What is John Lennon's legacy?

My personal hymn, Imagine.

For anyone of my age a kennedy in Dallas moment remembering where we were when the news broke. Plus, of course an airport named after him as well!

Once a again a lunatic taking away from us a great song writer and musician and Liverpool wit ; how on earth do you ever replace John and for that matter the untimely death of George

I was working as a labourer in freezing conditions outside an oil factory in Holland. The locals were talking about it in the canteen but the only words I understood were 'John Lennon.' And then on the bus journey home it was the same. It wasn't till I got back to the squat we were in that my friends told me the news. I must have been the last person in Holland to find out. Every one of us was gutted.

I doubt he was quite the saint some people seem to think, but he left some darn good music! I'm very glad I lived through the Beatles era.

Obviously John Lennon's legacy is witnessed in contemporary life by the many songs he co-wrote with Paul McCartney; they live on he does not.

A huge loss to music... I was only 9 at the time. I've never been a great fan really, but whenever I listen to some of his songs, I do feel better. Of course Imagine is one of the greatest songs ever written. Just perfect! (and I do hope the x-factor muppets never ever do a cover of it)

Within the Beatles Lennon wrote the best numbers. Outside the Beatles he wrote the worst. Songs like 'Oh Yoko' 'Cold Turkey' and 'How Do You Sleep' are embarrassing. But he had a tremendous attitude and knew how to manipulate the media. Cheers John.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

A great man who was taken too soon. Brilliant songwriter and musician but, above all else he never lost his humanity despite his wealth. He was still a thorn in the side of the establishment right up to his last day and, I guess that's the way John would have wanted it. My son is studying music at university thanks to the legacy of decency and fairness John Lennon stood for. You see, he was more than a musician/songwriter, he inspired people then and, he inspires people now.

He was a musician in a band, not a prophet, thousands of similar talent are never discovered every year, that's his legacy .

When I think of John Lennon it is difficult to shut out what to me is his greatest song.

In my life.

I'm going to have it at my funeral.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

He was alright...

8. At 09:46am on 08 Dec 2010, Edwin Schrodinger wrote:
Within the Beatles Lennon wrote the best numbers. Outside the Beatles he wrote the worst. Songs like 'Oh Yoko' 'Cold Turkey' and 'How Do You Sleep' are embarrassing.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'd agree with your first point,but would say that Mull of Kintyre, Ebony and Ivory, and A Wonderful Christmas Time are as bad as any of the aforementioned Lennon efforts.

"What is John Lennon's legacy?"

His music. He wrote a lot of very good songs (and a few that should never have seen the light of day). And, of course, the fact that he was in the (IMHO) best band of all time! He is to be admired for these achievements.

But the beatification process needs to stop now! As someone points out - he wasn't a prophet. . And he was no kind of sage - he wasn't gifted with wisdom beyond the average. In fact, as far as I'm concerned, in this respect he was an early days version of Bono, Geldof and their ilk - pampered, overpaid prima donnas who would do well to keep their mouths shut in public whenever they're not warbling.

I'm 31 so was very small when he died however my parents brought me up to appreciate the beatles music and their solo stuff.

The music is timeless, still relevant today and without the Beatles music probably wouldn't have evolved into what it is.

I beleive John Lennon's campaign for peace had the best intentions but he wasn't a realist.

I do rate Paul McCartney and George Harrison's solo work more highly, but Imagine and Merry Xmas (the war is over) are truely great songs.

Thank you for the music John.

Extremely bright, witty, honest and dedicated promoter of peace and goodwill. "Imagine" a world without Beatles songs. It would be a gloomier place.

He was just another celebratory (but yes made some great music)
But like a lot of celebrities he portrayed drug taking as cool, and unfortunalty too many people follow their ‘cool’ lead and then end up as junkies.

Junkies who end up in a life of misery, homeless, jobless and sponging off us ‘Square’ people who work and pay and taxes.

I have felt uneasy about the sanctification of John Lennon for years. I recall that horrible BT-ad that Chris Evans did where they superimposed Lennon's face onto the Tiannaman Square-protester who faced off a tank in 1989. In the former Eastern bloc you see t-shirts and posters with John Lennon on facing off the Berlin Wall - which is as silly as thinking the decadent lyrics of the Velvet Underground really freed Czechoslovakia...

I thought that was a ridiculous comparison and think that if you want an accurate representation of who Lennon was, the Lester Bangs piece following his murder should be sought out. Heck, Albert Goldman is probably more accurate than the Anthology-thing in the 90's which seemed like Orwellian-rewriting of history (& I hate the way EMI are flogging the Beatles back-catalogue for the umpteenth time...or that acoustic "naked" versions of albums like Let It Be and Double Fantasy are reissued). You're buying into the 'Forrest Gump' version of Lennon...

