John's gospel
RAJESH MEHAR
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We thought enough had been said and written about John Lennon. But here's more from a fan who was born the year the legend died
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Photo: AP
MANY FACES Very much a child of media hype, John Lennon, in conjunction with Yoko Ono, dabbled in politics with varying results
You could look back on the legend that was John Lennon and remember him for his controversial Jesus-Christ-versus-The-Beatles comment that won him notoriety and condemnation. You could look back on his 20-year career and accuse him of never really achieving a focused musical direction.
You could even look at him merely as one quarter of the biggest pop music band in the history of the music industry. But, no matter how you choose to look at John Lennon, his earnestness and his need to communicate through his music emerges clearly.
Earnestness
It is this earnestness that makes it possible to demarcate and dissect the prolific output of The Beatles; one can always spot the lines between the upbeat, optimistic, and sometimes frivolous style of McCartney, and the probing, sceptical, and philosophical style of Lennon.
Though it was the similarity of their childhoods that brought them together, the two Liverpudlians chose to express themselves very differently. Looking beyond the record company enforced credits listing McCartney and Lennon as joint songwriters on most of the songs, it is easy to spot McCartney's "Yellow Submarine", "Hey Jude" and "Yesterday" in contrast with Lennon's "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and "Julia".
It is this same earnestness that was eagerly lapped up by the media towards the end of The Beatles' career and right through the decade-long solo career of John Lennon.
Very much a child of media hype, John Lennon, in conjunction with Yoko Ono, dabbled in politics with varying results. While ventures such as Bagism are best left in the archives, Lennon's pacifism attained seriousness and importance in parallel to his struggle for U.S. citizenship and that country's war effort in Vietnam.
What began as yet another overly sophisticated protest in the form of a "bed-in" for peace, achieved an unimpeachable place in history with the recording of "Give Peace a Chance". The undisputed anthem of peace activism, "Give Peace a Chance" attained immortality after Pete Seeger led an estimated 2,50,000 anti-war protesters, singing the song in Washington, D.C., on November 15, 1969.
Most recognisable voice
Recorded at the venue of the bed-in, the song's repetitive chorus line, backed only by the singing voices of all who had assembled there and percussion created by banging on a door, has become the most recognisable voice of peace movements worldwide.
Yet, this earnestness of John Lennon has also caused its equal share of trouble. The legendary Jesus Christ quote, reported out of context, caused a furore in the conservative Bible Belt of America. His public break-up with his first wife, Cynthia, and his subsequent relationship with Yoko Ono also attracted considerable ridicule as John and Yoko refused to shy away from scrutiny and continued to live "naked" in the limelight. Of course, "the lost weekend" of 1974, and Lennon's public displays of drunkenness are best left forgotten.
Political climate
It is ironic that, more than 35 years after "Give Peace a Chance" was heard first, the political climate of the world has changed little. John Lennon's insistence that we would see the end of war and conflict in our lifetime seems naοve in retrospect as we see history repeating itself obstinately and horrendously. It is also striking that his prediction that he would "probably be popped off by some loony" came true with his shocking murder on December 8, 1980.
Had he lived beyond his 40 years, John Lennon might have gone on to become a ridiculous caricature. Or he might have become an even greater superstar, ensuring that peace was given a chance.
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