double Fantasy seems to suggest that by 1980, Lennon may have finally begun to find balance between public and private life and, with it, happiness.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney were on good terms in 1980

From the breakup of the Beatles in 1970, John Lennon and Paul McCartney had had a tense and rocky relationship, beginning with the two taking shots at one another on records and in numerous early solo interviews. Lennon had taken issue with some of the lyrics on Paul and Linda McCartney's 1971 album Ram, which he interpreted as being about his relationship with Yoko Ono. McCartney would later confirm to Playboy that the song "Too Many People" was indeed about John and Yoko and that the latter's name was in the original lyrics before being edited out. On John's side, the vicious "How Do You Sleep?" from Imagine, released the same year as Ram, could hardly be about anyone else.

By the mid- to late '70s, however, the duo had begun to mend their friendship. According to Huffpost , the pair had reunited only a couple of times since — once in 1974 during the "Lost Weekend" and again in 1976, when they spent an evening together watching an episode of Saturday Night Live in which Lorne Michaels jokingly offered the Beatles $3,000 to appear on the show. The two joked about turning up at the studio.

Lennon and McCartney last spoke on John Lennon's 40th birthday, October 9, 1980, a phone call that McCartney later described as "happy." On the day of his death two months later, Lennon reportedly told journalist Dave Sholin that McCartney was "like a brother."

John Lennon was interviewed for nine hours days before his death

It seems that John Lennon's claim that he and Yoko Ono had "something to say" on their return wasn't just empty rhetoric. If anything, it was as if the well of words had refilled itself in the years that Lennon had been away from the spotlight. In addition to the songs and musical ideas, the claim that Lennon had rediscovered his voice in Bermuda is also evidenced by the slew of interviews and public appearances that Lennon made in the months before his death.

In September, the couple gave a long interview to Playboy that covered all aspects of their careers, from the early days to what their working routines were like in 1980, as well as their family life and opinions about Lennon's former bandmates and contemporaries.

On Friday, December 5, 1980, three days before his murder, Lennon was interviewed at his Upper West Side apartment by Rolling Stone editor Jonathan Cott for a full nine hours. The interview was only published years later — instead, Cott wrote Lennon's obituary, drawing on impressions of the musician from over a decade of wide-ranging interviews and meetings. Lennon's final interview is impactful today as an encyclopedic insight into his life in 1980 and his potential future, had the worst not occurred just days later. Lennon was undertaking another lengthy interview, with journalist Dave Sholin, on the day his killer struck.

John Lennon was shot and killed in New York on December 8, 1980

The horror of Lennon's murder — committed publicly, in front of his wife, by an obsessive fan who he 'd spoken to and signed a record for earlier the same day — requires no detailed explanation. The tragedy of his death at the age of 40 in light of what we know about his life immediately beforehand is, however, worth thinking about.

Biography  describes how Lennon was publicly active, promoting a new album, meeting fans, and returning to the studio to work on more music when his life was taken from him. Having taken steps to address aspects of his life, his past behaviors, and his turn away from music in favor of family, the truth is that perhaps, as his many interviews in 1980 show, Lennon's life was — possibly for the first time — perfectly balanced, and he was approaching music and fame on his own terms. And the peaceful space that he had created for himself and his family in his hiatus allowed him to think about his future, a far cry from the Beatlemania days when life was moving fast at the behest of managers and executives. As he said in his September 1980 Playboy interview: "God willing, there are another 40 years of productivity to go."

Double Fantasy won Album of the Year at the Grammys

The outpouring of grief following Lennon's murder sent his final album multiplatinum, and it eventually won the Grammy award for Album of the Year, according to Ultimate Classic Rock . Lennon's death meant that the album's intimate themes and lyrics became insights into his final months, while for many, the Grammy that the album received stands as a memorial to an artist who just wanted to keep creating. "(Just Like) Starting Over" hit #1 in both the UK and US after his death, staying at the top of the Billboard 100 for five weeks.

According to The Independent , the album gets its title from a species of Freesia flower found in the Botanical Gardens of Bermuda — where Lennon spent his final summer with Yoko and Sean. Lennon told Rolling Stone : "What it means to us is that if two people picture the same image at the same time, that's the secret."

John Lennon: Long Night’s Journey into Day

By Pete Hamill

Pete Hamill

  “The time has come,” The Walrus said, “To talk of many things . . . “ –Lewis Carroll

Here is John Lennon : thin bare arms, a rumpled T-shirt, bare feet, delicate fingers curled around a brown-papered cigarette, reaching for a cup of steaming coffee. A pale winter sun streams into the seventh-floor apartment in the Dakota, an expensive apartment house that stands like a pile of 19th century memories on the corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West. Earlier, the Irish doorman had expressed surprise when I asked for John, because this is where Yoko Ono had lived alone for a year. The building, with its gargoyles and vaulted stone turrets, has seen a lot, and has housed everyone from Lauren Bacall and Rex Reed to Rosemary’s baby. There is certainly room for Dr. Winston O’Boogie.

And now John Lennon is talking in a soft, becalmed voice, the old jagged angers gone for now, while the drilling jangle of the New York streets drifts into the room. He has been back with Yoko for three days, after a wild, painful year away, and there is a gray morning feel of hangover in the clean bright room. Against a wall, a white piano stands like an invitation to begin again; a tree is framed by one window, a plant by another, both in an attitude of Zen-like simplicity, full of spaces. I think of Harold Pinter’s words: “When true silence falls we are still left with echo but are nearer nakedness.” There is, of course, always echo when you are with John Lennon, an echo of the loudest, grandest, gaudiest noise made in our time. But John Lennon is more than simply a Beatle, retired or in exile, more than just an echo. At 34, he is moving into full maturity as a man and an artist and seems less afraid than ever before of nakedness.

On that first morning, and later, we talked only briefly about the Beatles . For the moment at least, talk of a reunion is only a perhaps. “What we did was what we did,” he said in 1970, “but what we are is something different.” The 20 Beatles albums are there; the voices are forever young. John Lennon, the young man with the guitar who went to Hamburg and played the eight-hour gigs with the others, popping pills to stay up, drawing on some tough maniac energy. “You see,” he explained later, “we wanted to be bigger than Elvis . . . . ”

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Bigger than Elvis. Bigger than Sinatra . Bigger than God. John told everybody how the Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ and for a couple of weeks that summer most of the Western world seemed to go into an uproar. Was the world really that innocent so short a time ago? No. It was just that John Lennon was explaining that the world had changed and the newspapers had to catch up; we were not going to have any more aw-shucks heroes. So we could all run in the endless emptiness of the rugby field in A Hard Day’s Night , rising and falling, in slow motion or fast, but sooner or later we would have to grow up. The Beatles were custodians of childhood. They could not last.

And yet . . . and yet, it seemed when it was finally over, when they had all gone their separate ways, when Brian Epstein lay dead and Apple was some terrible mess and the lawyers and the agents and the money men had come in to paw the remains, it often seemed that John was the only one whose heart was truly broken. Cynthia Lennon said it best, when all of them were still together: “They seem to need you less than you need them.” From some corner of his broken heart, John gave the most bitter interviews, full of hurt and resentment, covered over with the language of violence. In some way, he had been the engine of the group, the artistic armature driving the machine beyond its own limits, restless, easily bored, in love with speed the way Picasso was in love with speed, and possessed of a hoodlum’s fanatic heart. Part of him was Pinkie from  Brighton Rock ; another was Christopher Marlowe dying in a barroom brawl at 29. John provided the Teddy Boy darkness behind the smiling face of the early Beatles; it is why they were not the Beach Boys . I remember going up to the Ad Lib in London with Al Aronowitz in ’64, and the Beatles were there drinking hard with the Rolling Stones , the music deafening, the floor sagging under the weight of what seemed like half a thousand dancers. Paul McCartney was talking easily; Ringo was kidding and nice; George , as the stereotype told us, was quiet. But John Lennon was a son of a bitch. I felt an anger in him that was even fiercer than my own. We came close to violence, the words reduced to Irish immigrant code as anger bumped against anger, and Aronowitz had to move in and smother the anger with his easy kindness. Later I was ashamed of myself, and the memory of that night has stayed with me through all the years since as I watched John from a distance, engaged in his reckless dance with tragedy.

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“One comes back again and again to the criminal,” wrote Joyce Carol Oates, “who is the most important person because he alone of all people acts; he alone, by causing others to suffer and by passing through suffering himself, makes happiness possible.” She wrote about Dostoevsky, but the words have always reminded me of John Lennon. We only know a small part of what really has happened to him in the years since he met Yoko Ono in 1966 at the Indica Gallery in London. The details belong to John Lennon alone. But we know how the other Beatles stood in judgment (“like a jury”) on Yoko. We know how viciously the press in England sneered at them and attacked them. Yoko saw the artist in him: “John is like a frail wind. . . .” But reviewers were already saying that Yoko had ruined his art.

Christ! You know it ain’t easy You know how hard it can be The way things are going, They’re going to crucify me.

There was no literal crucifixion, but John moved through everything else: Bed-Ins, peace posters, a phony drug arrest, the acorns planted in the plastic pots in the Coventry Cathedral. He followed Yoko into the rare air of the avant-garde, banging up against Cage and Bartok, undergoing a re-barbarization of his music as if running to some older, purer vision he had of himself, created in the loneliness of the Liverpool art school when he was convinced he was a genius. Bagism, Shagism, Rubin and Hoffman, acid and anger; the marriage in Gibraltar, 17 stitches in a car crash in Scotland, the MBE handed back to the Queen, the Plastic Ono Band, his hair long, his hair short, the neat, precise features wearing a series of masks, his life with Yoko a series of public events. Working Class Hero. Some Time in New York City. Power to the People. And ever deeper into America: into its crazed, filthy Nixonian heart and the immigration case, and that form of the Higher Paranoia that comes because you are a victim in a time when all the other victims have proof and you have none.

“All we are saying . . .”

It was a long way from Chuck Berry .

Until finally people started to write him off. His records were selling but it wasn’t like the Beatles, it wasn’t even like the other ex-Beatles. John was the one Who Had Gone Too Far.

A year ago, he and Yoko split up and some people cheered. We live in strange times.

And then, as if from nowhere, came Walls and Bridges . John had a big hit single with “Whatever Gets You thru the Night.” And the music was wonderful: full of invention, tenderness, remorse, more personal than anything he had written before; the music clearly showing the effects of his time with Yoko. More than anything else, though, the songs were essays in autobiography, the words and music of a man trying to understand a huge part of his life. “I’ve been across to the other side/I’ve shown you everything, I’ve got nothing to hide. . . .”

What follows is the result of two long talks with John Lennon at the end of a difficult year. As an interview, it is far from definitive, but nothing will ever be definitive in John Lennon’s life: He is the sort of artist, like the aforementioned Picasso, who is always in the process of becoming. I think of this as a kind of interim report from one of the bravest human beings I know. Oh yes: He looked happy.

What’s your life like right now? Well . . . Life: It’s ’75 now, isn’t it? Well, I’ve just settled the Beatles settlement. It must’ve happened in the last month, took three years. ( pause ) And on this day that you’ve come here, I seem to have moved back in here. In the last three days. By the time this goes out, I don’t know . . . That’s a big change. Maybe that’s why I’m sleeping funny. As a friend says, I went out for coffee and some papers and I didn’t come back. ( chuckles ) Or vice versa: It’s always written that way, y’know. All of us. You know, the guy walked. It’s never that simple.

What did happen with you and Yoko? Who broke it up and how did you end up back together again? Well, it’s not a matter of who broke it up. It broke up. And why did we end up back together? ( pompous voice ) We ended up together again because it was diplomatically viable . . . come on. We got back together because we love each other.

I loved your line: “The separation didn’t work out.” That’s it. It didn’t work out. And the reaction to the breakup was all that madness. I was like a chicken without a head.

What was the final Beatles settlement? In a nutshell, what was arranged was that everybody get their own individual monies. Even up till this year – till the settlement was signed – all the monies were going into one pot. All individual records, mine, Ringo’s, Paul’s – all into one big pot. It had to go through this big machinery and then come out to us, eventually. So now, even on the old Beatle royalties, everything goes into four separate accounts instead of one big pot all the time. That’s that. The rest of it was ground rules. Everybody said the Beatles’ve signed this paper, that means they’re no longer tied in any way. That’s bullshit. We still own this thing called Apple. Which, you can explain, is a bank. A bank the money goes into. But there’s still the entity itself known as Beatles. The product, the name, the likeness, the Apple thing itself, which still exists, and we still have to communicate on it and make decisions on it and decide who’s to run Apple and who’s to do what. It’s not as cut and dried as the papers said.

Do the old Beatles records still go in a pot? No one of us can say to EMI, “Here’s a new package of Beatle material.” We still have to okay everything together, you know, ’cause that’s the way we want it anyway.

There’s still a good feeling among the guys? Yeah, yeah. I talked to Ringo and George yesterday. I didn’t talk to Paul ’cause he was asleep. George and Paul are talkin’ to each other in L.A. now. There’s nothin’ going down between us. It’s all in people’s heads.