As 1/4 of The Beatles and one of the principal songwriters Lennon is undoubtedly a significant figure - though you have to factor in the producer (George Martin), the counterpoint of Paul McCartney, the musicianship of George Harrison, Billy Preston etc. I don't think you can doubt The Beatles' legacy - you can John Lennon's.

Lennon's best work was in The Beatles - 'Julia', 'Tomorrow Never Knows', 'Rain', 'Glass Onion', 'Dear Prudence', 'Strawberry Fields Forever', 'I am the Walrus,' 'A Day in the Life' etc. As with the other former Beatles, solo works that followed were patchy - McCartney has probably released stronger material and George Harrison's debut 'All Things Must Pass' was the best Beatle-solo LP. Lennon's solo work was mostly awful - 'Plastic Ono Band' has some rawness, but is a bit of a self-indulgent whinge and essentially nothing Lennon hadn't already done on 'Yer Blues.' Plus 'Working Class Hero' is truly cringeworthy...

Lennon's solo work is mostly dire - the odd track like '#9 Dream' and 'Watching the Wheels' is countered by navel-gazing dross like 'How Do You Sleep', 'I Don't Want to be a Soldier' and 'Gimme Some Truth.' Lennon's protest singer material is truly awful and he's nowhere near say...Phil Ochs, Woody Guthrie, early Dylan, Chuck D, Robert Wyatt...so some levity is required. Let's also note that during Lennon's dire 70's - when he was making rubbish like 'Rock & Roll' and 'Whatever Gets You Through the Night' or retreating to the Dakota Building, he was eclipsed by loads of other acts who made him seem irrelevant.

This is all forgotten now, but at the time of 'The Rutles - All You Need is Cash', The Beatles weren't a sacred cow - amusingly Lennon was talking about re-recording old Beatles songs. Had he done so, their legacy might be a little less revered now?

It was a tragedy that Lennon was murdered and his family suffered; but does that make a lot of his "art" good? Lennon's legacy was The Beatles and after they were over, the output seemed to be exceedingly bitter interviews (see the Rolling Stone one broadcast last year) and mediocre albums. It would be nice to see a more "realistic" take on Lennon - perhaps someone saying the kind of thing about Lennon he didn't restrain himself from saying about others?

12. At 09:57am on 08 Dec 2010, Darwins Chimp wrote:
In my life.

I'm going to have it at my funeral.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm having Burn Baby Burn by Ash at mine.
Although I haven't decided whether I'll be buried or cremated.

Lennon/McCartney music has lasted some 50 years already, proof of its enduring quality; I can't begin to imagine how many times its been covered by lesser artists.

Today's so-called singer/songwriters, producing repetitive, bland noise will be forgotten in 10 years' time, and Beatles music will still go on forever.

A talented but extremely arrogant man who organised high-profile demonstrations against the US government at the same time he was expecting them to approve his application for citizenship in their country. I also recollect how his honeymoon 'sleep-in' was lampooned by a visiting US dignitary who exposed the shallowness of his arguments and beliefs.

If John Lennon had been alive today, I'm sure that he would be asking why
Wikileaks and Julian Assange are headline news on almost every news network in the world but is not open for debate on this HYS, don’t you wonder why?

His legacy?
Having that truly awful song "Merry Christmas (war is over)" stuffed down our ears every Christmas.
Suffering the near beatification of someone who at best was a substandard guitarist and average lyricist - there was, and is, much better out there.
Never was a Beatles fan - thought they were vastly overrated.
Flame away people.
Up the Irons!

"Just rattle your jewellery".

His legacy is a warning

If you are talented and show your talent to all, someone less talented will get jealous and smoke you.

Seemed to be a genuinely nice guy and a world class musician.

"jasonparkes wrote:
In the former Eastern bloc you see t-shirts and posters with John Lennon on facing off the Berlin Wall - which is as silly as thinking the decadent lyrics of the Velvet Underground really freed Czechoslovakia..."

I know what you mean, but I think you'll find that 'Imagine' really was the anthem/soundtrack that accompanied social and political change in many a country; including the UK, which did change, though you wouldn't always know it from some of the neanderthal comments on HYS. As for the post saying he was 'just another celebrity', the mind boggles: the right-wing tabloids hated him as soon as he spoke, and they'd hate him now.

