Beatles News
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Yoko Ono were among those remembering the great John Lennon on the 40th anniversary of his tragic death. “A sad sad day,” wrote McCartney, Lennon’s songwriting partner, friend and often artistic rival, “but remembering my friend John with the great joy he brought to the world.”
“I will always be proud and happy to have known and worked with this incredible Scouser!,” McCartney concludes, with a reference to the nickname for folks from Liverpool.
Lennon was shot dead on Dec. 8, 1980, by Mark David Chapman, who remains in custody after repeated requests for parole.
Starr, the only surviving Beatle besides McCartney (George Harrison died in 2001), tweeted today, “Tuesday, 8 December 1980 we all had to say goodbye to John peace and love John. I’m asking Every music radio station in the world sometime today play Strawberry Fields Forever. Peace and love.”
Source: Greg Evans/Deadline
Only two members of The Beatles are still alive, with John Lennon having been killed 40 years ago today and George Harrison dying in 2001. But now The Quiet Beatle’s estate, owned by wife and son Olivia and Dhani Harrison, has paid tribute to John on his behalf. A photograph of John taken by George has been shared on the official George Harrison social media pages with a touching message.
The message read: “You were the one who had made it so clear. All those years ago.
“You point the way to the truth when you say. All you need is love.
“You were the one who imagined it all. All those years ago.”
Beatles fans will know these are lyrics taken from George solo track All Those Years Ago from his album Somewhere in England.
Source: George Simpson/express.co.uk
The Beatles may not have had a huge physical presence in Hawaii, but their impact was widely felt in the islands.
The world-famous band never performed any concerts in Hawaii. They visited the state once — and for only 15 minutes.
Michael Gelfo, owner of Rock Island Cafe in Waikiki, said the band just wrapped up filming of a movie and some of the members were en route to their vacation destinations.
“One was going to Australia, another was going to Guam,” Gelfo said. “They were here, the local DJs, they found out about it, so they broadcasted over their radio waves and all the teeny boppers heard about it, so they rushed to Royal Hawaiian Hotel.”
Rock Island Cafe also sells collectibles. One of the most popular requests they get for memorabilia is the Beatles.
Source: Samie Solina/hawaiinewsnow.com
Take note of what you see or hear regarding the 40th anniversary of John Lennon's death. Missing it might be impossible.
On social media, on TV, on radio, it's there, all around us, and for one reason — John Lennon was a member of the Beatles. Yes, he had a successful solo career and was a high-profile peace activist, but at the end of the day, he was a Beatle.
And the Beatles, despite breaking up 50 years ago — after barely a decade of making music — remain to this day, remarkably, a constant and all-encompassing cultural presence.
In April, the cast of the CBC comedy Schitt's Creek appeared on the cover of Variety magazine. The striking black and white photograph — featuring the actors Catherine O'Hara, Annie Murphy, Eugene and Daniel Levy — pays homage to the 1964 album Meet the Beatles!, complete with the headline "The Fab Four.
Source: atinitonews.com
THE BEATLES' former songwriter John Lennon wrote himself some incredible hits throughout the years after his split from the band - but his Christmas anthem could not have been written without some help from his previous hit, Imagine.
Former member of The Beatles John Lennon worked on a lot of music with his wife, Yoko Ono, following the Fab Four’s break up. Collectively known as John Lennon and Plastic Ono Band, Lennon worked hard in creating his own vibe during releases of his solo music. Perhaps his first and biggest hit was the 1971 anthem Imagine, which has since been named one of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
While Imagine was a certified banger, it did include a political message of Lennon’s making.
Source: Callum Crumlish/express.co.uk
John Lennon, who rose to unimaginable fame first as one of the Beatles, then as a solo songwriter and activist, was shot and killed outside of his home in New York City 40 years ago Tuesday.
His murderer, Mark David Chapman, who was described at the time as a “local screwball,” waited outside of Lennon’s home for the star to return from a recording studio session then shot him five times as his wife, Yoko Ono, looked on.
Earlier in the day, at that very spot, Lennon had autographed an album cover for Chapman.
Lennon was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival, really having no chance to survive such devastating injuries.
Chapman was sentenced to 20 years to life for Lennon’s murder. At a parole hearing several years ago, he apologized for the killing saying, “I am sorry for being such an idiot and choosing the wrong way for glory.” Chapman remains in prison.
Source: Debbie Lord/kiro7.com
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the death of John Lennon , who was just 40 years old when he was murdered by a deranged fan outside of his New York City apartment building.
In commemoration of the tragedy, ABC Audio has chatted with a variety of music stars who shared their reflections on Lennon's loss and what he and his music meant to them.
Joe Walsh , whose brother-in-law is Lennon's ex-Beatle band mate Ringo Starr , says, "I'm so happy to have had [Lennon] in my life as a role model. He showed me how to be cool. He showed me how to write music...When he died, I felt like part of me died, and there's a hole there inside me where John was. And he had a profound effect on me as a musician and as a person. And I miss him, and I get sad when I talk about it."
Graham Nash , whose early band The Hollies were part of the British Invasion that The Beatles launched, notes, "The one thing that I am left with after...commiserating about what happened 40 years ago to John Lennon...What songs were in his head that weren't recorded yet? What songs that could possibly change the world once more were in his head when he was killed?...That's part of the tragedy for me."
Source: kelofm.com
Sir Paul McCartney thinks The Beatles all had mental health problems.
The 78-year-old singer admitted he and his bandmates – Sir Ringo Starr and the late John Lennon and George Harrison – were more likely to mock their issues than have a discussion, but he thinks they came out of their global fame and its associated problems “reasonably well adjusted”.
Asked if he thinks, with hindsight, the ‘Come Together’ group had mental health issues, he said: “Yes, I think so. But you talked about it through your songs.
“You know, John would. ‘Help! I need somebody,’ he wrote. And I thought, ‘Well, it’s just a song,’ but it turned out to be a cry for help.
“Same kind of thing happened with me, mainly after the break-up of the band. All of us went through periods when we weren’t as happy as we ought to be.
Source: tulsaworld.com
In the 1960s and the early 1970s, John Lennon was a global icon, known across continents for his literate lyrics, slashing wit, rakish charm and signature teashade sunglasses. He was at once a puckish prankster and a chin-stroking philosopher — the world famous "thinking man's Beatle."
But in the last five years of his life, Lennon went into hibernation. He retreated into a domestic idyll inside the famed Dakota apartment building in New York City, devoting himself to raising his young son, Sean, and nurturing his strained marriage with his wife, Yoko Ono.
In recognition of the 40th anniversary of Lennon's assassination on Tuesday, admirers around the world are likely to revisit his Beatles heyday and his legacy as an anti-war activist. But amid those tributes, biographers and journalists say, Lennon's quiet final chapter deserves more attention.
Source: Daniel Arkin/nbcnews.com
Paul McCartney has opened up about the making of his new solo album during lockdown.
Dubbing the period spent at home recording “rockdown” in a new interview with The Sunday Times, the former Beatle star said he tried to remain optimistic writing the album, which is set for release on December 18.
“Well, I am an optimist,” McCartney said. “Generally speaking I do believe things are good, and we screw them up. In fact, a lot of people during lockdown would say, ‘Oh God!’ And I’d say, ‘Yes, but there’s a silver lining.’ It was a phrase I used a lot. I was loath to say it because a lot of people had it bad, but suddenly we saw more of the family than ever, and I was able to do recordings. That was my silver lining.”
Source: Elizabeth Aubrey/nme.com
