John Lennon

Childhood and adolescence: 1940 - 1957

John Lennon was born the October 9th 1940 (moment of the Blitz of the Second world war), with the maternity of Oxford Street with Liverpool during a Raid of the German aviation. His/her father, Alfred “Freddie” Lennon, is frequently sailor and free the Lennons' house , then definitively in 1945. He will not see any more his son until the beatlemania. His parents being separated quickly, John leaves to live with Woolton, another district of Liverpool, in his aunt and his uncle. He will pass indeed there the remainder of sound enfance.
During his childhood, John shows a very curious and gifted child for the Littérature. He invents Chanson S starting from the counting rhymes that one learns to him at the school. He then creates for itself a universe close to Romance sound preferred, Alice with the country of the wonders . Quickly, it shows nevertheless also a child with the Humor exacerbated, the blow of sharpened pencil and the fine analysis.

The drama of its life

His/her mother, Julia Stanley, will reappear with her adolescence to disappear once again the July 15th 1958, reversed by a drunk police officer. It is under its impulse that during this short period, where he sees it from time to time, he began the Banjo and the Ukulélé. The death of his/her mother plunges it in a dumbness expresses and an irony which will become its “trademark”. It becomes then a Teddy Boy , carrying leather jackets, a kind of rebel local, known of all in Liverpool and not very advisable. It will never recover from this disappearance, devoting to him even, during 1970, a song entitled Mother , where it howls its sadness literally (these cries very belong to a exercise of therapy in vogue at the time heading Primal scream).

Genesis of Beatles

However John Lennon attends the school of art of Liverpool, binding friendship with artists endowed like Stuart Sutcliffe. In addition, it starts to play of the Skiffle in small parish fairs. Inspired by the Rock'n'roll and its idols Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, it founds a group, Quarrymen, with Pete Shotton, Nigel Walley and Ivan Vaughan. It is the latter which, on July 6th 1957, presents Paul McCartney to John: meet of two talents which will be consequently in perpetual mutual emulation. Another strong common point enters the two young men: they will find all the two orphans of mother the following year with died of Julia. John Lennon enjoys an unquestionable authority on the four members, because of his age like his excesses. The look of Lennon at the time is very influenced by Elvis Presley and Marlon Brando. It names besides its group Silver Beetles by allusion to the film Equipped wild the , then the Beatles (it is in reference to the Beat Generation that Lennon proposed to change the 2nd E into A). Lennon is very influenced by the repertory Rock-and-roll of the time, and its play is very aggressive. Coming success, the group leaves Liverpool and makes its weapons in the boxes of the hot district of Hamburg (Germany). John, full with jokes during these concerts ( My name is John; I play the guitar; sometimes I play the fool too ), becomes “revolted” of the band.

Meanwhile, John had married Cynthia Powell, met with the Art College (School of Art) and with which it will have a son, Julian, born on April 8th, 1963. John Lennon imposed for this German “escapade” sound better friendly Stuart Sutcliffe. Although very gifted painter, Stuart appears a poor bass player, attracting himself the lightnings of Paul McCartney. The competition between Lennon and McCartney is with its roof when Sutcliffe leaves the group to live its history of love with Astrid Kirchherr (which will take the first official stereotypes of Beatles).

Lennon will live a second drama when his/her friend Stuart dies of a brain tumor little time afterwards.

Beatlemania

John is at the beginning the principal singer of the group. Its songs are shown often funny, tro darres, or pessimists ( There' S.A. Place , If I Fell , I' m has Loser , Don' T Let Me Down , a happy exception being I Feel Fine ) in opposition to those merrier of Paul McCartney, who, of “brilliance second” of John, becomes little by little the dominant harmonic figure of the group. The opposition bursts during the preparation of the 45 turns comprising We Can Work It Out (of McCartney) and Day Tripper (of Lennon). Each of the two singers thinks that his song is much better than the other and thus deserves the face has, that which passes on the radios. Not being able to agree, for the first time, one 45 turns leaves with two faces has and the weekly hit-parades will pass one and the other to the rotation each week.

