It has been 26 years and I have never forgotten where I was when I heard that John Lennon had been shot. I was living in Fort Worth, Texas. I had moved there shortly after high school to live with friends. I had wanted to be an actress and there was plenty of dinner theatre and community theatre. I was taking classes part time at University of Texas in Arligton and working as a singing waitress at night.
I had been asleep and my roommate was awake watching television. I just happened to wake up as the news was coming on and they made the announcement. It woke me right up. I had always been a Beatles fan, but Lennon had always been my favorite. "Hard Days Night" was a movie that I would watch over and over because I had such a huge crush on John. I hated Yoko Ono, not because she broke them up, allegedly, but because she was married to him!
It hit me quite hard. Being younger, I guess I would compare it to the way kids reacted to Kurt Cobains death, I jsut stopped listening to the albums and could not play them for a very long time. I was just stunned and very sad.
The Beatles usually evoke strong emotions from people; either love them or hate them. I am not so gung ho that I think they were the greatest thing since sliced bread. I just happen to think that John did write some great lyrics and Paul wrote some great music and balads. In high school choir we always sang a few Beatles tunes. Never a big fan of the sappy love ballad, I always prefered the more political or thoughtful lyric. "Imagine" is one of my favorite albums to this day. I also love his Christmas song, "So This is Christmas...what have we done?"
I think I might ask Santa to leave the Imagine CD under the tree for me this year. Maybe the White Album too. I think that I have been very good this year.
3 comments:
I was going to Kent state at the tim,and I remember that a buddy and I went to the community record store that day and I talked him into to buying John Lennon's Double fantasy record that day.We were watching Monday night football and listening to his record when they came on and said he was dead...weird
I often wonder what he would have done in all these years if he were still alive. Working for peace with Bono? AIDS work? I am sure he would have been an outspoken critic of this war.
I was a junior in high school. My best friend at the time and I wanted to cut class and actually drive to New York. However, we had a college exploration field trip that day that we couldn't miss.
I'm a little young for the Beatles, but they were a large influence on my life -- mainly because I am the youngest of seven kids and my oldest sib is 13 years older than me. They have always been my favorite band, and I think they always will be. Lennon and McCartney completed each other; they were not as good without each other, I think, although I do enjoy their solo work as well.
I also wonder what John Lennon would be up to today. I'm sure he'd have something to say about the war in Iraq among other things!
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