You went to one of George’s concerts; what are your thoughts on his tour? It wasn’t the greatest thing in history. The guy went through some kind of mill. It was probably his turn to get smacked. When we were all together there was periods when the Beatles were in, the Beatles were out, no matter what we were doing. Now it’s always the Beatles were great or the Beatles weren’t great, whatever opinion people hold. There’s a sort of illusion about it. But the actual fact was the Beatles were in for eight months, the Beatles were out for eight months. The public, including the media, are sometimes a bit sheeplike and if the ball starts rolling, well, it’s just that somebody’s in, somebody’s out. George is out for the moment. And I think it didn’t matter what he did on tour.

George told Rolling Stone that if you wanted the Beatles, go listen to Wings. It seemed a bit of a putdown. I didn’t see what George said so I really don’t have any comment. (pause) Band on the Run is a great album. Wings is almost as conceptual a group as Plastic Ono Band. Plastic Ono was a conceptual group, meaning that whoever was playing was the band. And Wings keeps changing all the time. It’s conceptual. I mean, they’re backup men for Paul. It doesn’t matter who’s playing, you can call them Wings, but it’s Paul McCartney music. And it’s good stuff. It’s good Paul music and I don’t really see the connection.

What do you think of Richard Perry’s work with Ringo? I think it’s great. Perry’s great, Ringo’s great, I think the combination was great and look how well they did together. There’s no complaints if you’re number one.

George said at his press conference that he could play with you again but not with Paul. How do you feel? I could play with all of them. George is entitled to say that, and he’ll probably change his mind by Friday. You know, we’re all human, we can all change our minds. So I don t take any of my statements or any of their statements as the last word on whether we will. And if we do, the newspapers will learn about it after the fact. If we’re gonna play, we’re just gonna play.

In retrospect, what do you think of the whole ‘Lennon Remembers’ episode? Well, the other guys, their reaction was public. Ringo made some sort of comment that was funny which I can’t remember, something like, “You’ve gone too far this time, Johnnie.” Paul said ( stuffy voice ), “Well, that’s his problem.” I can’t remember what George said. I mean, they don’t care, they’ve been with me for 15 or 20 years, they know damn well what I’m like. It just so happens it was in the press. I mean, they know what I’m like. I’m not ashamed of it at all. I don’t really like hurting people, but Jann Wenner questioned me when I was almost still in therapy and you can’t play games. You’re opened up. It was like he got me on an acid trip. Things come out. I got both reactions from that article. A lot of people thought it was right on. My only upset was Jann insisted on making a book out of it.

Walls and Bridges has an undertone of regret to it. Did you sit down consciously to make an album like that? No, well . . . Let’s say this last year has been an extraordinary year for me personally. And I’m almost amazed that I could get anything out. But I enjoyed doing Walls and Bridges and it wasn’t hard when I had the whole thing to go into the studio and do it. I’m surprised it wasn’t just all bluuuuuuggggghhhhh . ( pause ) I had the most peculiar year. And . . . I’m just glad that something came out. It’s describing the year, in a way, but it’s not as sort of schizophrenic as the year really was. I think I got such a shock during that year that the impact hasn’t come through. It isn’t all on Walls and Bridges though. There’s a hint of it there. It has to do with age and God knows what else. But only the surface has been touched on Walls and Bridges , you know?

What was it about the year? Do you want to try talking about it? Well, you can’t put your finger on it. It started, somehow, at the end of ’73, goin’ to do this Rock ‘n’ Roll album [with Phil Spector ]. It had quite a lot to do with Yoko and I, whether I knew it or not, and then suddenly I was out on me own. Next thing I’d be waking up drunk in strange places, or reading about meself in the paper, doin’ extraordinary things, half of which I’d done and half of which I hadn’t done. But you know the game anyway. And find meself sort of in a mad dream for a year. I’d been in many mad dreams, but this . . . It was pretty wild. And then I tried to recover from that. And ( long pause ) meanwhile life was going on, the Beatles settlement was going on, other things, life was still going on and it wouldn’t let you sit with your hangover, in whatever form that took. It was like something – probably meself – kept hitting me while I was trying to do something. I was still trying to carry on a normal life and the whip never let up – for eight months. So … that’s what was going on. Incidents: You can put it down to which night with which bottle or which night in which town. It was just sort of a mad year like that. . . . And it was just probably fear, and being out on me own, and gettin’ old, and are ye gonna make it in the charts? Are ye not gonna make it? All that crap, y’know. All the garbage that y’really know is not the be-all and end-all of your life, but if other things are goin’ funny, that’s gonna hit you. If you’re gonna feel sorry for yourself, you’re gonna feel sorry for everything. What it’s really to do with is probably the same thing that it’s always been to do with all your life: whatever your own personal problems really are, you know? So it was a year that manifested itself (switches to deep actor’s voice ) in most peculiar fashion . But I’m through it and it’s ’75 now and I feel better and I’m sittin’ here and not lyin’ in some weird place with a hangover.

Why do you feel better? Because I feel like I’ve been on Sinbad’s voyage, you know, and I’ve battled all those monsters and I’ve got back. ( long pause ) Weird.

Tell me about the Rock ‘n’ Roll album. It started in ’73 with Phil and fell apart. I ended up as part of mad drunk scenes in Los Angeles and I finally finished it off on me own. And there was still problems with it up to the minute it came out. I can’t begin to say, it’s just barmy , there’s a jinx on that album. And I’ve just started writing a new one. Got maybe half of it written. . . .

What about the stories that Spector’s working habits are a little odd? For example, that he either showed off or shot off guns in the studios? I don’t like to tell tales out of school, y’know. But I do know there was an awful loud noise in the toilet of the Record Plant West.

What actually did happen those nights at the Troubadour when you heckled the Smothers Brothers and went walking around with a Kotex on Lennon your head asking the waitress, “Do you know who I am?” Ah, y’want the juice. . . . If I’d said, “Do you know who I am?” I’d have said it in a joke. Because I know who I am, and I know she knew, because I musta been wearing a Kotex on me head, right? I picked up a Kotex in a restaurant, in the toilet, and it was clean and just for a gag I came back to the table with it on me head. And ’cause it stuck there with sweat, just stayed there, I didn’t have to keep it on. It just stayed there till it fell off. And the waitress said, “Yeah, you’re an asshole with a Kotex on,” and I think it’s a good remark and so what? Tommy Smothers was a completely different night and has been covered a million times. It was my first night on Brandy Alexanders and my last. ( laughs ) And I was with Harry Nilsson who was no help at all. ( laughs )

What’s your relationship with Nilsson? Some critics say that he’s been heavily influenced, maybe even badly screwed up by you. Oh, that’s bullshit.

. . . and that you’ve also been influenced by him. That’s bullshit too. I haven’t been influenced by Harry, only that I had a lot of hangovers whenever I was with him. ( laughs ) I love him, he’s a great guy and I count him as one of me friends. He hasn’t influenced me musically. And there’s an illusion going around about my production of Harry’s album. That he was trying to imitate me on his album.

You mean that he’d gone into his primal period. . . . That’s it. They’re so sheep-like – put this in – and childlike about trying to put a tag on what’s going on. They use these expressions like “primal” for anything that’s a scream. Brackets: Yoko was screaming before Janov was ever even heard of; that was her stint, usin’ her voice like an instrument. She was screaming when Janov was still jackin’ off to Freud. But nowadays, everything that’s got a scream in it is called primal . I know what they’re talkin’ about: the very powerful emotional pitch that Harry reaches at the end of “Many Rivers to Cross” on the album I produced for him [ Pussy Cats ]. It’s there, simply enough, because when you get to a certain point with your vocals, there ain’t nowhere else to go. Was Little Richard primaling before each sax solo? That’s what I want to know. Was my imitation Little Richard screams I used to put on all the Beatles records before the solo – we all used to do it, we’d go aaaaaarrrrrrrggggghhhh! Was that primaling? Right? And the other thing is about Harry becoming me on his album. That’s the other illusion that all the little rock writers wrote about. It’s bullshit. I go in to produce the guy, expecting to hear Harry Nilsson singing and the guy has no voice. We’d committed studio time and we did one track, virtually, and that’s the end of his voice. So then I’m stuck with one of the best white singers in America – with no voice at all. Harry didn’t tell me till nearly the end of the album that he was coughin’ up blood .

Jesus. I didn’t know ’cause he always looked so wiped out. I didn’t know what it was. I was always treatin’ him like a doctor, gettin’ him to bed at night and tellin’ him, you know, don’t drink, don’t smoke, etcetera, etcetera. Don’t do any stuff, man. Not only have you got no voice but they’re gonna blame me. Which they did. I think it was psychosomatic. I think he was nervous ’cause I was producing him. You know, he was an old Beatle fan when he was in the bank or something. But I was committed to the thing, the band was there and the guy had no voice, so we made the best of it. So they say, oh, he’s tryin’ to sound like you. The poor guy couldn’t get a note out and we were lucky to get anything out of it.

Richard Perry has described you as a superb producer but maybe in too much of a hurry.   That’s true. ( laughs )

But supposedly, when making the Beatles records, you were painstaking and slow. No, I was never painstaking and slow. I produced “I Am the Walrus” at the same speed I produced “Whatever Gets You thru the Night.” I would be painstaking on some things, as I am now. If there’s a quality that occasionally gets in the way of my talent, it’s that I get bored quick unless it’s done quick. But “I Am the Walrus” sounds like a wonderful production. “Strawberry Fields” sounds like a big production. But I do them as quick as I possibly can, without losing (a) the feel and (b) where I’m going. The longest track I personally spent time on was “Revolution Number Nine” which was an abstract track where I used a lot of tape loops and things like that. I still did it in one session. But I accept that criticism and I have it of myself. But I don’t want to make myself so painstaking that it’s boring. But I should ( pause ) maybe t’ink a little more. Maybe. But on the other hand I think my criticism of somebody like Richard Perry would be that he’s great but he’s too painstaking. It gets too slick and somewhere in between that is where I’d like to go. I’ve only produced two albums of me own, actually, completely on me own. And I find something out each time. I’m a learner at production, although I’ve been at this business so long and I used to produce my own tracks with the help of George Martin and Paul McCartney and George Harrison and everybody else. I would be in charge of me own tracks. But really to produce a thing all on me own – I’ve done very little. I keep finding out all the time – what I’m missing that I want to get out of it.

Is there anybody that you’d like to produce? For example, Dylan ? Dylan would be interesting because I think he made a great album in Blood on the Tracks but I’m still not keen on the backings. I think I could produce him great. And Presley. I’d like to resurrect Elvis. But I’d be so scared of him I don’t know whether I could do it. But I’d like to do it. Dylan I could do, but Presley would make me nervous. But Dylan or Presley, somebody up there . . . I know what I’d do with Presley. Make a rock & roll album. Dylan doesn’t need material. I’d just make him some good backings. So if you’re reading this Bob, you know. . . .

Elton John has revived “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and David Bowie has recorded “Across the Universe.” How do you feel about both artists? I like and respect them both. I’m closer to Elton because I’ve known him longer and I’ve spent more time with him. Elton sort of popped in on the session for Walls and Bridges and sort of zapped in and played the piano and ended up singing “Whatever Gets You thru the Night” with me. Which was a great shot in the arm. I’d done three-quarters of it, and it was, “Now what do we do?” Should we put a camel on it or a xylophone? That sort of thing. And he came in and said, “Hey, ah’ll play some piano!” Then I heard he was doing “Lucy” and I heard from a friend – ’cause he was shy – would I be there when he cut “Lucy”? Maybe play on it but just be there? So I went along. And I sang in the chorus and contributed the reggae in the middle. And then, again through a mutual friend, he asked if it got to be Number One, would I appear onstage with him, and I said sure, not thinkin’ in a million years it was gonna get to Number One. Al Coury or no Al Coury, the promotion man at Capitol. And there I was. Onstage.

I read somewhere that you were very moved by the whole thing. I was moved by it, but everybody else was in tears . I felt guilty ’cause I wasn’t in tears. I just went up and did a few numbers. But the emotional thing was me and Elton together. Elton had been working in Dick James’s office when we used to send our demos in and there’s a long sort of relationship musically with Elton that people don’t really know about. He has this sort of Beatle thing from way back. He’d take the demos home and play them and . . . well, it meant a lot to me and it meant a hell of a lot to Elton, and he was in tears. It was a great high night, a really high night and . . . Yoko and I met backstage. And somebody said, “Well, there’s two people in love.” That was before we got back together. But that’s probably when we felt something. It was very weird. She came backstage and I didn’t know she was there, ’cause if I’d known she was there I’d’ve been too nervous to go on, you know, I would have been terrified. She was backstage afterward, and there was just that moment when we saw each other and like, it’s like in the movies, you know, when time stands still? And there was silence, everything went silent, y’know, and we were just sort of lookin’ at each other and . . . oh, hello. I knew she’d sent Elton and I a flower each, and we were wearin’ them onstage, but I didn’t know she was there and then everybody was around us and flash flash flash. But there was that moment of silence. And somebody observed it and told me later on, after we were back together again, and said, “A friend of mine saw you backstage and thought if ever there was two in love, it’s those two.” And I thought, well, it’s weird somebody noticed it . . . So it was a great night . . . And David just seems to be livin’ in New York now, and I’ve got to know him a bit and we’ve had some good nights and he just said, “I’m gonna cut ‘Across the Universe’ – will you come down?” And I said okay, and went down and played the guitar. That was it. No big deal.

