On the 30th anniversary of the death of John Lennon, it may seem like there have always been the Beatles. The reality is that they were not an immediate success in North America.
Sometime in the spring of 1963, Herb Ware, an English student living at my university fraternity house, told me that the Beatles were coming. They were going to be big.
None of us had much of an idea who they were. I checked the charts. They had one song, "From Me to You", at number 5. No one had ever seen them. Ho hum. Herb was obviously overly enthusiastic.
Fast forward to the spring of 1964. The Beatles had the top five singles. They drowned out every other artist.
Mob scenes. Movies. Highly anticipated albums. Memorable music. Notoriety: "We're more popular than Jesus". Peace Movement: "All we are saying is Give Peace a Chance". Senseless murder.
So we remember John Lennon.
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
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
(As a disclaimer, these words were written by John Lennon. What I assume John meant by "no countries" are the nationalisms which set people against one another; and by "no religion" are the intolerant aspects of some theologies which also divide people.)
So much of my life has been marked by music...rock music. Consequently, I can tell you the precise moment I first heard of the Beatles. Everyone was talking about them, and the air was electric. Ed Sullivan showcased them and like your friend Herb,I just knew, they were going to be huge. The world; none of us would ever be the same. I didn't like all members of the group equally. However, John Lennon always struck me as the one with the most talent. All of my friends were crazy about Paul but for me it was always John. I also knew that when John said that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus that phrase would result in something terrible. So the moment I heard of his death, I knew it was attributable to that regrettable phrase.
ReplyDeleteIn the 60's, there were a number of events which were significant enough that people still remember what they were doing when they "got the news". Many of these were political and social, but some were cultural. I guess the arrival of the Beatles was one of them.
ReplyDeleteMany performers got nationally known after they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. Elvis Presley and the Beatles were probably the most famous.
I'll never forget where I was when I learned he had died. We were lining up for Mr. Swanson's PE class, along the counter leading to the door. Then I heard he had died the night before from my classmates. I was just a little boy, but was immediately struck by this news.
ReplyDeleteHis simple and direct message has spoken to me all of my life. His death 31 years ago still strikes a deep chord inside of me even now.