John Lennon (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980).

I remember the day well. I still have all my New York news clippings from when it happened.
Among the most traumatic events for me personally to that point in my life.
The world would be a better place with John Lennon, and is in some ways better because he existed.
Recognising positives can be difficult in this day and age.

 

Playing Mind Games and again missing Johnny

 

I remember the day well. It was a Melbourne heatwave, and I was dressed in my suit driving to my sister's wedding (another disaster), back in the days when only the rich had air-con in their cars. I was hearing lots of Lennon played on the radio, and lots of tributes. Very few at the wedding cared.

Lennon's passing is another example of the tragedy of the limited resources put to mental health support in the community. McCartey played my city the other night. I would much prefer to be posting that I saw Lennon playing my city the other night, and how fantastic he still was.

 

I wasn't around for either Kennedy thing really, well, probably not even talking when Robert was shot, so this was the big shocker for my generation. It seemed beyond belief at the time, but Elvis dying was a shocker too like we didn't realize until then that such a famous person could die. It hit pretty hard that John was deliberately shot and killed right there where he lived, a place he came and went from all the time. My brother had gotten Double Fantasy and we'd been playing it a lot, plus seen John and Yoko on some later night show, whether it was Fridays or Saturday Night Live or something else I can't even say but it was like we'd just seen them.

Watching The Wheels, Woman, Kiss Kiss Kiss, and maybe most poignant of all Starting Over... still can't heard any of those again without feeling that lost might've-been time.

 

I always wonder what John would have been doing now.

 

♡

 

"Cookie"

 

37 years ago he left us...he was 37 in 1977...how long would he have lived naturally? Who knows, still miss him a lot

 

Gonna make my way through the Signature Box later today.

 

Me too.

 

Well, we know he had a followup to Double Fantasy in the works, which was going further into a new-wave type direction. He was planning to give one of his newer songs "Nobody Told Me" to Ringo's 1981 album. I believe he might have wanted to tour in 1981 as well. He probably would've continued to delve deeper into new wave and pop in the early 80s and then return to a safer, more traditional sound in the late 80s. Probably would've seen some limited Beatles reunion sometime between 1985 and 1995. I can see The Beatles maybe doing a one-off at Live Aid, or releasing an album or two in this 85-95 window before going their separate ways again. Today he'd probably still be recording a record every few years. He and Julian might've slowly patched their relationship together over the course of the 80s as John really got his head on straight as he was starting to do in 1980. I think if he were alive today, he'd not be as active as he was in say the 70s, but he'd be a living icon. He'd be much more of a moderate than he once was. Toward the end he started to become more of an individualist - and if you notice, he pretty much kept his politics to himself in 1980. He would speak once in a while at events but not be all that deep into politics or activism as he was in the 70s. He'd put out an album every 3-4 years, maybe do collaborations with other artists, etc.

In lieu of a full Beatles reunion, I definitely can see him doing some project with Paul (ala Page & Plant) in the 80s or 90s. The relationship never had closure, and I think at some point he or Paul might've wanted it and the stars would've aligned in some way, even if it was limited to just one song.

 

So many wonderful "what if" scenarios we all lost. One of the great tragedies of our time.

 

I remember the day as if it were today.
Miss him so much.
I was 17 years old and I was coming back home from the dentist when they said the news on the radio, just couldn't believe it, it was 10 am and then it was like part of me was gone, even at that age.
Today, the 8th will play Double Fantasy as if I were 17 and probably cry like every xmas when they play (and I play) Happy Xmas (war is over).
Sorry but still very sad.

Best regards from Uruguay, with love
Fernando

 

The Alpha...





and... The Omega

 

37 years!
And all these 'what-ifs' aside and learning that John Lennon could be a bit of a d*ck at times it feels like a black hole in music history for me.
As being a Beatles-fan there's the sense of optimism being lost on that day. Even though these four guys were a bit estranged there would always be a possibility of them getting together. It might never happen, but still....
And even though 'Double Fantasy' wasn't the masterpiece the World Was Waiting for, it was nice to learn that Lennon was getting his act together in the studio.

 

It's so unfair that John was taken not only from the generation that grew up with him, but also from the generations to come. There's 10 and a half years between his passing and when I was born, but despite that, I always shed tears on this day. If only myself and everyone else born in the 80's, 90's or beyond could have grown up in a world with John Lennon. There's some comfort in the fact that his influence still lives on 37 years later.

 

A fun little video to cheer us all up for a moment or two as we remember John.

 

I remember it like it was just last night,this is how millions of us found out.

 

Seen the headline that day on a newspaper stand.
Chilling feeling ran down my back.

 

An absolute tragedy for the music world. I believe had he still be alive we would have seen more Beatles albums and concerts.

I visited the Dakota building a on my trip to NY, surreal experience.

 

Especially the Central Park plaque.
Heartbreaking and a solace at the same time.

 

I well remember hearing the news and spending much time looking up into the sky as if searching for an answer to the madness. I run whenever I'm in NYC and no matter the direction I start out in without fail I always run past the Ed Sullivan Theater, the Dakota, and into Strawberry Fields. I don't plan to do that; it just happens.

 

I was just shy of 10 years old at the time, but I remember my family and I seeing the news on the television that day. I knew John Lennon as the guy behind the Starting Over single and Double Fantasy album that was getting a lot of airplay at home thanks to my older brother, but I don't believe I really knew who The Beatles were, and John's role in the band yet. That was all about to change for me - I just wish it was under better circumstances.

I don't stick a pin on this date - it's not an event I care to memorialize as it's just too damn much of a senseless loss, but I happened to check in on the forum and saw this thread, noticed the date and... felt thankful that at least this group is around to share good memories and to serve as an outlet for grief for others. Thanks for being there.

 

Miss ya John. 37 years of A painful loss that will never go away from our minds.

Younger generations were robbed of your presence. You were taken from the world much to soon.

In class the next day 12/9/80 the whole classroom was in a whirl of confusion and anger.
Time has healed some of this pain but not entirely and never will.

 

Mercifully, I didn't have to hear the terrible news from Howard Cosell.