There seems to be a lot of generosity among the artists now. It was around before. It’s harder when you’re on the make, to be generous, ’cause you’re all competing. But once you’re sort of up there, wherever it is . . . The rock papers love to write about the jetsetting rock stars and they dig it and we dig it in a way. The fact is that yeah, I see Mick , I see Paul, I see Elton, they’re all my contemporaries and I’ve known the other Beatles, of course, for years, and Mick for ten years, and we’ve been hangin’ around since Rock Dreams . And suddenly it’s written up as they’re here – they’re there – they’re everywhere bit, and it looks like we’re trying to form a club. But we always were a club. We always knew each other. It just so happens that it looks more dramatic in the paper.

How do you relate to what we might call the rock stars of the Seventies? Do you think of yourself as an uncle figure, a father figure, an old gun-fighter? It depends who they are. If it’s Mick or the Old Guard as I call them, yeah, they’re the Old Guard. Elton, David are the newies. I don’t feel like an old uncle, dear, ’cause I’m not that much older than half of ’em, hehe. But . . . yeah, I’m interested in the new people. I’m interested in new people in America but I get a kick out of the new Britons. I remember hearing Elton John ‘s “Your Song,” heard it in America – it was one of Elton’s first big hits – and remember thinking, “Great, that’s the first new thing that’s happened since we happened.” It was a step forward. There was something about his vocals that was an improvement on all of the English vocals until then. I was pleased with it. And I was pleased with Bowie’s thing and I hadn’t even heard him. I just got this feeling from the image and the projections that were coming out of England of him, well, you could feel it.

Do you think of New York as home now? Oh, yeah. I’ve been here, well, this is almost the fourth year. Yeah, this is the longest I’ve ever been away from England. I’ve almost lived here as long as I’ve lived in London. I was in London from, let’s see, ’64, ’65, ’66, ’67, actually in London ’cause then it was your Beatlemania bit and we all ended up like a lot of rock & rollers end up, living an hour away from London in the country, the drivin’-in-from-the-big-estate bit. ‘Cause you couldn’t live in London, ’cause people just bugged the ass off you. So I’ve lived in New York longer than I actually lived in London.

In view of the immigration case, is one reason you’ve stayed here so long because if you left, they’d pull a Charlie Chaplin on you and not let you back in? You bet. There’s no way, they wouldn’t let me back. Not after I’ve dug in so much as it is. There’s no way. And . . . it’s worth it to me. I can last out, without leaving here, another ten years, if that’s, the way they want to play it. I’ll earn enough to keep paying them. I’m really getting blackmailed. I’m paying to stay. Paying takes, on one hand, about a half-million dollars, and I’ve hardly worked very hard for that. I mean that’s with sittin’ on me arse and I’ve paid a half-million in taxes . So I’m paying them to attack me and keep me busy and harass me, on one hand, while on the other hand I’ve got to pay me own lawyers. Some people think I’m here just to make the American dollars. But I don’t have to be here to make the dollars, I could earn American dollars just sittin’ in a recording studio in Hong Kong. Wherever I am, the money follows me . It’s gonna come out of America whether they like it or not. This is where the money comes from, in this world. It’s not that the government allows people to earn money from America, the government wants people to earn money, otherwise they wouldn’t’ve set up this damn system, right? I also give a lot of jobs to a lot of Americans.

Right. And the government doesn’t choose that John Lennon makes money. The people who buy your music do that. The implication is that John Lennon wants to come to the land of milk and honey ’cause it’s easier to pick up the money, so I can pick it up directly instead of waiting for it to arrive in England. Or Brazil. Or wherever I decide to do it. I resent that implication, especially as I’m payin’ through the nose. I don’t mind paying taxes, either, which is strange. I never did. I don’t like ’em using it for bombs and that. But I don’t think I could do a Joan Baez. I don’t have that kind of gut. I did never complain in England either, because, well, it’s buying people teeth . . . I’m sick of gettin’ sick about taxes. Taxes is what seems to to be it and there’s nothin’ to be done about it, unless you choose to make a crusade about it. And I’m sick of being in crusades because I always get nailed up before I’m even in the crusade. They get me in the queue while I’m readin’ the pages about it: “Oh there’s a crusade on, I wonder should I . . . ” I mean, I get caught before I’ve ever even done anything about it.

You went through a period of really heavy involvement in radical causes. Lately you seem to have gone back to your art in a more direct way. What happened? I’ll tell you what happened literally . I got off the boat, only it was an aeroplane, and landed in New York, and the first people who got in touch with me was Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman. It’s as simple as that. It’s those two famous guys from America who’s callin: “Hey, yeah, what’s happenin’, what’s go-in’ on? . . . ” And the next thing you know I’m doin’ John Sinclair benefits and one thing and another. I’m pretty movable , as an artist, you know. They almost greeted me off the plane and the next minute I’m involved , you know.

How did all of this affect your work? It almost ruined it, in a way. It became journalism and not poetry. And I basically feel that I’m a poet. Even if it does go ba-deedle, eedle, eedle, it, da-deeedle, deedle, it. I’m not a formalized poet, I have no education, so I have to write in the simplest forms usually. And I realized that over a period of time – and not just ’cause I met Jerry Rubin off the plane – but that was like a culmination. I realized that we were poets but we were really folk poets, and rock & roll was folk poetry – I’ve always felt that. Rock & roll was folk music. Then I began to take it seriously on another level, saying, “Well, I am reflecting what is going on , right?” And then I was making an effort to reflect what was going on. Well, it doesn’t work like that. It doesn’t work as pop music or what I want to do. It just doesn’t make sense. You get into that bit where you can’t talk about trees, ’cause, y’know, y’gotta talk about Corruption on 54th Street! It’s nothing to do with that . It’s a bit larger than that. It’s the usual lesson that I’ve learned in me little 34 years: As soon as you’ve clutched onto something, you think – you’re always clutchin’ at straws – this is what life is all about . I think artists are lucky because the straws are always blowin’ out of their hands. But the unfortunate thing is that most people find the straw hat and hang on to it, like your best friend that got the job at the bank when he was 15 and looked 28 before he was 20. “Oh, this is it! Now I know what I’m doing! Right? Down this road for the next hundred years” . . . and it ain’t never that . Whether it’s a religious hat or a political hat or a no-political hat: whatever hat it was, always looking for these straw hats. I think I found out it’s a waste of time. There is no hat to wear. Just keep moving around and changing clothes is the best. That’s all that goes on: change .

At one time I thought, well, I’m avoidin’ that thing called the Age Thing, whether it hits you at 21 when you take your first job – I always keep referrin’ to that because it has nothing to do, virtually, with your physical age. I mean, we all know the guys who took the jobs when we left school, the straight jobs, they all look like old guys within six weeks. You’d meet them and they’d all be lookin’ like Well, I’ve Settled Down Now. So I never want to settle down, in that respect. I always want to be immature in that respect. But then I felt that if I keep bangin’ my head on the wall it’ll stop me from gettin’ that kind of age in the head. By keeping creating, consciously or unconsciously, extraordinary situations which in the end you’d write about. But maybe it has nothin’ to do with it. I’m still mullin’ that over. Still mullin’ over last year now. Maybe that was it. I was still trying to avoid somethin’ but doin’ it the wrong way ’round. Whether it’s called age or whatever.

Is it called growing up? I don’t want to grow up but I’m sick of not growing up – that way. I’ll find a different way of not growing up. There’s a better way of doing it than torturing your body. And then your mind. The guilt! It’s just so dumb . And it makes me furious to be dumb because I don’t like dumb people. And there I am, doing the dumbest things . . . I seem to do the things that I despise the most, almost. All of that to – what? – avoid being normal.

I have this great fear of this normal thing. You know, the ones that passed their exams, the ones that went to their jobs, the ones that didn’t become rock & rollers, the ones that settled for it, settled for it, settled for the deal ! That’s what I’m trying to avoid. But I’m sick of avoiding it with violence, you know? I’ve gotta do it some other way. I think I will. I think just the fact that I’ve realized it is a good step forward. Alive in ’75 is my new motto. I’ve just made it up. That’s the one. I’ve decided I want to live. I’d decided I wanted to live before , but I didn’t know what it meant, really. It’s taken however many years and I want to have a go at it.

Do you think much of yourself as an artist at 50 or 60? I never see meself as not an artist. I never let meself believe that an artist can “run dry.”

I’ve always had this vision of bein’ 60 and writing children’s books. I don’t know why. It’d be a strange thing for a person who doesn’t really have much to do with children. I’ve always had that feeling of giving what Wind in the Willows and Alice in Wonderland and Treasure Island gave to me at age seven and eight. The books that really opened my whole being.

Is there anything left to say about the immigration case? I don’t know what to say anymore. It stands no different from the time Rolling Stone did it last. It’s going from court to court and I’m getting no relief, as the legal term puts it. They’re still playing that attitude that, you know, we’re treating you like this because of this law. Sure, the law exists. And so do all the Nazis here and the drug dealers that are not American born and all the killers that are allowed in here. They’re still pretending that they’re doing it on the strict letter of the law.

You know, I can resurrect it and do more press, and keep appealing to the American people. But they’re human . People get bored with hearin’ about Lennon’s immigration case. I’m bored with hearin’ about it. The only interesting thing is when I read these articles people write that were not instigated by me. I learn things I didn’t know anything about . I didn’t know about Strom Thurmond . I had no idea – I mean I knew something was going on, but I didn’t have any names. I’m just left in the position of just what am I supposed to do? There doesn’t seem to be anything I can do about it. It’s just . . . bloody crazy . Terry Southern put it in a nice sort of way. He said, “Well, look, y’keep ’em all happy, ya see? The conservatives are happy ’cause they’re doin’ somethin’ about ya and the liberals are happy ’cause they haven’t thrown you out. So everybody’s happy! [ pause ] Except you!” ( laughter ) I’m happy I’m still here. I must say that. And I ain’t going. There’s no way they’re gonna get me out. No way. They’re not gonna drag me in chains , right? So I’m just gonna have to keep paying. It’s bloody ridiculous. It’s just . . . beyond belief.

So nothing has changed with the departure of Nixon. I’m even nervous about commenting on politics, they’ve got me that jumpy these days. But it’s a bit of an illusion to think ’cause Old Nick went that it’s all changed. If it’s changed, prove it, show me the change. In all honesty, it’s a political decision. No matter how many letters the immigration people write to newspapers saying it isn’t, it’s a political decision. Somebody’s gotta make up their mind either to let this go on or to leave me alone. It could be that it’s an embarrassing situation for the government, because they started the thing. It might just be embarrassing to them if someone just made a call to someone to pull the dogs off. What’s Lennon gonna do then? Is he gonna say, ha ha, I tole yiz? What does it entail if they give in? If they relax about it? How much constituency does Lennon have? And his friends? What does it mean to the public in general? But they also know that the public forgets.

When you heard that Thurmond and these other creeps were making a guinea pig out of you in the immigration case, what was your gut reaction? My gut reaction was ha ha ha, I told you so. And I’d like to thank Rolling Stone for their pieces on immigration. They helped bring it all out again. They were great.

Does the case get in the way of your work? It did. It did. There’s no denying it. In ’72, it was really gettin’ to me. Not only was I physically having to appear in court cases, it just seemed like a toothache that wouldn’t go away. Now I just accept it. I just have a permanent toothache. But there was a period where I just couldn’t function , you know? I was so paranoid from them tappin’ the phone and followin’ me … How could I prove that they were tappin’ me phone? There was no way. And when they were followin’ me, I went on Dick Cavett and said they were followin’ me and they stopped followin’ me. But when they were followin’ me, they wanted me to see they were following me. I was so damned paranoid . . . And what with the Rubins, and the people I met through that school of music, and as I traveled around the country, I got more information about every one of those politicos, so that I couldn’t trust anybody . This was pre-Watergate. Even when I said it to reporters, or on the Cavett show, that people were following me, they’d look and say, “Don’t be an egomaniac, we know you’ve got a problem, but who’s gonna chase you ? You’re not that important .” And I wish I wasn’t. I wish they didn’t find it such an important thing.

Give me an example of how the case has affected the work. Well, there was a period when I was hangin’ out with a group called Elephant’s Memory. And I was ready to go on the road for pure fun . I didn’t want to go on the road for money. That was the time when I was standing up in the Apollo with a guitar at the Attica relatives’ benefit or ending up on the stage at the John Sinclair rally. I felt like going on the road and playing music . And whatever excuse – charity or whatever – would have done me. But they kept pullin’ me back into court! I had the group hangin’ ’round, but finally I had to say, “Hey, you better get on with your lives.” Now, the last thing on earth I want to do is perform. That’s a direct result of the immigration thing. In ’71, ’72, I wanted to go out and rock me balls off onstage and I just stopped.