Unfortunately probably, effectively none, because little has changed for the better and a lot for the worse:
the rise in religeous fundamentalism,
the rise of nationalism,
the rise of personal greed,
the rise of materialism,
the rise of disparity of wealth, greater divisions beteen rich and poor,
the rise of super- powerful ultra right wing media pandering to our worst instincts, dissent at your peril- think as you are supposed to... or else,
the rise of xenophobia and racism.

If you think this is overly negative, just sit back for a minute and take stock. How do you see the people around you? What do you really want? Do you care about all kids or just your own? How much damage to others' wellbeing, the environment etc would you be willing to inflict if it made you richer? If you were a banker and you had the authority to award yourself a huge bonus event though the pension funds you are managing aren't doing well, would you do it? When did you last help out in your community? How much do you give to charity?

It sems to me that since Thatcher we've been well and truly conditioned to compete, not cooperate. There is no we, only me. Except of course when it's time to go to war.
I think Lennon was killed in more ways than one.

some good songs, some mediocre songs, some rubbish songs. What else?

Like any good composer/performer, some good songs.

What other 'legacy' would one expect from a musician?

No doubt these comments will not make me popular, but I have always felt that John Lennon was hugely over-rated as an artist. I never bought the whole "working-class hero" bit. "Imagine no possessions", he sang from his large mansion, the white Rolls Royce parked outside. Yes, I wonder if you could, John.

Neither did I ever consider him to be the great comedic wit that others seemed to. His written published work is, frankly, embarrassingly naive and would never have seen the light of day had it not been for his already high media profile.

Musically he was, to my mind, just another rock and roller who was simply very astute at cashing in on his previous success with The Beatles.

Needless to say, a vast industry has now built up around promoting the Lennon mythology so his place in our cultural history is secure whether it is warranted or not.

I gave up on Lennon once he left The Beatles. The stuff he wrote and recorded on his own is pure drivel in my book. Happy Xmas - War Is Over is my most hated song of all time, it is a dirge. He was and is over-rated.

One more high profile anti establishment activist murdered. When will the sheeple wake up.

His music reverberates and his spirit lives on: the music captures the nostalgia and intensity of the baby boomers who simply loved the Beatles! When music is the food of love, let it play on! Lennon inspired and continues to inspire music lovers and that will be his eternal contribution to the realm of pop music.

His music was the equivalent of a 'gateway drug' and got me loving music and song from many genres. Probably because my parents were into the Beatles, they are like my inheritance albums!

Also a gateway drug in another sense - when the media is doing it's level best to stoke the war on drugs, these guys were showing the world that psychedelics aren't the addictive, mind-destroying, junkie-producing substances that they are and were portrayed as.

His legacy?
Some iconic and unforgettable music.

How I remember him?
A hypocrite who harped on constantly about peace whilst openly supporting terrorism in his love for the IRA's fight. No matter what the excuses given there's no excuse for supporting terrorism.
I wonder how much love people would feel for him if he was to voice his support for Al-Quaida these days?

I was yet to be born when the Beatles began to rock the world with their music. My father got some of the Beatles SP's, thence I got the privilege to hear them sing.

I think John Lennon was probably the pillar of the group. The guy was shot dead by an obsessed fan in New York City.

his legacy?
well.......... allowing lots of shallow relatives ,friends and fans to make a lot of money from his name cos they have nothing else.
books by some, venues and tours from others.
liverpool is like disneyland now

A whining, mithering scouser who wrote a few reasonable songs with the other band members. Like all songwriters he wrote as much dross as he wrote good. Try listening to the Sounds of the 60's complete Beatles songs and you'll hear how painfully bad some were.

I was 15 and on a school trip the Imperial War Musuem when the news was announced. Mr Smith, our teacher, seemed a bit upset. I was just concerned that he'd cancel the visit.
Like James Dean and Princess Diana an early and unexpected death has done wonders for Lennon's reputation. It's little wonder McCartney seems so bitter towards him. He has aged and become less of an icon and more clearly past his sell by date as time has gone on. Lennon remains locked in the late 70s.
Let's be clear neither Lennon & McCartney's collaborative or individual music is particularly special. All pop music is essentially repetive and simplistic. They were the first real example of hype over substance, Lennon's big mouth and ability to offer a quote on demand fed that hype, but they were no more talented than the Jonas Brothers if we are honest.
If it were not for the fact that he'd died we'd all be seeing Lennon for what he was. Extremely fortunate to have made so much money but fundamentally still a chippy and arrogant Scouser all be it one that could court media attention.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Music is everybody's possession. It's only publishers who think that people own it.

One member of the greatest group, of that time !!! a great new talent for the music business,The City of Liverpool was made world famous by The Beatles' his songs were the best.

