Those Childhood Days:
(Teacher: “John, You are Going Nowhere!” John: “Is Nowhere a place for the geniuses, Sir? Then I Probably belong there!”)
70 long years ago, Liverpool witnessed the birth of a mischievous lad who was ordinary in the eyes of every commoner but from within, was a LEGEND in the making. Always up for mischief and popular for his incorrigible ways, this kid possessed an uncanny knack of sketching and versifying at the tender age of 10. He was known as the ‘Happy Go Lucky’ chap who casted a spell with his charmingly appealing smile and got everything he wished for except for his Mother’s Love who abandoned him when he was just five years old. Nevertheless, his Aunt Mimi gave him the love more than his Mother could ever have given him.
Mother Lost, Singer Found:
(“Mother, you had me, but I never had you…I needed you but you didn’t need me”)
His Mother entered his life once again when he was 12years old. She taught him Banjo and bought the first guitar for him. But, his mother passed away in an accident when he was just 17 and he lost her again and this time, forever. This incident had a deep traumatic effect on him and he went on to composing numerous songs for her. He was profoundly influenced by Elvis and his Music. He started his first skiffle band, ‘The Quarrymen’ where he made some wonderful friends like Paul McCartney and George Harrison. (“Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis.”)
The Silver Beatles to The Beatles:
(“What’s your message for American teenagers? “Our Message is…buy some more Beatle Records”)
And, the kid is now an adult and already a star! The musical journey that started with Quarrymen, now had a completely new line up. Here’s presenting to you: THE BEATLES with the funny guy drumming, Ringo Starr, the cute guy singing, Paul MCcartney, the serious boy strumming, George Harrison and the smartest one penning and crooning, JOHN LENNON. This was the phase where these Fav Four climbed the ladder of success with every song they composed and soon were at the pinnacle of glory. There was no stopping them and no looking back either. Soon, the world seemed to be a mere spectator of the growing Beatlemania. In 1964, they invaded the USA and created sheer hysteria among the crowds. Nevertheless, Lennon was the most outspoken and the controversial of them all. Thus, he earned the title of “THE MISUNDERSTOOD BEATLE”.(“I don't know which will go first - rock and roll or Christianity!”)
The Break Up:
(“I am not the Beatles. I'm me. Paul isn't the Beatles...The Beatles are the Beatles. Separately, they are separate.”)
Each member’s artistic vision conflicted with each other and thus came the split in Music History’s one of the most influential groups. The Beatles were no more The Beatles. After the divide, Ringo and George almost vanished while Paul McCartney and John Lennon ruled as individual artists.
Lennon after the Beatles:
(“Give Peace a chance”)
Lennon with his wife, Yoko Ono, immersed wholly in political activities. They were synonymous with Political Activism and Peace Movements. Lennon employed outright honesty and straightforwardness in his speech and chose his Music as the outlet for his anger towards the high-profile political figures who were real life epitomes of corruption. He acquired an Iconic Status among the old and the young during the turbulent period of the late sixties. But, as usual, he was Controversy’s favorite child and this time the issue was much graver. The then president, Richard Nixon was aggravated by Lennon's Anti-war demonstrations because he felt that would earn him a failure in his presidential campaign. Nixon ordered Lennon to be deported and held serious charges against him, which were successfully cleared three years later. But, nothing stopped Lennon from creating an impact on people’s minds and hearts. He resonates even today…three decades after his assassination.
(“I've had enough of reading things, by neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians, All I want is the truth…”)
ASSASSINATION AND LEGACY:
“Listen, if anything happens to Yoko and me, it was not an accident.”
8th December, 1980: The Music Dies!
Mark Chapman, a crazy fan in Jet Black attire waited for days outside Lennon’s Residence, Dakota and on the end of the fourth day, when Lennon returned with Yoko Ono from yet another recording session, the man shot four bullets and Lennon took his last breath on his way to the hospital. The entire world mourned his death for days, weeks and months. The grief was of an unprecedented scale and millions of fans gathered for the ten minutes of silence that was observed the following day.John Lennon was revolution personified and was a product of the Swinging Sixties. But, the Eighties didn’t mark his end when he slept forever for his Words and Works are still very much alive and they resonate louder with every passing year. If he would have lived, the world would have been celebrating his 70th Birthday with him, probably singing some of his favorite numbers. Here, this post of mine is a mere tribute to the TRUE GENIUS who imparted lessons of Peace to the world when everybody was busy experimenting with Violence.
(“If being an egomaniac means I believe in what I do and in my art or music, then in that respect you can call me that... I believe in what I do, and I'll say it. ”)
Happy birthday to 'The Walrus', JOHN LENNON!