Have you made any kind of flat decision not to ever go on the road again? No. I’ve stopped making flat decisions. I change me mind a lot. My idea of heaven is not going on the road. And this was before George’s tour.

What groups do you listen to these days? I’m still a record man. There’s nobody – including meself – on earth that I can sit down and listen to a whole album. Nobody . The same voice going on . . . Nobody can sustain it. Even as a rock ‘n’ roll fan of 15, there were very few albums I could sit through. Even Elvis, and I adored him, or Carl Perkins or Little Richard. There were always a couple of tracks to miss and go on to the next ones. So I don’t sit ’round and listen to artists’ albums. Unless they’re friends of mine. I like records. I like “Shame, Shame, Shame.” Shirley and the gang. Some of this disco stuff. Great. I like just individual records. One of me favorites last year was “I Can Help.” Billy Swan. A real old Elvis imitation kind of record. I like singles. I like jukebox music. That was the thing that turned me on. That’s the thing I like.

What was the Grammy show like? It was great fun. It was chaos backstage. But I enjoyed it. I was hoping Elton would win. Nothing against Olivia. I hope it didn’t show on me face when they announced it. I opened the thing and somehow I was expecting to see Elton John, y’know, and I went . . . uh. . . and here is Olivia. . .  Newton. . . John. And I thought, oh, me face has dropped, hehe.

Will you ever be free of the fact that you were once a Beatle? I’ve got used to the fact – just about – that whatever I do is going to be compared to the other Beatles. If I took up ballet dancing, my ballet dancing would be compared with Paul’s bowling. So that I’ll have to live with. But I’ve come to learn something big this past year. I cannot let the Top Ten dominate my art. If my worth is only to be judged by whether I’m in the Top Ten or not, then I’d better give up. Because if I let the Top Ten dominate my art, then the art will die. And then whether I’m in the Top Ten is a moot point. I do think now in terms of long term. I’m an artist. I have to express myself. I can’t be dominated by gold records. As I said, I’m 34 going on 60. The art is more important than the thing and sometimes I have to remind meself of it. Because there’s a danger there, for all of us, for everyone who’s involved in whatever art they’re in, of needing that love so badly that . . . In my business, that’s manifested in the Top Ten.

So this last year, in some ways, was a year of deciding whether you wanted to be an artist or a pop star? Yeah. What is it I’m doing? What am I doing ? Meanwhile, I was still putting out the work. But in the back of me head it was that: What do you want to be? What are you lookin’ for? And that’s about it. I’m a freakin’ artist, man, not a fucking race horse.

Pete Hamill has written two novels, a journalism collection and numerous magazine pieces and is currently working on a filmscript with Billy Friedkin.

This story appeared in the June 5, 1975 issue of Rolling Stone.

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John Lennon: A Journey In The Life (TV Movie 1985)

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Monday 2 April 2018

John lennon: a journey in the life.

6 comments:

Hi, I remember this from when it came out, I was 16 at the time and had recorded it... On betamax 🤣 I wish I had a copy now that's for sure, I can't track it down anywhere, which is such a shame.

I was the same age as you and was transfixed by this programme

I was thirteen. I had it recorded too and then l lost it. Wish I could find this somewhere.

I saw this when it aired. I was 5 years old and to say it was an eye opening experience would be quite an understatement. For the next few years I wore my uncle's vhs recording of the show to shreds. If it is possibly to get a digital copy of this I would be truly appreciative. I'm not sure I would be the person I am now without this film.

I believe a heavily edited version of this was broadcast in the USA in in the late '80s. My parents recorded it at the time and I discovered it later as a young child. It was possibly my first Beatles/John Lennon documentary! The version I know is about 1 hour long, with many of the mentioned music segments and celebrity guest stars deleted. It was so eccentric, surreal, and visually engrossing, I remain transfixed by it. It took a long time to dig up any information whatsoever online. Unfortunately, my parents' recording missed the opening few moments of the broadcast, so I didn't even know the title and no one else could remember years later. Would love to see the full version some day--I feel there's a level of artistry in this program, even in a truncated form, that deserves not to be overlooked. Thanks for the info!

I was at Quarry Bank at the same time as John Lennon and remember seeing (and recording) this on VHS tape, unfortunately recorded over by mistake. The opening scene was interesting with its references to a teacher "We got Burroughs--Burroughs is all right" This was R. Lancelot Burroughs a corpulant English teacher, who was , as Lennon said "all right" The actor playing his mate Pete Shotton was a very good likeness, I remember Shotton well

John Lennon: A Journey in the Life

Film details, brief synopsis, cast & crew, rosalind shanks, bernard hill, megumi shimanuki, michael stainton, peter faulkner, technical specs.

A one-hour documentary which chronicles the life of John Lennon, making use of dramatizations, fantasy-like images, and commentary. The material for the special is drawn from Lennon's writings and songs, along with stills, interviews, and documentary footage of the famous Beatle who was assassinated on December 8, 1980.

Sylvestra Letouzel

Benji lawrence, john lennon.

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John Lennon’s 1973 album touched on many themes and vignettes from John’s life – but this time avoided overtly political themes.

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Over the course of just 18 months, John Lennon recorded his first three solo albums, beginning with John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band in September 1970, Imagine that was finished in July 1971, and Some Time In New York City that was completed in March 1972. His last album had politics oozing, and sometimes shouting, from every microgroove and it had been the least well-received of the three by critics and public. In the ensuing year he uncharacteristically spent little time composing and he also, starting in early 1973, began to distance himself from the political activities that had brought so much unwanted attention from both the US Immigration Service and the FBI. Then in July 1973 at the Record Plant in New York City, John was back doing what he did best.

Listen to Mind Games now .

Two months after the release of Some Time In New York City , a dark period began for John and Yoko. On November 7, 1972, Nixon won one of the largest landslide victories in American political history and it so depressed John that he got blind drunk at Jerry Rubin’s home on the night of the election. So drunk that he took a woman into one of the bedrooms and had sex with her. Yoko and the other partygoers were in an adjoining room and heard it all. “Something was lost that night for me,” said Yoko, “living with John was a very trying situation. But I thought I would endure all that for our love.” It was against this backdrop that Mind Games was largely written and recorded.

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Yoko had started work on a solo album that became ‘Feeling The Space’ with musicians that had been put together with help from their great friend and engineer, Roy Cicala. John liked what he heard and asked Roy to book the same musicians so that he could start recording again; notably guitarist David Spinozza, keyboard player Ken Ascher and drummer Jim Keltner. For John, his marital difficulties with Yoko were compounded by the issues and effects of his involvement with radical politics: “I just couldn’t function, you know? I was so paranoid from them tapping the phone and following me.”

The month before recording began, John and Yoko moved uptown from Greenwich Village to The Dakota, an apartment building located on the northwest corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West. John stopped working with Phil Spector as a co-producer and because of John and Yoko’s issues, Mind Games was produced solely by Lennon. It was recorded in John’s usual quick-fire fashion, And like Some Time in New York City , it touched on many themes and vignettes from John’s life – but this time it largely avoided overtly political themes.

It opens with the album’s title track, a song that dates back to 1970 when it had had the working title of “Make Love, Not War.” Above all else, the song signals John’s intent of returning to his more normal territory as far as song subject matter is concerned. It became the only single to be released from the album.

John’s chronicling of his own life features on many of the tracks on Mind Games . There’s ‘Aisumasen (I’m Sorry)” that reflects on John’s relationship with Yoko and the hurt he felt at the hurt he had inflicted. Aisumasen is Japanese for sorry. It is one of Lennon’s most melancholic of songs, one in which sees himself cast adrift. It was during the recording of the album that Yoko suggested that she and John have a trial separation and that May Pang would be the perfect companion for Lennon. With heartfelt honesty, Yoko later said, “Hey, it’s John Lennon. It was obvious to everybody, except to John, that I was the loser. Every man and woman of our generation was going to be happy that finally, I was not around their hero.

“We’d probably lose each other if we stayed” – Yoko.

Other songs inspired by their love and their difficulties are, “Out The Blue” in which John expresses his doubts over their separation. The beautiful “You Are Here” is a love song to Yoko and it’s hard not to be affected by John’s ability to lay his feelings bare; the song is made more affecting by Sneaky Pete Kleinow’s pedal steel guitar. On “One Day (At A Time),” John sings in his falsetto voice and his notion in this song is that two parts are made bigger than their individual size when they are brought together in love. It features a classic saxophone solo from Michael Brecker on one of his earliest sessions.

As with just about every Lennon solo album, his love for the music that inspired him is ever present. “Tight A$” with shades of 1950s rockabilly and country-rock picking is one of Mind Games ’ nods to his formative years. On “Meat City” John’s innate love of rock ‘n roll shines through, and he makes his point further by singing “Just got to give me some rock ‘n’ roll.”

John did make a brief return to politics on Mind Games , but in a far wittier and lighter fashion than on his previous album. “Bring On The Lucie (Freeda Peeple)” was no less biting, and perhaps it was more effective as a result.

Released on October 29, 1973 in America, and November 16 in the UK, Mind Games has cover artwork created by John himself. The album made No. 13 in Britain and got to No. 9 in the US. It met with some critical grumbling upon its release, but British music paper Melody Maker ’s Ray Coleman, always an incisive reviewer, said, “The raw nerves of a Lennon battered by America’s curious logic and sheer hard-heartedness seem to have spurred him to write incisively…” And John does just that, making an album that has vastly improved with age. Knowing what we know now about what he and Yoko were going through in their relationship it works so much better as a body of work.

Shortly after Mind Games was released, John, along with May Pang, moved from New York to live in Los Angeles and the period that has come to be called “The Lost Weekend” began. As such, this album can almost be looked at as a Friday night, after a long week’s hard work. All that had gone before – from the alienation that John and Yoko felt when living in England and the barbs that Yoko had had to take over her perceived role in the Beatles’ breakup, to a different kind of alienation heaped upon the Lennon’s by the American authorities, was presented in this and the previous three albums.

When listened to in order, and in one sitting, from John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band through to Mind Games , we have a fascinating musical autobiography. Arguably no other artist has portrayed themselves so honestly and eloquently. Yes, there are some songs that are not Lennon classics, but even average Lennon songs are far superior than many other artist’s finest work.

Listen to the best of John Lennon on Apple Music and Spotify .

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The Strange Journey of John Lennon’s Stolen Patek Philippe Watch

By Jay Fielden

For years, John Lennon’s Patek Philippe 2499 has been the El Dorado of lost watches. Lennon was known for collecting expensive things: apartments in the Dakota (five); guitars (one apartment was mainly for musical equipment); country estates; jukeboxes (three); and Egyptian artifacts, including a gold-leafed sarcophagus containing a mummified princess, who Yoko Ono believed was a former self. But the Patek appears to have been his one and only wristwatch.

A gift from Ono, the watch is more than anyone would ever need to tell the time. A perpetual-calendar chronograph, it is, as Paul Boutros, the head of watches at the American arm of Phillips auction house, says, a “mechanical microcomputer, the most sought after of all Pateks.” Between 1952 and around 1985, Patek produced just three hundred and forty-nine of them. The watch, which Ono bought at Tiffany on Fifth Avenue, records time in eight different ways; the dial houses three apertures (day, month, moon phase) and three subdials (seconds, elapsed minutes, date). If you never memorized the mnemonic “thirty days hath September,” no worries—the 2499 Patek hath. Its miraculous ganglia of tiny wheels and levers will adjust its readings to the quirky imperfections of the Gregorian calendar, including leap years. No other watchmaker was able to produce a perpetual-calendar-chronograph movement small enough to fit into a wristwatch until 1985.

What makes this 2499 even rarer—and perhaps the most valuable wristwatch in existence—is how little we know about it. Ono gave it to her husband for his fortieth birthday, on October 9, 1980, two months before he was fatally shot by a deranged man outside the Dakota. For the next three decades, the existence of the watch remained unknown except to a handful of family and close friends.

But, sometime around 2007, in the early days of social media, a new kind of watch obsessive materialized, equipped with native computer skills and an appreciation for the places where pop culture and the luxury market intersect. In those pre-Instagram years, fanboy wonks traded watch esoterica online: an image of Picasso wearing a lost Jaeger-LeCoultre; Castro with two trendy Rolexes strapped to one arm; Brando, on the set of “Apocalypse Now,” “flexing,” as watch geeks say, a Rolex GMT-Master without its timing bezel, a modification he made to better inhabit the role of Kurtz; and—the Google image-search find of them all—two frames of an uncredited snapshot of Lennon and his Patek.

Since its discovery, around 2011, the image has appeared online again and again, fuelling a speculative frenzy about what the watch—which cost around twenty-five thousand dollars at Tiffany in 1980—might bring at auction today, with estimates ranging from ten million to forty million dollars. (Bloomberg’s Subdial Watch Index tracks the value of a bundle of watches produced by Rolex, Patek, and Audemars Piguet, like an E.T.F.; the Boston Consulting Group reported that, between 2018 and 2023, a similar selection outperformed the S. & P. 500 by twelve per cent. In 2017, Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona broke records by selling at auction for $17.8 million.) But all the clickbait posts about the Lennon Patek, as it had come to be known, were regurgitations that contained few facts. There was never a mention of who took the photo, where it was taken, or even where the watch might be.