If he was not killed by bullet,he sure going to die by insults like so many other great musicians before&him.If you dont believe me,look at history of music.so treat people good when they are still alife&not when are dead.a dead man is good for nothing.

24. At 10:33am on 08 Dec 2010, Syni_cal wrote:

If John Lennon had been alive today, I'm sure that he would be asking why
Wikileaks and Julian Assange are headline news on almost every news network in the world but is not open for debate on this HYS, don’t you wonder why?

Maybe because he has had his 10 minutes of fame and now most people are bored with it? I know I am.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

John Lennon it is a tragedy that a radio implanted individual was driven to shoot him. The USA Pentagon feared his influence and feared him awakening the comatose US Citizens.

My Dad a US Marine of WWII serving in the South Pacific and himself a very good man bless his immortal said John was a very good man, loved the people, gave to many charities and enjoyed Johns laughter and joy in his songs..

John he opened a lot of minds and I miss him for the future he was to bring to this world. I wish his son would pick up where he left off or by Johns influence love the world with his music and insight.

He has left a legacy of music (some of which is great some of which is not). I think that is about it. There is a legacy of misty eyed individuals who think his legacy is somewhat greater and that he was some sort of hero. I think he probably was to some at the time. Everyone else just got on with life and now I think, to all but those who yearn for those good old days, he is largely irrelevant.

I was only 5 when he was shot. So didn’t live through it. However I can say that I look at the world today and don’t think he has changed anything.

34. At 11:09am on 08 Dec 2010, Alex Jones fall of the republic wrote:
One more high profile anti establishment activist murdered. When will the sheeple wake up.

-----------

It's easy to claim that. The difficult part is providing hard evidence.

Do you have any? Or is this just another meaningless, sensationalist conspiracy theory?

*yawns*

John Lennon spoke for a generation of youth, his lasting legacy is likely to be his song Imagine. I was with a friend when we heard the news that he had been shot to death in New York. We cried together.

John Lennons legacy is that it's left a void easily filled by sycophants and the media.

When will people wake up and realise he was nothing more than a musician trying to make a buck or two. No different to any other person on this planet, and definitely not a messiah.

He was not the second coming!

I still struggle to understand why someone would want to murder John Lennon. Yes he was outspoken and caused controversy at times but he was an average guy in the best possible sense. He was a member of the biggest Rock n Roll band of all time who have left a great legacy and inspired many, many artists today including Oasis and Kiss.

Maybe not everyone considers his solo catalogue as being as good as The Beatles but he was prepared to continue to push the boundaries and wrote some songs that will always be there for many. He never shyed away from wearing his heart on his sleeve: Mother; God; Woman etc.


John was in a good place and had found peace; Yoko Ono was robbed of a husband and both Sean and Julian were robbed of their father - these were and continue to be the real tragedies.

Msg 49. At 11:46am on 08 Dec 2010, KingLeeRoySandersJr wrote:


John Lennon it is a tragedy that a radio implanted individual was driven to shoot him. The USA Pentagon feared his influence and feared him awakening the comatose US Citizens.

I hope you understand that you're not doing much to persuade us Brits that the USA is not populated by a bunch of conspiracy theory obsessed head cases?

Dear moderator, are you for real? My post 42. above? Where is it? Is it because I said John Lennon would have been proud of Wikileaks? You people really do need to develop a backbone!

52. At 11:52am on 08 Dec 2010, David Goddard wrote:

"John Lennon spoke for a generation of youth, his lasting legacy is likely to be his song Imagine. I was with a friend when we heard the news that he had been shot to death in New York. We cried together."

I'm sorry, but while he may have spoken for some of that generation, he did not, by any means, speak for all of us. I'm of that generation and I never bought into it. And very few of my - similarly aged friends - did either.

i was born 7 years after all i really know is he was in the beatles
however i know he was important in politics somehow!

really id rather have learnt about john lennon in school instead of the american west! or all thoese stupid poems.

maybe there should be a new subject? life lessons or something? or politics?or maybe they should change history to relevent history.

In reply to 'revolution not evolution' - hurray - someone has the courage to point out the hypocrisy of the man. In addition to the RR cars etc., I personaly find it offensive that someone is so revered for calling for world peace and the take up of a non-materialist lifestyle whilst having so many dead furs to wear that they needed temp/humidity controlled storage in their accommodation purely for maintaining the condition of said dead animal parts! World peace doesn't just stop at the species barrier. Are people blind and deaf to the incongruity of the guy? If he was the guy his post-mortem publicity machine and accountants say he was, surely he'd be spinning in his grave now and as sick of it all as some of us living committed pacifists are. I'll be surprised if this gets published.....

