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 can live as one…”
– John Lennon

On this day 35 years ago, we lost an icon of the music industry in the cruelest manner possible. Coming home late in the evening to his New York apartment with Yoko Ono, John Lennon was shot four times in the back by Mark Chapman (a man who’d received Lennon’s autograph mere hours beforehand). He was pronounced dead on arrival at Roosevelt Hospital less than an hour after the incident happened. John was 40.

Despite his short life, the Liverpudlian certainly made a massive impact in the music industry as one of the biggest influences to modern music as we know it today. Starting off with his band The Quarrymen, it evolved in to the biggest commercially successful band of all time – The Beatles. Following ten years of unprecedented and unrivaled success, Lennon would go on to a solo career creating just as many massive hits – Imagine, Woman and Happy Xmas (War Is Over) to name a few.

John Lennon, as part of The Beatles.

When the most famous line-up that we all know and love was formed, The Beatles made their first big hit with Love Me Do would reach number 17, and for the remainder of the decade there was no going back. Eventually, they would make 6 UK million-selling singles (She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Can’t Buy Me Love, I Feel Fine, Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out and Hey Jude) – more than any other artist in history (add John Lennon’s Imagine then he himself has 7), as well as 17 number 1 singles (20 if you add Lennon’s three solo number 1’s).

Lennon wasn’t particularly one to keep quiet, either – when making tongue-in-cheek comments or things that would possibly anger people. During the Royal Variety Performance in April 1963, John had a little fun with the audience when asking for help with one of their songs: “For the people in the cheaper seats, clap your hands… and the rest of you, if you’ll just rattle your jewellery.”

The most infamous quote during The Beatles era however, was one that caused a lot of outrage (and even was made fun of during an episode of The Simpsons):

“Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink … We’re more popular than Jesus now—I don’t know which will go first, rock and roll or Christianity.”
– John Lennon

Following the break-up of The Beatles, Lennon would go on to a solo career which brought three more UK #1 singles.

It was basically unnoticed in the UK; however five months after, there was a massive uproar in the United States. With threats against Lennon, burning of Beatles records and more, the group decided to no longer tour.

Lennon would retire from the music industry in 1975 in order to raise his second son Sean, but would return in late 1980 with the single (Just Like) Starting Over, but not long after, John’s life was tragically cut short.

It’s been 35 years, but still his legacy lives on with the music he left behind, the records set and broken along the way with near unparalleled successes (until just a few weeks ago, John Lennon was the last artist to have three songs in the UK’s top 5 at the same time – it’s now been matched by Justin Bieber).

Ashley Redman