During the long, dull days of the pandemic, I decided to see what I could find out. Several years went by, as I traced the journey of the watch from where it was stowed after Lennon’s death—a locked room in his Dakota apartment—to when it was stolen, apparently in 2005. From there, it moved around Europe and the watch departments of two auction houses, before becoming the subject of an ongoing lawsuit, in Switzerland, to determine whether the watch’s rightful owner is Ono or an unnamed man a Swiss court judgment refers to as Mr. A, who claims to have bought the watch legally in 2014.

Having reached its final appeal—Ono has so far prevailed—the case is now in the hands of the Tribunal Fédéral, Switzerland’s Supreme Court, which is expected to render a verdict later this year. Meanwhile, the watch continues to sit in an undisclosed location in Geneva, a city that specializes in the safe, secret storage of lost treasures.

Lennon holding up his birthday Patek in the fall of 1980 is one of the happiest moments captured on film in the final years of his life. That summer, he’d begun making music again, during a trip to Bermuda which he’d hoped would help repair the well-publicized strain in his marriage to Ono. Lennon’s “lost weekend”—more than a year spent living in Los Angeles with May Pang, a former assistant who became his lover—was not that far in the past, and Ono had fallen into an infatuation with an art-world socialite named Sam Green. (It was in Bermuda that Lennon wrote “I’m Losing You.”)

Lennon had spent the previous five years holed up in the Dakota as a self-proclaimed “househusband,” raising his son Sean so that Ono, whom Lennon called Mother, could take her turn at being the decision-maker of the music-business enterprise they’d named Lennono. While Ono dealt with Beatles headaches, controlled the purse strings, and invested in real estate, Lennon occupied himself by watching soap operas, eating bran biscuits and rice, smoking Gitanes, and listening to either classical music or Muzak. “If I heard anything bad,” he later explained, “I’d want to fix it, and if I heard anything good, I’d wonder why I hadn’t thought of it.”

In the photograph, Lennon, trim and fit from a macrobiotic diet, wears jeans and a loosely knotted striped knit tie adorned with a jewel-encrusted American-flag pin. The picture was taken in the Hit Factory, where he and Ono had been recording “Double Fantasy,” his first album in five years. The room is dim, but he has on sunglasses, celluloid horn-rims recently bought in Japan. Buckled on his left wrist is the Patek 2499.

In order to find out more about the photograph, I tracked down Jack Douglas, the noted record producer who oversaw “Double Fantasy,” and sent him the picture by e-mail. He replied right away. “Bob Gruen took the photo,” he wrote, referring to the well-known documenter of the seventies and eighties rock scene.

When I contacted Gruen, who is now seventy-eight and lives in New York City, he had no idea that his photograph had become the talk of the horological world or why he’d never been given credit for it; he’d published the image in a book, titled “John Lennon: The New York Years,” in 2005. But he remembered the night he took the photo—Lennon’s fortieth birthday. Since late that summer, Lennon and Ono had been spending a lot of time in a multiroom studio on the sixth floor of the Hit Factory building, then on West Forty-eighth Street. “I was one of the few people who had an open invitation,” Gruen told me. “They liked to work late.” Gruen, who said he was living on a “steak-and-Cognac diet” in those days, showed up after midnight, having attended the thirty-sixth-birthday party of the singer Nona Hendryx. “I thought I’d bring John a piece of her birthday cake,” he said.

When Gruen arrived, Lennon was enjoying his presents: the knit tie, which Ono had made herself (a copy of the one he wore at school in Liverpool); the flag pin; and the Patek, in yellow gold, which had a rare and highly coveted double-stamped dial, meaning that both the watchmaker’s and Tiffany’s logos were printed on it. Gruen remembered Lennon being abuzz over the tie and the pin, a nod to Lennon’s fourth anniversary as a green-card holder. He doesn’t recall talking about the watch. But Lennon nonetheless strapped the black lizard band onto his wrist when Gruen reached for his Olympus OM4.

A few other photographs that Gruen took that week have never been seen by the public. One shows Lennon at a mixing board with Douglas, who is wearing a recognizable watch himself, a Porsche Design Chronograph I—stainless steel and coated in black—which Porsche had presented to him and to the members of Aerosmith in 1976, after the band’s German tour for its album “Rocks.” Douglas told me that he and Lennon later wrist-checked each other. “Although I thought his watch was beautiful,” he wrote in an e-mail to me, “I told John it didn’t have the pizzazz of my black beauty, and we had a good laugh.”

After Lennon’s death, Ono had a full inventory taken of her husband’s possessions, a document that amounted to nearly a thousand pages. She then put the Patek in a locked room of her apartment. And there the watch remained for more than twenty years.

I found a clue as to what happened next by putting together shards of information from various members of the watch intelligentsia who had all “heard” that the Patek had been stolen. “I think the guy was Turkish,” one said. Another remembered “something about a chauffeur.” This led me to a 2006 article in the Times about a man named Koral Karsan (Turkish: check), who had served as Ono’s chauffeur (check two) for the previous ten years. Karsan, a veteran member of Ono’s oft-shuffled staff—trusted enough that he had full access to her apartment—had simply gone berserk in December of that year, threatening to release embarrassing photos and private conversations he’d been recording unless Ono paid him two million dollars; he allegedly said that if she refused he would have her and Sean killed.

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A tall, square-jawed man with a thick burr of white hair, Karsan, then fifty, was arrested. In a series of preliminary hearings in a Manhattan courtroom, he defended himself against charges of extortion and attempted grand larceny by claiming, as the Times reported, that Ono had “humiliated and degraded him, wrecking his marriage and making him so nervous that he ground eight of his teeth to the bone.” A letter he’d written to Ono describing himself as her “driver, bodyguard, assistant, butler, nurse, handyman and more so your lover and confidant” was also entered into the record. Ono disputed Karsan’s claims about a romance, but the prosecution allowed him to plead guilty to a lesser charge, and he was ordered to return to his native Turkey.

According to a story that Karsan would later tell, Ono—who was known to consult psychics—became worried one day in 2006 that a forecasted heavy-weather event might endanger some meaningful Lennon items, including two pairs of Lennon’s eyeglasses and several New Yorker desk diaries (which he used as journals during the last five years of his life); she asked Karsan to find a safer place to keep them. Unbeknownst to Ono, when Karsan was subsequently deported, these items, along with the Patek, followed him.

Ono, who is ninety-one and lives in seclusion in upstate New York, declined to comment. Of Karsan, Sean Lennon told me, “He took advantage of a widow at a vulnerable time. Of all the incidents of people stealing things from my parents, this one is the most painful.”

Karsan, back in Turkey, was in the market for a house. Around 2009, he showed Lennon’s watch to a Turkish friend visiting from Berlin named Erhan G (as he came to be known owing to German privacy laws). Karsan let Erhan G flip through the diaries, including one marked 1980, which includes Lennon’s final entry. Karsan threw out an idea: he’d give the Lennon Patek to Erhan G as collateral for a loan. Erhan G agreed.

One evening in 2013, in Berlin, Erhan G met an executive who worked for a new, much hyped digital auction platform called Auctionata. He couldn’t resist boasting about the Patek 2499 and the rest of the Lennon trove—some eighty items. In short order, a dinner was arranged with Oliver Hoffmann, Auctionata’s twenty-eight-year-old director of watches. “He told me the story of how he’d gotten the watch,” Hoffmann recalled, of his meeting with Erhan G. “It was strange, but it felt whole and true. It was credible because of the many details.” Erhan G, who said that he was the watch’s rightful owner, per an agreement with Karsan, didn’t strike Hoffmann as a man desperate for money. “He owned a successful business and lived in a large apartment in a building close to Potsdamer Platz,” Hoffman said. (Erhan G could not be reached for comment.)

Auctionata, which live-streamed its auctions, was one of Germany’s dot-com darlings, lauded in the press for disrupting the old auction-house model, dominated by Christie’s and Sotheby’s, which had yet to develop a digital-first business. Investors including Groupe Arnault, Holtzbrinck Ventures, and Hearst Ventures had put up more than a hundred million dollars of venture capital for the company. Hoffmann says that the C.E.O., Alexander Zacke, recognized what a publicity boon selling John Lennon’s lost watch would be and pushed for a way to do it with or without notifying Ono. (Zacke did not respond to a request for comment.) Teams of lawyers studied the watch’s provenance and puzzled over how to offer it for sale without raising eyebrows. A document called an extract was obtained from Patek Philippe, which meant that the watch had not been registered as stolen, and Karsan himself travelled to Berlin, where he signed a document in front of a notary testifying that Ono had given him her husband’s Patek as a gift in 2005. As for the authenticity of the watch, there was no doubt: on the case back is an identifying inscription that has never been made public outside Germany.

In late 2013, in preparation for an auction, Auctionata had the watch professionally photographed. (In the photo, the watch floats in a vacuum, a carefully lit token of commerce, divorced from all human and emotional context.) But Erhan G got cold feet. Some years earlier, Ono had sued a former employee who had slipped out of the Dakota with Lennon memorabilia; Frederic Seaman, Lennon’s last personal assistant, confessed to having stolen diaries similar, if not identical, to those which Karsan and Erhan G had stashed away. (He later returned them.) Searching for a private buyer, Hoffmann approached Mr. A, a man he knew from the rare-watch circuit. A deal by “private treaty”—a sale undisclosed to the public—was reached, and in March, 2014, Mr. A agreed that he would consign a selection of Rolex and Patek watches from his own collection, whose sale proceeds would go toward payment for the Lennon 2499, which was priced at six hundred thousand euros (about eight hundred thousand dollars). “This, in some ways, was more helpful than auctioning the watch,” Hoffmann told me, explaining that Auctionata’s watch department needed the inventory. The vintage watches Mr. A consigned, most of which Hoffmann valued at between twenty thousand and forty thousand euros apiece, were in total likely worth more than the 2499.

Mr. A told Hoffmann that he planned to keep Lennon’s watch in his collection, which has included pieces owned by Eric Clapton. But, within months, he took the Lennon Patek to the Geneva office of Christie’s. As part of the auction house’s appraisal process, a Christie’s representative reached out to Ono’s lawyer, who promptly notified his client. Ono rushed to check the locked room, only to discover that the Patek wasn’t there. She had no idea how long it had been gone.

In August of 2023, a reporter named Coline Emmel, who works for a small but enterprising Web site in Switzerland called Gotham City, found something interesting in a backlog of documents filed that summer by the Chambre Civile in the canton of Geneva—an appellate judgment in a civil case that had been going on for five years. European privacy laws, especially those in Switzerland, make legal documents unusually hard to decipher. The Swiss judiciary uses a system of letters and numbers to create pseudonyms for appellants, respondents, and anyone else involved, turning a case file into a cryptogram. Emmel knew enough about Beatles history to recognize that “C_____, widow of late F_____, of Japanese nationality and domiciled in [New York City]” was, in fact, Yoko Ono. Although the appeals court affirmed the lower court’s decision that Ono was the “sole legitimate owner of the watch,” Mr. A—“a watch collector and longtime professional in the sector, of Italian nationality”—was launching another appeal. Emmel posted a brief synopsis on Gotham City, along with the news that a final judgment was now being awaited from the Swiss Supreme Court.

“Mystery solved!” was the gist of the message that ricocheted around the watch world. But, to me, the mystery had only deepened. The basic itinerary of the Patek’s odyssey and its current location had been discovered, but the human detail of how it had passed from wrist to wrist, hiding place to hiding place, still hadn’t been reported. What’s more, where had Ono ever got the idea of giving a guy like John Lennon—eater of carob-coated peanuts, singer of a song about imagining no possessions, peacenik—a watch that was a status symbol of lockjawed good taste? And what was its famously secret inscription?

I had already been in contact with Mr. A; three days before Emmel posted her scoop, he’d cancelled a planned meeting with me in Italy. Instead, we arranged to speak over Zoom. Seated in a panelled room, he told me that, when Ono had found the watch missing, her counsel demanded its return. It was a tricky legal situation, because Ono, having never realized that the watch was gone, hadn’t reported it stolen, and because the case spans several national jurisdictions. Mr. A explained that he didn’t return the watch because he didn’t believe it to be stolen property. He mentioned the inventory that had been taken of Lennon’s possessions after his death, which was referred to in the judgment; he claimed that only two watches were listed—a gold watch (presumably the Patek) and another that Mr. A said was a pocket watch Ono had auctioned through Sotheby’s in 1984, two decades before Karsan swore she gave him the Patek.

Mr. A pointed to Ono’s own version of the story. “Following the death of the late [John Lennon],” the Swiss court’s judgment reads, in a summary of a deposition that Ono gave to investigators from Berlin at the German consulate in New York City, “[Ono] wanted to give something belonging to her to those who had worked very faithfully for her. So, she told [Karsan] to take a watch.” Ono, however, added that she in no way meant the “watch she’d given the late [John Lennon].” What watch did she mean? Mr. A asked rhetorically. “There was only the Patek.”