Lennons legacy, 3 things:

1) The most over rated band of all time.
2) Bono who wants to be / thinks, he is the next messiah / Lennon.
3) Oasis, the second most over rated band of all time.

A brilliant musician,

51. At 11:49am on 08 Dec 2010, Nushed wrote:

34. At 11:09am on 08 Dec 2010, Alex Jones fall of the republic wrote:
One more high profile anti establishment activist murdered. When will the sheeple wake up.

-----------

It's easy to claim that. The difficult part is providing hard evidence.

Do you have any? Or is this just another meaningless, sensationalist conspiracy theory?

*yawns*
_______________________________________________

Reply!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Governments are ruled by the Biggest Beast with the Biggest Club. It isn't a theory or a conspiracy, it's real life and so am I! John Lennon told the truth and world governments feared the people becoming aware of the world they live in and not the world they are told by the mass media it is.

I know how easy it is to censor and overwhelm the world with propaganda. It only exist because a person is afraid to say otherwise so BOOO! I hope reality and the truth scare the %!(@*# out of you because it does anyone mature, loving and sane.

47. At 11:41am on 08 Dec 2010, Magi Tatcher wrote:
24. At 10:33am on 08 Dec 2010, Syni_cal wrote:

If John Lennon had been alive today, I'm sure that he would be asking why
Wikileaks and Julian Assange are headline news on almost every news network in the world but is not open for debate on this HYS, don’t you wonder why?

Maybe because he has had his 10 minutes of fame and now most people are bored with it? I know I am.
.........................................................................

Lennon - Assange or both?

No Country.
No Religion.
No Heaven.
Nothing to fight or die for.
Living in Peace for today.
Hard to imagine for many, perhaps most, almost scary yet it’s purer than anything we’ve been brought up with.
True Love.

I thought John Lennon was ugly when I was a kid. I tried really hard to hero worship the Beatles and used to gaze at the back of the cornflakes packet to see which Beatle I fancied the most. They had competition because the Monkeys were better looking (to a young teenage girl like me) all of those years ago. I would certainly not have fancied John Lennon for reasons that people who know me know. John Lennon dragged himself up from his background situation and created a legend. You have to judge his achievement by comparing his starting point to what he achieved before untimely death. John Lennon is an inspiration to us all.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

62. At 12:07pm on 08 Dec 2010, KingLeeRoySandersJr wrote:
51. At 11:49am on 08 Dec 2010, Nushed wrote:

34. At 11:09am on 08 Dec 2010, Alex Jones fall of the republic wrote:
One more high profile anti establishment activist murdered. When will the sheeple wake up.

-----------

It's easy to claim that. The difficult part is providing hard evidence.

Do you have any? Or is this just another meaningless, sensationalist conspiracy theory?

*yawns*
_______________________________________________

Reply!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Governments are ruled by the Biggest Beast with the Biggest Club. It isn't a theory or a conspiracy, it's real life and so am I! John Lennon told the truth and world governments feared the people becoming aware of the world they live in and not the world they are told by the mass media it is.

I know how easy it is to censor and overwhelm the world with propaganda. It only exist because a person is afraid to say otherwise so BOOO! I hope reality and the truth scare the %!(@*# out of you because it does anyone mature, loving and sane.

---------

How about some "real life" evidence to back up your rhetoric?

If you require inspiration, have a read of this first:

https://www.urban75.org/info/conspiraloons.html

At 10:33am on 08 Dec 2010, Syni_cal wrote:
If John Lennon had been alive today, I'm sure that he would be asking why
Wikileaks and Julian Assange are headline news on almost every news network in the world but is not open for debate on this HYS, don’t you wonder why?

---------------------------------------------------------
After 3350 comments the Wikileaks debate has well and truly been flogged to death.

Even though I am more of classical/ middle-of-the road/ music fan, I still remember hearing the news of his death and feeling a sense of shock.

I think, if John Lennon were alive today, he might ask... "Why does the BBC have a thread up on me, and half a dozen on the snow, and nothing about the scandalous mistreatment of Wikileaks' Julian Assange by British courts under pressure from their American masters?"

And then he might say, and how come my comment was just deleted?

"58. At 12:01pm on 08 Dec 2010, scotty1694 wrote:
i was born 7 years after all i really know is he was in the beatles
however i know he was important in politics somehow!

really id rather have learnt about john lennon in school instead of the american west! or all thoese stupid poems.

maybe there should be a new subject? life lessons or something? or politics?or maybe they should change history to relevent history."