Christie’s, informed that the watch had been stolen, kept the 2499 secured in its Geneva vault, where it sat for several years. The judgment states, “On December 17, 2015, the parties and [Christie’s] SA entered into a consignment-escrow agreement under which the Watch would be consigned to [Mr. A’s lawyer], until agreement or right is adjudicated on the property.” (Christie’s did not respond to a request for comment.) Mr. A told me that he eventually decided to go on the offensive. In 2018, he initiated a civil lawsuit against Ono to prove that he was the Patek’s rightful owner.

What Mr. A never expected was that his fate would become intertwined with that of Auctionata, which went bankrupt in early 2017. A German court brought in a bankruptcy expert and lawyer named Christian Graf Brockdorff, who, in a review of the company’s inventory, stumbled on the eighty-odd other Lennon items that Erhan G had consigned for a high-six-figure sum. “I doubted that everything that had happened in the past was legally correct,” Brockdorff told me in an e-mail. He contacted the police; a criminal case was opened, and Erhan G was found guilty of knowingly dealing in stolen goods. He served a one-year suspended sentence, having admitted that the story that Karsan had told of how he got the Lennon items “did not correspond to reality.” (A Europol warrant was issued for Karsan, whose whereabouts are unknown; he could not be reached for comment.) That the case itself ever came to be is curious, but its verdict set a legal foundation that the Swiss judgment cited in declaring that Mr. A is not the watch’s rightful owner. According to Guido Urbach, a knowledgeable Swiss attorney, it is unlikely that the Supreme Court will decide any differently.

In a series of follow-up e-mails, I asked Mr. A about what John Lennon’s Patek meant to him. “I’m more of a Rolling Stones man,” he replied, mentioning that he has played bass in a local band for years. Still, “to own the JL watch is really a double good feeling,” he said, adding that he remained hopeful that he could “wear it as soon as possible.”

But, if the Supreme Court confirms the appellate court’s ruling, the watch will likely return to New York. “It’s important that we get it back because of all we’ve gone through over it,” Sean Lennon told me. He added, “I’m not a watch guy. I’d be terrified to wear anything of my dad’s. I never even played one of his guitars.” He paused. “To me, if anything, the watch is just a symbol of how dangerous it is to trust.”

The watch never seems to have given anyone peace and happiness for long. When Lennon was in Bermuda, writing what he described as the best kind of songs—“the ones that come to you in the middle of the night”—Ono was spending time with Sam Green, whom the Times once described as “an unabashed poseur blessed with good looks.” Green had a way with rich and eccentric women. He’d had an affair with the Bakelite heiress, Barbara Baekeland, and by 1980 he was spending his time juggling Greta Garbo, Diana Vreeland, and Ono.

Looking through Green’s papers, which are at Yale’s Beinecke Library, I got an eerie feeling. I found a number of diary entries that corroborated his close relationship with Ono (“Yoko all day and night,” numerous notations read), and a handwritten tally for more than twenty-five thousand dollars—the cost of furniture that Green had sourced to appoint the Hit Factory studio. Whether Green was the one who suggested the Patek as a birthday present for Lennon is hard to confirm, but the cursed history of the watch invites speculation.

The secret engraving, which I found in the never-published Auctionata photo of the watch, is haunting in another way:

(JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER LOVE YOKO 10 • 9 • 1980 N. Y. C.

Was there a new start? By the time “Double Fantasy” was finished, Ono had lost interest in Green, and Lennon, who had just written and recorded no fewer than four love songs about her, appeared to be a happy man. The weeks they spent together at the Hit Factory that year had been charmed, which means that the Lennon Patek captures a measure of time that no other watch ever will—the little they had left together. ♦

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The Sentimental Journey of John Lennon’s “Imagine”

For many growing up in the 1960s, the Beatles ‘ revolutionary music grew into revolutionary passion as the decade progressed. Although John Lennon became an icon of peace and love, glorified in popular culture through events like the “bed-in” for peace as much as his martyrdom by senseless violence, his place in the music scene was more revolutionary and incendiary than Middle American.

The “more popular than Jesus Christ” comment is only one pop culture example of how Lennon could attract global public attention with his message. Yet this message often made even his ardent followers a bit uncomfortable, not only by how the message was delivered but because it would require them to actively change their lives — and the direction of global politics. Many people revere their idealized version of John Lennon, but few today seem inclined to take his political message to heart.

The same is true of Lennon’s iconic song, “Imagine”. In the decades since his death, “Imagine” ironically has become associated not with revolution or anti-establishment protest, but with the warm fuzziness of a comfortable dream that increasingly is beyond our grasp. Its lyrics proclaim revolutionary concepts: a world without religion, humanity without the constrictions of borders and politics’ marriage with big business, no capitalist dream of greater production/profits coming from greater consumerism. Instead, Lennon’s vision seems increasingly simplistic and unattainable today, although even in 1971, it promoted a radically different reality than that found in the UK or US.

Among its many “uses” in popular entertainment outside the music industry, “Imagine” has been featured during the most poignant moments of beloved television series that celebrate Middle American values – late 1980s/early 1990s Quantum Leap and Glee – as well as the televised celebration of each new year in Times Square, an annual rite of hopeful penance and temporary banishment of cynicism.

“Imagine” a World Without War

In 1990, science fiction television series Quantum Leap broadcast an episode that would become one of the fans’ favorites and perhaps one of the most emotion-rending moments on television fiction. Even years later, fan forums and lists of favorite episodes include “The Leap Home, Part 1”, in which time traveler Sam Beckett (played by Scott Bakula) leaps into his teenage self and tries to right wrongs within his own family.

The leap takes place in 1969, during the last Thanksgiving the family would have together before Sam’s brother is deployed to Vietnam (a tour of duty during which he is killed). The series’s prevalence of war and its horrific separation of families is a recurring theme. In this episode, Sam naturally wants to save his brother from death on the battlefield. “War” is implied in another terrifying future scenario for adult Sam; his younger sister will someday face domestic violence from an abusive partner. Violence, separation, and death are often associated with war, whether on a foreign field or behind locked doors. Sam tries to imagine a future for his family without such strife.

A primary reason why this episode strikes such a sentimental chord among fans of all ages (who watched first-run episodes or enjoyed reruns or DVDs years later) is the use of “Imagine” to connect Sam with younger sister Katie ( Olivia Burnette ) emotionally. Pippa Parry, the webmistress of long-running, still-popular Quantum Leap fansite, Project Quantum Leap , explains why this song meshed beautifully with the television series’ philosophy and why, through Sam, “Imagine” is the perfect theme.

“Sam is the epitome of goodness and kindness, always trying to do the right thing and help people as much as he can. [He] reminds us all of what the human race could be like if we would all pull together.” In this episode, “Sam wanted desperately to please everybody; he wanted to save his brother from being killed in Vietnam and his father from having a coronary, and he also needed to reassure his little sister that her favorite Beatle (Paul) wasn’t dead. He nearly gave the game away by starting to say that it was John who was dead in the future, but Al stopped him just in time, so he went on to say that John wrote his favorite song, ‘Imagine.’ I’m sure this song evokes feelings in everyone who hears it, and for Sam, it had great meaning because he so wanted everything in his family’s life to be perfect.”

On 28 September 1990, when “The Leap Home, Part 1” was broadcast, the tenth anniversary of Lennon’s death was only a few months away. Because the “leap” took place during Thanksgiving 1969, the family-oriented holiday and theme of being thankful added special emphasis to the hopeful nature of “Imagine” as a generic wish for peace, not an anthem for radical sociopolitical change. Like so many Americans of his generation, Sam latched onto “Imagine” as a personal anthem, a motivational song by which he would live his life. Sam’s purpose for leaping through time was to “make right what once went wrong”, indicating his ability to imagine a greater future for others, even at the price of personal sacrifice.

Although this episode underscores Sam’s need to re-imagine his family’s future, it also illustrates that the reality of what we can imagine often is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. Quantum Leap sentimentalizes the song but highlights that to attain world peace, we need to do more than just “Imagine”. As Parry notes, “Unfortunately [Sam] ended up making his sister cry and realizing that he couldn’t re-imagine his life after all — so sad. Just thinking of this episode brings tears to my eyes.”

In the second part of this episode, Sam finds himself leaping into the front lines in Vietnam with yet another chance to save his brother. In later episodes, he continues to fight against oppression and violence to bring about a more enlightened, peace-promoting world. Sam continues his “activism”, even though he realizes that changing the world is a difficult, often thankless commitment.

The sentimentalism of “Imagine” in a series that promoted peaceful activism and the desire to help others improve the future nevertheless was tempered by the lead character’s difficulty in making reality fit the dream. In a small way, Lennon’s revolutionary theme within “Imagine” was kept alive — those who believe in the future described in this song need to act to make this vision real. Quantum Leap fans today, however, mostly recall their emotional response to a well-acted scene emphasizing family’s importance.

The 2009 use of “Imagine” within the television hit Glee indicates how much the song has become further sentimentalized but less activist during the intervening two decades since “The Leap Home”. Again, “Imagine” frames holiday sentiments surrounding Thanksgiving, whether a holiday being celebrated on screen or by the audience watching an episode. Ironically, “Hairography” was broadcast on 25 November 2009 — 40 years after the “leap” date of Sam’s Thanksgiving visit home. (Yet another bit of Quantum Leap trivia: John Lennon and Scott “Sam Beckett” Bakula share a 9th October birthdate.) On Glee , however, opposition to war/violence isn’t the predominant theme supported by “Imagine” — equality in social status or individual acceptance is emphasized.

The Haverbrook Deaf Choir begins to sing “Imagine”, but the New Directions glee club (the series’ stars) interrupt, an action that bothered some television critics. Liz Purdue wrote in her Zap2It review : “The deaf students perform ‘Imagine’, with sign language and one student talk-singing until Mercedes and the rest of Glee Club join in. Or should I say butt in? It’s lovely, and I understand the symbolism, but isn’t it a little insulting for them to just take over the other students’ performance?” Alden Habacon’s Schema review , however, called this musical moment “groundbreaking TV” because the deaf choir succeeded in “stealing the show [with] the heartfelt rendition of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’.”

Although critical reactions to this scene were mixed, “Imagine” serves as a way for the deaf students — and eventually the multicultural New Directions singers, many who also face discrimination as a sociopolitical minority — to envision a category-free world. Glee re-imagined “Imagine” to fit its own sentimentalized purposes, but the episode had a powerful positive effect on many fans who watched that scene. As one blogger posted on Forum DVD Talk shortly after the episode ended, “That’s the second time “Imagine” got that kind of reaction from me by a TV show. The first was Quantum Leap.”

By 2010, “Imagine” had become the go-to song to evoke a positive emotional response to a variety of causes or, more generally, to the need for global improvement. As broadcast by cable and national networks, the annual ritual of New Year’s Eve in Times Square further cements “Imagine” as the all-purpose sentimental wish for a peaceful, prosperous future. The loudspeakers throughout Time Square play “Imagine” close to midnight, and Lennon’s voice can be heard above the revelers and stage performers – even over network announcers.

Audiences have become attuned to listening above all the noise for “Imagine”. It introduces the countdown before the ball drops – and another year lands heavily upon the crowds cheering in New York and watching from around the world. Replacing Guy Lombardo’s rendition of “Auld Lang Syne”, John Lennon’s “Imagine” has become a holiday tradition. Audiences don’t have to do anything; they merely can cheer the sentiment, and their resolution somehow to help create a better tomorrow most likely goes the way of most New Year’s resolutions.

Whether Thanksgiving or New Year’s, television, or real life, “Imagine” has become synonymous with heart-tugging emotion and, increasingly, a wistful desire for a better future. No one seems to mind that Lennon’s meaning has been co-opted for an ever-widening range of causes or watered down to a general desire for something better.

The Fatal Flaw of “Imagine”-ing

Perhaps “Imagine’s” fatal flaw that makes it irresistibly attractive as a national anthem or hopeful plea for a more generalized peaceful future is its gentle tone, singable range, and quiet approach. Through a simple tune and quiet delivery, Lennon can still lull the populace into thinking that his radical ideals are not only desirable but possible. He ensnares a wide audience in his musical net with the line, “I hope someday you’ll join us.” That inclusiveness hints that Lennon has/had the answers for those post-1960s flower children joining the workforce and, decades later, their children and grandchildren looking for a better tomorrow.

Of course, the better tomorrow Lennon envisioned vastly differs from the wishes of increasingly stressed out, technologically left behind, cash-depleted masses who long to be some of the “haves” rather than the “have nots”. Lennon’s lyrics portray the bliss of having fewer or no possessions; that reality is not perceived as blissful in the current global climate. Such disconnect between Lennon’s lyrics and languid melody is mirrored today by the continuing popularity of “Imagine” as an idealized, romanticized vision of the future versus its original message.

Even Lennon recognized the discrepancy between his meaning and the song’s popularity. In Lennon in America: 1971-1980, Based in Part on the Lennon Diaries , author Geoffrey Guiliani quotes Lennon noting the irony of “Imagine”‘s popularity. Lennon called “Imagine” an “anti-capitalistic” song, adding, “Now I understand what you have to do. Put your political message across with a little honey… Our work is to tell [apathetic young people] there is still hope and still a lot to do.”