Really Scotty?

I can't recall any lasting legacy of actual change that Lennon brought about.

If you wan't a change in the syllabus I'd suggest considering the lives of Mandela & Ghandi, people who actauulu made a real difference

Lennon was a good musician in, arguably, the best band but he wasn't the prophet and leader he is made out to be

John Lennon's legacy - vindication that one other surviving part of the Beatles songwriting team, has consistently failed to create meaningful lyrics, yet survived on the original Beatle's income?

So many more important issues to discuss than a dead musician.

Like Julian Assange and wiki leaks.

HYS is seriously becomming a joke, let us discuss the relevant issues of the day and not what John Lennon would have dont today.

one of my boy hood hero's and still is in spirit,is legacy is trying to get us to think the unthinkable.years ahead of his time.brought to promenance by leading the greatest band in the history of rock/pop music,proper music,not this purile pap you get on "xfactor" or the monotonous crap that is churned out under the appellation of boy/girl bands,his lyric and musical ability needs no praise or defending from the likes of(we are not worthy)me posterity answers that.i am of the opinion he would have been involved in the UN peace movement if he had not been so nefariously taken from us,most probably the main man.he had great intellegence and quick, although somtimes quite a barb wit and sence of humour,a loyal man albeit with faults.he could have been kinder to julian and cynthia,he did mend bridges with julian and i'm sure,had he lived he'd have reach out to cynthia too,it is sad that wasn't to be.
it is only when you look at some of the so called celebs of today that you realise what a great loss the man has been.god bless........

31. At 11:02am on 08 Dec 2010, Megan wrote:
"Like any good composer/performer, some good songs.

What other 'legacy' would one expect from a musician?"

And others who made this point: I think it is wrong to ignore that he was also a very visible and vocal peace campaigner.

After all, Bob Geldof probably puts 'musician' down as his occupation on forms but I don't think that will be his lasting legacy somehow.

But back to the music, John Lennon was one of the three best songwriters in the Beatles, possibly even second best simply because George didn't write as many songs. He also had the odd solo gem. His death, if only for its premature and shocking nature, was a tragedy.

John lennon's legacy will be some good, bad, awful and fab songs, tho you do have to ask would he be so worshipped if he was still alive?.

a few wake ups

1) he never left america cause if he did, he might not have been allowed back in

2) his solo stuff only took off after he died

yes the Beatles were the Take That of the 60s and they set the bar very high. but john without paul was not as good.

Great musician - even greater hypocrite.

The only one of the Beatles to have any talent.

John Lennon was no saint, what musician is, what person is? He was a highly talented songwriter who has inspired millions. Im glad I lived through the Beatles era and the 60s generally, the best decade we have ever had in this country in my opinion. I will never forget queing for Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts club band as a teenager in June 1967, there was a seemingly endless q for this one album which went on to influence the greatest period of music ie 1967-1975 we have had.

Rest in peace John Lennon........ his legacy is surely :-

'Give peace a chance'


That says more for the man than anything else.

Certainly a talented artist who contributed a great deal to the evolution of popular music. His death was a terrible and wasteful act. However, his impact on my life was minimal...like a pebble dropping into a pool of water...a few ripples and then....nothing.

77. At 12:25pm on 08 Dec 2010, Kuradi Vitukari wrote:
"The only one of the Beatles to have any talent."

Utterly ridiculous.

Sgt Pepper's (about 80% of the album) - Paul
Helter Skelter - Paul
Blackbird - Paul
Eleanor Rigby - Paul
Yesterday - Paul
She's So Heavy - Paul
Here Comes The Sun - George
Taxman - George

Cohesive solo albums - Paul & George

John who? Wrote a couple of nice songs, was murdered and his songs went stratospheric. Why did'nt people applaud his work as much when he was alive?

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

75. At 12:25pm on 08 Dec 2010, braxious wrote:
John lennon's legacy will be some good, bad, awful and fab songs, tho you do have to ask would he be so worshipped if he was still alive?.

a few wake ups

1) he never left america cause if he did, he might not have been allowed back in

2) his solo stuff only took off after he died

yes the Beatles were the Take That of the 60s and they set the bar very high. but john without paul was not as good.

----------

Actually, his Double Fantasy album which was released just before his death was very well received by both critics and the public.

And please do not compare The Beatles with Take That.

Will Take That be revered around the World in 50 years time?

I doubt it very much.

Lennon/McCartney music has lasted some 50 years already, proof of its enduring quality; I can't begin to imagine how many times its been covered by lesser artists.
Today's so-called singer/songwriters, producing repetitive, bland noise will be forgotten in 10 years' time, and Beatles music will still go on forever.
Quantity does not necessarily mean quality. I know the words to "The Laughing Policeman", after all these years - so what. An okay musician and songwriter in an okay band that wrote some okay music.