The honeyed vocals of “Imagine” still inspire sweet sentimentality, but the song’s effectiveness as a revolutionary call to action has become muted over the decades. Whereas even in a memorable 1990 Quantum Leap episode Sam’s desire to change the future accompanied an emotional on-screen moment, more recent uses of the song emphasize hope and emotion over an active agenda for sociopolitical change. Lennon’s political message is losing ground, even as “Imagine” becomes further entrenched in American popular culture via television episodes and events.

Through “Imagine”, John Lennon’s legacy may become a permanent part of popular culture, not just of music or even political history and culture; however, its use on US television, through such idealistic mainstream fiction as Quantum Leap or Glee , as well as co-optation for sentimentalized public events like New Year’s Eve celebrations, ultimately may shift “Imagine” from an anthem for change to a dream that stands little chance of being realized. Consequently, it distances public perceptions of Lennon ever farther from his real role as an instigator of sociopolitical change.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on 16 November 2010. Minor updates have been made.

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What was John Lennon IQ? Explore Beatles iconic singer journey on the 43rd death anniversary

J ohn Lennon was a British musician, singer, and songwriter renowned worldwide as a founding member of The Beatles . The musical band was one of the most successful and influential bands in the history of popular music. Moreover, a part of Lennon's contribution to The Beatles could also be attributed to his high IQ.

According to Ben Vaughn , John Lennon's IQ was estimated to be around 140. This high IQ score reflects his intelligence, which was evident in his quick wit. Furthermore, Lennon's intelligence played a significant role in his ability to create revolutionary music and lyrics. Additionally, his habit of avid reading likely contributed to his impressive IQ.

What was the net worth of John Lennon at the time of death?

As per Celebrity Net Worth , Lennon had a net worth of $200 million at the time of his death in 1980. Moreover, this amount equals about $620 million today, adjusted for inflation. According to the source, Lennon's estate has since generated hundreds of millions in royalties, merchandise, and licensing fees.

In addition, Yoko Ono, Lennon's second wife, and his primary heir, has a net worth of $700 million now.

Why was John Lennon assassinated?

John Lennon was tragically killed 43 years ago. On December 8, 1980, Mark David Chapman, a 25-year-old former security guard and YMCA employee from Hawaii, shot and killed Lennon. The tragedy happened when Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, were returning to their New York City apartment.

According to various sources, Chapman stated that he was motivated by fame and disillusionment with Lennon and the Beatles due to their wealth. In Chapman's regard, Lennon's wealth symbolized hypocrisy. Moreover, Chapman also had an obsession with the book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. So, he considered himself as "The Catcher in the Rye of my [his] generation."

The sources also report that Chapman killed Lennon to promote the reading of this book. Not only this, he also regularly signed and distributed copies of the book in prison.

John Lennon's family and children explored

John Lennon, born on October 9, 1940, was the son of Julia (née Stanley) and Alfred Lennon. Lennon's father, Alfred, was a merchant seaman of Irish descent. Therefore, he was often away from home. As per various sources , John's father disappeared for a time in 1944.

When John's father returned, his mother, Julia, rejected him. Moreover, she was also pregnant with another man's child. John was then raised by his aunt, Julia's sister Mimi after Julia gave her custody. In addition, he had no contact with his father for nearly 20 years.

At the age of 22, Lennon married Cynthia Powell in 1962. The couple also had a son, Julian. However, Cynthia and Lennon's marriage faced troubled waters as the couple divorced in 1968 due to John's relationship with Yoko Ono. Furthermore, John married Yoko Ono in 1969 and remained with her until his death.

But, during a brief split from Ono in 1973, Lennon reportedly had an 18-month relationship with May Pang.

John Lennon's life was a tapestry of immense talent, intelligence, and complexity. Moreover, his story of extraordinary achievement and profound tragedy remains a poignant reminder of the enduring impact one individual can have on the world.

John Lennon: A Journey in the Life

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A program chronicling the life of the Liverpudlian, using dramatized sequences, fantasylike images and commentary by actor Bernard Hill (as Lennon). Documentary footage, stills and interviews round out the show. Young John: Tim McEvoy. Small John: Benji Lawrence. Julia: Sylvestra Le Touzel.

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20 john lennon quotes: inspiring words from a musical legend.

February 13, 2024 Beatles 1 Comment 78 Views

John Lennon, a name that resonates with music lovers across the globe. As a member of the iconic band, The Beatles , Lennon’s contribution to the world of music is unparalleled. However, his words hold as much power as his melodies. In this blog post, we’ll explore 20 John Lennon quotes that will inspire you, make you think, and perhaps even change your perspective on life.

1. “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”

This quote reminds us to live in the present moment and embrace the unpredictability of life. It encourages us to let go of rigid expectations and enjoy the journey.

2. “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”

Lennon’s vision for a world filled with peace and harmony shines through in this quote. It inspires us to believe in our dreams and work towards a better future for all.

3. “Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.”

In a world driven by productivity, this quote reminds us of the importance of leisure and finding joy in the simplest of pleasures.

4. “Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.”

Lennon’s emphasis on the value of relationships and happiness over material possessions serves as a gentle reminder to prioritize what truly matters in life.

5. “All you need is love.”

Perhaps one of Lennon’s most famous quotes, this simple phrase encapsulates the essence of his belief in the power of love to heal and unite humanity.

6. “You don’t need anybody to tell you who you are or what you are. You are what you are!”

This quote highlights Lennon’s belief in individuality and self-acceptance. It encourages us to embrace our true selves, free from society’s expectations.

7. “Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.”

Lennon’s imagination and creativity were boundless, and this quote reminds us to explore and create our own realities.

8. “If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliché that must have been left behind in the 60s, that’s his problem.”

In a world often driven by cynicism, Lennon’s words remind us that the pursuit of love and peace is timeless and essential.

9. “We’ve got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can’t just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it’s going to get on by itself. You’ve got to keep watering it. You’ve got to really look after it and nurture it.”

This quote serves as a reminder that love requires effort and care to flourish. It inspires us to invest in our relationships and nurture them with love and kindness.

10. “Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one.”

Lennon’s iconic song, “Imagine,” holds a message of unity and a vision for a world free from divisions. This quote encourages us to envision a harmonious future and actively work towards it.

11. “It matters not who you love, where you love, why you love, when you love or how you love, it matters only that you love.”

Lennon’s commitment to love and acceptance shines through in this quote, reminding us that love knows no boundaries.

12. “Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away.”

This powerful quote emphasizes the importance of taking action for peace. It inspires us to be active contributors to a more peaceful world.

13. “If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace.”

Lennon challenges our consumerist culture with this quote, urging us to prioritize peace over material possessions.

14. “When you do something noble and beautiful and nobody noticed, do not be sad. For the sun, every morning is a beautiful spectacle, and yet most of the audience still sleeps.”

This quote reminds us that the value of our actions lies in their inherent beauty, regardless of recognition. It encourages us to stay true to our values, even when unnoticed.

15. “There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done.”

Lennon’s belief in the limitless potential of humanity shines through in this quote. It reminds us that with determination and creativity, anything is possible.

16. “You don’t need a Savior. You just need a friend.”

Lennon’s emphasis on the power of friendship as a source of support and strength resonates in this quote. It reminds us that sometimes, all we need is someone to lean on.

17. “I believe in everything until it’s disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it’s in your mind. Who’s to say that dreams and nightmares aren’t as real as the here and now?”

This quote showcases Lennon’s imaginative and open-minded nature, encouraging us to embrace the magic of our own minds and explore uncharted territories.

18. “If someone thinks that peace and love are just a cliché that must have been left behind in the ’60s, that’s his problem. Love and peace are eternal.”

Lennon’s unwavering belief in the enduring power of love and peace is evident in this quote. It serves as a reminder that these values stand the test of time.

19. “A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”

This quote emphasizes the importance of collaboration and community. It encourages us to join forces with others to turn our dreams into tangible realities.

20. “We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first, rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity.”

While controversial, this quote sheds light on Lennon’s unique perspective and his ability to provoke thought and discussion. It reminds us of the power of music in shaping culture and society.

30 Fascinating John Lennon Facts

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10 Best John Lennon Songs of All Time

List of the top 10 best john lennon songs of all time.

Exploring the vast repertoire of one of music’s most iconic figures, John Lennon, unveils a rich tapestry of creativity, emotion, and timeless melodies. With an unparalleled ability to craft songs that resonate deeply with audiences across generations, Lennon’s musical legacy continues to captivate listeners worldwide. In this article, we embark on a journey through his illustrious career to discover the Top 10 Best John Lennon Songs of All Time. From his early days with The Beatles to his solo career, Lennon’s songwriting prowess has left an indelible mark on the music landscape. Each song on this list represents a pinnacle of his artistry, showcasing his poignant lyricism, innovative musical arrangements, and unwavering commitment to self-expression. Whether delving into themes of love, peace, or introspection, Lennon’s songs possess a rare ability to transcend time and connect with listeners on a profound level. Join us as we celebrate the enduring brilliance of John Lennon’s musical genius, revisiting some of his most beloved compositions that have stood the test of time and continue to inspire countless artists and fans alike.

Table of Contents

“Imagine” stands as the quintessential John Lennon anthem, transcending generations with its timeless message of peace, unity, and hope. Released in 1971 as the title track of his iconic album, Lennon’s ethereal piano chords and evocative lyrics have cemented its place as one of the most beloved songs of all time. Its simplicity is its strength, inviting listeners to envision a world without barriers of nationality, religion, or ideology.

Lennon’s heartfelt vocals, coupled with the haunting melody, resonate deeply, inspiring countless covers and interpretations across the globe. “Imagine” serves as a universal hymn for dreamers and idealists, advocating for a utopian society where love reigns supreme.

Beyond its musical brilliance, “Imagine” embodies Lennon’s enduring legacy as a visionary artist and activist. His unwavering commitment to peace and social justice permeates every note, making it more than just a song but a manifesto for a better world.

Decades since its release, “Imagine” continues to captivate audiences, its relevance undiminished by time. In an ever-changing landscape, its message remains a beacon of light, reminding us of the power of imagination and the possibility of a brighter tomorrow.

“Woman” is a tender ballad that showcases John Lennon’s profound emotional depth and vulnerability. Released in 1980 as part of his album “Double Fantasy,” it stands as a heartfelt tribute to the women who shaped his life, particularly his wife, Yoko Ono. With its gentle melody and sincere lyrics, the song resonates as a sincere declaration of love and appreciation.

Lennon’s raw, soulful vocals exude a sense of intimacy and sincerity, drawing listeners into the depth of his emotions. Each word is imbued with genuine affection, reflecting his personal growth and newfound appreciation for love and companionship.

The song’s simplicity is its strength, with Lennon’s acoustic guitar accompanied by subtle orchestration, allowing his heartfelt lyrics to take center stage. “Woman” captures the essence of unconditional love, celebrating the nurturing and supportive role that women play in our lives.

Following Lennon’s tragic death just weeks after its release, “Woman” took on a poignant significance, becoming an anthem of remembrance and reflection. Its timeless appeal endures, serving as a poignant reminder of the power of love to transcend even the darkest of times.

Decades since its debut, “Woman” remains a cherished gem in Lennon’s musical repertoire, cherished by fans worldwide for its sincerity, beauty, and enduring message of love and gratitude.

3. Jealous Guy

“Jealous Guy” is a poignant and introspective ballad that showcases John Lennon’s vulnerability and introspection. Originally written during his tenure with The Beatles but finding its place in his solo career, the song was released in 1971 as part of his critically acclaimed album “Imagine.”

Lennon’s introspective lyrics delve deep into themes of insecurity, remorse, and the complexities of love and relationships. The haunting melody, accompanied by gentle piano and strings, sets the tone for a deeply personal confession.

The song’s emotional resonance lies in Lennon’s candid admission of his own flaws and struggles with jealousy, offering a rare glimpse into the inner workings of his psyche. His soulful vocals carry a sense of longing and regret, evoking empathy from listeners who can relate to the universal experience of grappling with jealousy and its consequences.

“Jealous Guy” is not just a song; it’s a reflection of Lennon’s journey towards self-awareness and growth. Its enduring appeal lies in its honesty and sincerity, reminding us of the fragility of human emotions and the importance of empathy and forgiveness in relationships.

Decades since its release, “Jealous Guy” remains a timeless classic, revered for its emotional depth and introspective lyrics. It stands as a testament to Lennon’s artistry and his ability to touch hearts with his profound honesty and vulnerability.

4. Instant Karma!

“Instant Karma!” bursts with infectious energy and urgency, embodying John Lennon’s fervent belief in the power of immediate action and positive karma. Released as a single in 1970, it’s a sonic manifesto of Lennon’s philosophy, encapsulating his desire for societal change and personal transformation.

Driven by a dynamic rhythm and buoyant piano, “Instant Karma!” wastes no time in delivering its message. Lennon’s impassioned vocals soar over the exuberant instrumentation, urging listeners to seize the moment and embrace a life of compassion and empathy.