He co-wrote some good songs with Paul McCartney.

His solo output was dire. Especially "Imagine", one of the dreariest songs it has ever been my misfortune to hear.

John Lennon was a musician , and not otherwise a historically significant figure. I have no doubt that others could lay claim to writing more inventive imaginative songs, better vocals, and the ability to get more out a guitar.

But.

He was a major influence- I think many might argue the biggest influence- behind the band that changed everything in popular music. Before the Beatles there was a void. Not a lot was happening; kids often liked the same anodyne music as their parents. Fads were so transient that you could miss them. The Beatles changed everything, not just creating the first real emotional response to popular music since rock'n roll a decade earlier, but acting as a talisman for an entire movement built around them. I saw them live (thanks Maureen for the ticket!) and whether fans or not no-one who was there could deny their freshness, their impact. They mark the point at which ancient became modern. For me, the Beatles transformed my teenage years through their own achievements and through what they drew from others trying to occupy their space. And Lennon was the leader.

With few exceptions the music's gone now. Its mostly dated and sounds trite and simplistic. But it didn't then. Lennon and indeed all the other Beatles didn't shine after their breakup- the parts weren't a patch on the whole. I doubt whether Lennon's death cost the world unforgettable music. But for those few years in the 1960's The Beatles held the world in the palms of their hands to an infinitely greater extent than we've seen from anyone since. And Lennon was closest to the essence of them.

70. At 12:20pm on 08 Dec 2010, martin3647 wrote:

"58. At 12:01pm on 08 Dec 2010, scotty1694 wrote:
i was born 7 years after all i really know is he was in the beatles
however i know he was important in politics somehow!

really id rather have learnt about john lennon in school instead of the american west! or all thoese stupid poems.

maybe there should be a new subject? life lessons or something? or politics?or maybe they should change history to relevent history."

Really Scotty?

I can't recall any lasting legacy of actual change that Lennon brought about.

If you wan't a change in the syllabus I'd suggest considering the lives of Mandela & Ghandi, people who actauulu made a real difference

Lennon was a good musician in, arguably, the best band but he wasn't the prophet and leader he is made out to be




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so you not see the irony in that post?
if id be taught about JL maybe id of came to the same oppinion as you? maybe alot more would?

it would only take 1 lesson to go over JL at a glance

and ofcourse the peole you named would be in that!

like i said id rather of learnd about mandela and ghandi
than read animal farm, poems and the american west!

still thinking of a name for this lesson!

recent history of man?

81. At 12:43pm on 08 Dec 2010, number1066 wrote:
John who? Wrote a couple of nice songs, was murdered and his songs went stratospheric. Why did'nt people applaud his work as much when he was alive?
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They did. The Beatles were really quite a global phenomenon in their day.
They do say that if you can remember the 60's, you weren't there, so I hope you enjoyed them.

72. At 12:21pm on 08 Dec 2010, Slave to the System - I am not a number wrote:

So many more important issues to discuss than a dead musician.

Like Julian Assange and wiki leaks.

HYS is seriously becomming a joke, let us discuss the relevant issues of the day and not what John Lennon would have dont today.
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yes but when they bring up real issues the mods block anything that disagree with!

i have had countless posts removed and for what i have no idea, they are not offensive they are quite PC but yet are removed time after time?

Norwegian Wood, I'm Only Sleeping, Strawberry Fields, Lucy In The Sky...back when he had the world's ear, and he turned it on it's head. Struck by how fresh these works are still, after forty years or more, and there's this intriguing quality, deceptive depth, the darkish humour...what Is that supposed to represent at the end of A Day In The Life? or All You Need Is Love: In The Mood with Jeremiah Clarke's Prince of Denmark's March lilting off at the end...

John Lennon was a great man who will be revered and honoured 1000 years from now. The people who write negative comments about him are irrelevant and their views are, by default, irrelevant too.

His music was majestic but as a person he was very selfish and not the wonderful peaceful person he wanted the media to make him out to be.He treated his first son like dirt.Any father who could do that has a very dark side to him.No doubt he will be remembered like a god for his music but I doubt those who really knew him would agree.

He was one quarter of what was by far the best rock band ever, and one half of the song-writing team that wrote some of the best songs of the last seventy-five years. Really folks, how many rock bands have written songs that have become "standards"? Can you think of another? The Beatles' work has stood the test of time.

82. At 12:48pm on 08 Dec 2010, KingLeeRoySandersJr wrote:
67. At 12:18pm on 08 Dec 2010, Nushed wrote:

62. At 12:07pm on 08 Dec 2010, KingLeeRoySandersJr wrote:
51. At 11:49am on 08 Dec 2010, Nushed wrote:

34. At 11:09am on 08 Dec 2010, Alex Jones fall of the republic wrote:
One more high profile anti establishment activist murdered. When will the sheeple wake up.

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It's easy to claim that. The difficult part is providing hard evidence.

Do you have any? Or is this just another meaningless, sensationalist conspiracy theory?

*yawns*
_______________________________________________

Reply!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Governments are ruled by the Biggest Beast with the Biggest Club. It isn't a theory or a conspiracy, it's real life and so am I! John Lennon told the truth and world governments feared the people becoming aware of the world they live in and not the world they are told by the mass media it is.

I know how easy it is to censor and overwhelm the world with propaganda. It only exist because a person is afraid to say otherwise so BOOO! I hope reality and the truth scare the %!(@*# out of you because it does anyone mature, loving and sane.

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How about some "real life" evidence to back up your rhetoric?

If you require inspiration, have a read of this first:

https://www.urban75.org/info/conspiraloons.html
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Reply:

I am not going to play with a government propagandist and to me naive and foolish. It isn't me you need to question. Question yourself. You are not going to find an answer anywhere else, till you have the courage to step out of what you have been given by the state, you call secure and find out what life is for yourself.

Governments can give you a life and so much but think for yourself and you will see you never had anything at all.

A good man was murdered, changed the world and gave the world himself. You can't say as much! You have abused yourself and will not be allowed to abuse me or someone that stands taller and righteous against any fool like you.

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On the sole basis of some replies in a thread about a deceased musician, how on earth do you come to such a conclusion?

How do you know I haven't asked myself some soul searching questions?

The point is you don't know, so please do not make assumptions or pretend that you know how I think.

I asked for cold, hard facts regarding a wild and unsubstantiated claim; facts that so far have yet to materialise. You either have something of substance to offer or you don't, which is it?

His death was a tragedy for Yoko and his opffspring, but people need to get a bit of perspective here. He was a rock star. It's not the noblest of pursuits.

He will always be a hero to me, my generation and millions around the world.
Still, we have the same HYS zombies being as negative as can be. They must enjoy being pains in the pants. John Lennon had more talent than those lot combined in one cell of his being.

Like Diana, JFK, James Dean etc he was a human being; in some ways good, in some ways just as flawed as any of us (as others have pointed out, his support for Irish paramilitarism weighed against his alleged pacifism, and the apparent disconnect between his desire for a world without possessions and substantial personal wealth).

His talent for songwriting was indisputable, but then even that isn't enough on its own without the good fortune of being in the right place at the right time and having commercial appeal. He's far from the saint some make out and given that most people's contact with him has been through the distorted mirror of the mass media I would argue that (as with most celebrities) his effect on the lives of most individuals is likely to be minimal.

As for Assange, as something of a conspiracy theorist myself I nevertheless have to agree with Magi Tatcher (#47). All he's really done is confirm much of what anyone with enough of a brain to read beyond mass media propagandising had already deduced for themselves. It is those who still cling to the delusion, despite growing evidence to the contrary, that governments and big corporations are acting in the interests of ordinary people rather than themselves and their rich, powerful friends, who need to wake up.

Are you a fan of his music? No

What is his legacy? Less than 100 comments in 4 hours on a cold day! Not very significant I'd Imagine (geddit???!!!???!!!)

Is his music still relevant? Pop music is rarely relevant. It seldom rises beyond mediocre, repetitive glorifed nursery rhymes set to a drum beat. Ringo had a drum kit. Lennon didn't progress much beyond that.

Are you a fan of his music?
>> I am not a fan of his music. I can tolerate it. It is not bad. Lyrics are good. But the melodies are nothing to remember.


What is his legacy?
>> Eh ??
Don't be ridiculous.
He's just a musician for God's sake; not a philosopher, scientist, philantropist, etc. Just a musician.


Is his music still relevant?
>> Why would it not be? Though I am not a fan, his music is quite possibly better than 80% of contemporary pop trash. Maybe 92% (just remembered Simon Cowell's contributions).

77. At 12:25pm on 08 Dec 2010, Kuradi Vitukari wrote:
The only one of the Beatles to have any talent.

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So untrue - the overlooked talent in the Beatles was George Harrison because he was quiet and laid back.

I love their music and lets face it thats all that really matters, unless you personally knew them of course.