The song’s lyrics are both incisive and uplifting, challenging listeners to take responsibility for their actions and strive for a better world. Its catchy chorus, “Instant karma’s gonna get you, gonna knock you off your feet,” serves as a potent reminder of the consequences of our choices.

“Instant Karma!” is more than just a song; it’s a call to action, urging individuals to embrace love and kindness in the face of adversity. Its timely release amidst social and political turbulence resonated with audiences then and continues to do so today.

Decades since its release, “Instant Karma!” remains a timeless anthem of empowerment and social consciousness, inspiring generations to harness the power of positivity and create a ripple effect of change. Lennon’s vision of a world transformed by love and compassion lives on through this electrifying musical masterpiece.

5. Watching the Wheels

“Watching the Wheels” is a serene and introspective ballad that showcases John Lennon’s contemplative mindset and his acceptance of a simpler, more introspective life. Released in 1981 as part of his posthumous album “Double Fantasy,” the song serves as a poignant reflection on Lennon’s withdrawal from the public eye during his hiatus from the music industry.

With its laid-back melody and understated instrumentation, “Watching the Wheels” invites listeners into Lennon’s world of introspection and contentment. The gentle strumming of acoustic guitars and soothing piano create a tranquil atmosphere, perfectly complementing Lennon’s introspective lyrics.

The song’s lyrics are a testament to Lennon’s newfound perspective on fame and fortune, as he embraces a life of domesticity and personal fulfillment. His vocals are imbued with a sense of peace and resignation, reflecting his newfound sense of contentment away from the spotlight.

“Watching the Wheels” resonates as a universal anthem for those who choose to march to the beat of their own drum, unfazed by societal expectations or pressures. It celebrates the beauty of simplicity and the importance of staying true to oneself in a world consumed by superficiality.

Decades since its release, “Watching the Wheels” remains a cherished gem in Lennon’s musical legacy, cherished by fans for its sincerity, introspection, and timeless message of self-discovery and authenticity.

6. Stand by Me

“Stand by Me,” a soulful track from John Lennon’s 1975 album “Rock ‘n’ Roll,” stands out as a timeless classic. Originally written and performed by Ben E. King, Lennon’s cover embodies his unique vocal style and musical interpretation. The song’s message of loyalty and support resonates deeply, making it a favorite for weddings and other significant moments. Lennon’s rendition showcases his ability to infuse his own emotions into a song, creating a heartfelt and intimate listening experience.

Released during Lennon’s temporary hiatus from the music scene, “Stand by Me” was a reminder of his enduring talent and influence. Despite its simplicity, the song’s impact is profound, capturing the essence of love and solidarity. Its inclusion in various films, TV shows, and commercials has further cemented its status as one of Lennon’s most popular songs.

“Stand by Me” remains a testament to Lennon’s legacy as a musician and a humanitarian. Its enduring popularity is a testament to the universal themes it explores, making it a cherished part of Lennon’s catalog.

7. Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

“Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” is a poignant Christmas song by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, released in 1971. The song’s message of peace and hope resonated strongly with the anti-war sentiment of the time, particularly during the Vietnam War era. Its uplifting chorus, “War is over, if you want it,” became a rallying cry for peace activists around the world.

The song’s simple yet powerful lyrics, combined with its catchy melody and children’s choir, create a festive yet reflective atmosphere. It has since become a Christmas classic, often covered by various artists and used in holiday playlists.

“Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” is not only a holiday anthem but also a reminder of Lennon’s commitment to social and political causes. Its enduring popularity is a testament to its universal message of peace and love, making it a timeless addition to Lennon’s body of work.

8. Whatever Gets You thru the Night

“Whatever Gets You thru the Night” is a vibrant and upbeat song from John Lennon’s 1974 album “Walls and Bridges.” The track features Elton John on piano and backing vocals, adding to its energetic and lively feel.

The song’s lyrics convey a message of resilience and perseverance, encouraging listeners to find their own ways to cope with life’s challenges. Lennon’s raw and emotive vocals, combined with the catchy melody and lively instrumentation, create a sense of optimism and empowerment.

Released as a single, “Whatever Gets You thru the Night” became Lennon’s first solo number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Its success was in part due to Elton John’s influence and collaboration, as well as its infectious rhythm and uplifting message.

The song’s popularity endured long after its release, remaining a favorite among fans of Lennon’s solo work. Its upbeat tempo and empowering lyrics continue to resonate with listeners, making it a standout track in Lennon’s discography.

9. Mind Games

“Mind Games,” the title track from John Lennon’s 1973 album, is a reflective and introspective song that delves into themes of love, self-discovery, and personal growth. The song’s lyrics encourage listeners to embrace their true selves and break free from societal expectations and constraints.

Musically, “Mind Games” is a melodic and soothing track, with Lennon’s vocals conveying a sense of contemplation and introspection. The song’s arrangement, featuring lush instrumentation and subtle production, adds to its dreamy and introspective atmosphere.

Released as a single, “Mind Games” was well-received by critics and fans alike, showcasing Lennon’s songwriting prowess and ability to convey complex emotions through his music. The song’s message of inner peace and authenticity resonated with many listeners, making it a standout track in Lennon’s solo career.

Overall, “Mind Games” is a testament to Lennon’s artistic vision and his ability to create music that is both thought-provoking and emotionally resonant. Its timeless message of self-acceptance and personal liberation continues to inspire listeners today.

10. #9 Dream

“#9 Dream” is a surreal and dreamlike song from John Lennon’s 1974 album “Walls and Bridges.” The track is known for its ethereal sound, featuring lush orchestration and Lennon’s mesmerizing vocals. The lyrics of “#9 Dream” are enigmatic and poetic, drawing listeners into a mystical and otherworldly experience.

The song’s title was inspired by a dream Lennon had where a voice repeated the phrase “Number nine, number nine” to him. This dream-like quality is reflected in the song’s lyrics, which are open to interpretation and evoke a sense of mystery and wonder.

Musically, “#9 Dream” is a departure from Lennon’s usual style, incorporating elements of psychedelic rock and experimental music. The song’s production, with its layered vocals and intricate instrumentation, creates a rich and immersive sonic landscape.

Despite its unconventional nature, “#9 Dream” was a commercial success, reaching the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Its enduring popularity is a testament to its unique sound and the enduring appeal of Lennon’s music.

Overall, “#9 Dream” stands out as one of Lennon’s most intriguing and enigmatic songs, showcasing his creativity and willingness to explore new musical territories.

Samuel Moore is a frequent contributor to Singers Room. Since 2005, Singersroom has been the voice of R&B around the world. Connect with us via social media below.

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Embracing the Melody: John Lennon’s Journey with Dyslexia

If you’ve ever listened to a Beatles song, you’ve heard John Lennon’s gentle and heartfelt voice. He was a fantastic songwriter, painting a colorful universe with his words and music. But what many people don’t know is that this legendary musician had dyslexia , a condition that makes reading and writing a little more challenging than usual.

3 Questions Inspired by John Lennon’s Story of Success with Dyslexia

After you read John Lennon’s story, you can talk to your child about it. You don’t need big words. You can ask them how they feel or what they think. You can use the story to talk about how everyone has challenges, but we can still do amazing things. Just like John did with his music. Remember, talking about it can help your child understand they are not alone and they can achieve great things too.

• John Lennon saw the world differently because of his dyslexia, and that helped him make great music. Do you think your dyslexia helps you see things in a special way?
• Even though reading and writing were hard for John Lennon, he found a way to share his thoughts through music. What do you enjoy doing that helps you express your thoughts?
• John Lennon had some tough times because of dyslexia, but he had people who cared about him. Who are the people that help you when things get tough?

A Musical Beginning

John Lennon’s life was like a journey on a small boat in the middle of a vast, sometimes rough ocean. From his youth, he found himself in the chaos of dyslexia. The world seemed to him like a chaotic, handwritten letter, difficult to read, and even more challenging to understand. However, this did not stop him from becoming an enchanting, inspiring figure.

Even though he found reading and writing difficult, Lennon had an authentic, deep connection with music. It was as if he could sense the notes, touch them, and transform them into enchanting melodies that have touched millions of hearts.

Finding Solace in Family and Friends

In his early years, he felt alone, scared, and misunderstood. There were moments when he would complain and cry, feeling a bit stupid and overwhelmed.

But he found comfort in his family and friends, whose caring and understanding helped him endure these tough times. His creativity bloomed like a freshly baked loaf of bread, warm, delightful, and full of life.

Transforming Challenges into Inspiration

Dyslexia was never a barrier for Lennon; instead, it was a unique viewpoint, like looking at the world through a kaleidoscope. It was like an adventure, filled with colorful and sometimes challenging experiences. Each day was a new page in his handwritten notebook of life, with each experience more memorable than the last.

Healing Through Music

John’s journey was also one of self-development. He learned to live with his dyslexia and even used it as a source of inspiration. The way he saw the world was unique, and he poured this uniqueness into his songs, transforming his experiences into touching lyrics and harmonious melodies.

Imagine, one of Lennon’s most famous songs, is a perfect example of his creative, heartfelt, and spiritual touch. His songs are his way of communicating his experiences and feelings, a form of self-therapy that resonates with many people around the world.

Every time he sat down to write a song, it was like a therapeutic session. He would pour his heart into each word, each note, turning his struggles into an inspiring message of peace and love. His songs are a testament to his enduring spirit and a reminder that being different can be a source of strength, not a weakness.

An Icon for Dyslexic Children

John Lennon is a beacon of hope and inspiration for every child with dyslexia. His life affirms that being dyslexic does not limit one’s potential. It’s merely a different way of experiencing the world.

His journey teaches us the importance of understanding and patience. To parents of dyslexic children, remember that your love and support are the most precious gifts you can give. Encourage them to explore their talents, to live and love their uniqueness.

To the children with dyslexia, remember that you are not alone. You are unique, special, and capable of achieving great things. You are magical, just like John Lennon. Always keep your chin up, your heart open, and continue on your life journey, painting your own unique, colorful universe with every step you take.

After all, in the wise words of John Lennon himself, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” Let’s keep dreaming, keep believing, and keep creating our own magical, unforgettable melodies.

Discover More Inspirational Stories: Celebrating Success with Dyslexia

John Lennon’s journey with dyslexia is truly inspiring, but he isn’t the only one. There are many successful people who have navigated life with dyslexia, each with their unique and uplifting stories. If you’re interested in learning more, we invite you to explore our other page dedicated to famous people with dyslexia . You’ll find a collection of heartwarming stories that prove dyslexia is not a barrier, but a stepping stone to great things.

 Spark Meaningful Conversations with Your Dyslexic Child through an Inspiring Children’s Book!

Introducing ‘Michael and the A-Mountain’, a book specially designed for your child aged 8-12 who experiences dyslexia. Featuring Michael, a boy similar to your child, the story comes with guiding questions to foster deep and meaningful conversations about dyslexia.

It’s a tool to help your child understand their feelings, keep their dreams alive, and feel hopeful about the future.

Watch CBS News

John Lennon's guitar, lost for 50 years, sells for record $2.85 million

By Kerry Breen

May 30, 2024 / 11:19 AM EDT / CBS News

A piece of music history has sold for a record-setting price. 

John Lennon's Framus Hootenanny 12-string acoustic guitar was used by Lennon and Beatles bandmate George Harrison during recording sessions for the bands' 1965 albums "Help!" and "Rubber Soul," according to Julien's Auctions , which sells celebrity pieces. The guitar was also seen in outtakes for the Beatles' comedy movie "Help!" 

Lennon acquired the guitar in late 1964, the auction house said, and it was photographed during recording sessions. Handwritten notes from producer George Martin indicated that Lennon and Harrison each used the instrument on "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," according to Julien's. The guitar was also played on songs including "It's Only Love," "I've Just Seen a Face" and "Girl" — and of course, "Help!" 

At the end of 1965, the guitar was gifted by Lennon to Gordon Waller of the pop duo Peter & Gordon. Harrison and Lennon had been writing songs for the pair, according to the auction house. Later, Waller would give the guitar to a manager, who stashed it in his attic for decades, leaving a piece of music history to gather dust. 

The auction house did not specify how they found the guitar more than 50 years after it was last seen, but said that the instrument's authenticity has been confirmed by musician and "Beatles Gear" author Andy Babiuk. The guitar was identified thanks to its distinctive markings, including what the auction house described as a "telltale wood grain" and "swirl of tortoise shell pickguard material." 

"With the Hootenanny, the real proof is in the sound. When strummed, it immediately identifies itself as "that" guitar. If you know the chords, Beatles tunes fall out of the sound hole effortlessly," the auction house said. "Like an audio time capsule from 1965, the Framus is a direct link to those records." 

The guitar sold at an auction held at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City's Times Square. The final bid was $2,857,500, making the instrument the fifth most-expensive guitar ever sold. 

Also included in the sale was the guitar's case, which was also photographed with the Beatles, and some Beatles memorabilia, including a DVD of "Help!"

No information was shared about the guitar's new owner, though the auction house described the buyer as "the custodian of a piece of Lennon's soul, a tangible link to the creative energy that flowed through him and touched the lives of millions." 

• New York City

Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.

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