Bob Dylan recognizes as a John Lennon a talent of writer. From this recognition will be born a respect and an exchange some between the two icons the pop one Because Beatles - and mainly Lennon - become icons. Lennon very badly saw this madness which surrounds them and takes refuge in the sarcastic remarks and food (he speaks about period “large Elvis” in an interview given to the magazine Rolling Stones ). From this period when it is felt reluctant itself will be born the song Help , true call to the help launched in the world. That being, the film éponyme shows us a John of perfectly normal stoutness.

“We are more popular than Jesus from now on”

After having written has Spaniard in the Works in March of 1966, five months before the third American round of summer (the two first took place in 1964 and 1965), Lennon gives an interview to Maureen Cleave, a friend journalist. He launches: “The Christianisme will disappear. It will evaporate, will narrow. I do not have to discuss on top. I am right, it will be proven that I am right. We are more popular than Jesus from now on. I do not know what will disappear in first, the Rock' roll or Christianity (…) At once” deformed, reduced these remarks cause a wave of hatred, part of the south of the United States, against the group and Lennon in particular. This period marks also the last concerts of Beatles, which do not see any more how to reconcile the musical innovations and hysterical crowd. Lennon makes also a film called How I Won the War . Its direction of the irony and the nonsense makes fury, although there is not the first role. During the turning of this film of Richard To ballast, with Alméria in Andalusia, Lennon composes one of its titles headlights, Strawberry Fields Forever .

The individual talent appears

Lennon goes further and plunges in the Psychédélisme, with great reinforcements of drug and complex sonorities. He seeks an interior peace more and more, and after having followed a time the precepts of a guru to India, turns to an artist of Japanese avant-garde which he met during an exposure of Article His love life is a tormented long story. Its divorce results especially from this connection with Yoko Ono, which will become his second wife and who will have a great influence on the continuation of her career (she will be criticized besides by it, being held for person in charge of the separation of Beatles by many fans).

Its compositions are ambitious and very dense ( Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds , All You Need Is Love , I Am the Walrus , has Day in the Life , Strawberry Fields Forever ). However, the presence of Yoko Ono at the sessions of recording causes rancour and animosity. All that will finish by the white Album which devotes the bursting of Beatles, each one being used to with it for the others only musician of studio. Abbey Road will be their last truth work of common harmony, since Let It Be will be published more than one year after its recording, thanks to the work of assembly and mixing of Phil Spector (criticized by McCartney). The same year, moreover, the disc solo of Paul, where he only plays him all the instruments by Re-recording, already will have left, quickly followed by triple album All Things Must Pass of George Harrison.

1968-1979: career solo

After the separation of the Beatles, John devotes himself to his partner, the artist of the movement Fluxus Yoko Ono, and with his family. Its career solo in teeth of saw - because the music is not any more its only concern - is despite everything rich person and profitable. During all the decade 1970, Lennon oscillates between several styles, adopting an always different look. True Hippie, Pacifist militant , rocker, follower of the meditation, etc With the beginning of the year 1970, it will be the provocation, the Plastic Ono Band with the bass player Klaus Voormann, the media moves, the sentences assassinate towards Paul McCartney, the pacifist and engaged songs and especially the combat of Yoko Ono to make him exorcize its old demons: the death of its mère.
It becomes the incarnation of the activism of its generation and uses its notoriety in many happenings in favor of peace ( Give Peace has Chance ).
One owes him in particular celebrates it Imagine , with the universal accents, one of the songs most popular never écrites.

At the summer 1973, John moves away from Yoko and settles in Los Angeles with May Pang, his young assistant and new partner. It will be its period rocker-return to the sources (Lennon speaks about a “lost weekend” or “lost weekend” ).
With the producer Phil Spector it records the album Rock' N Roll , made up of recoveries the traditional ones of the rock'n'roll like Be-Bob-HAVe-Lula .
At the beginning of 1975, Lennon turns over in the arms of Yoko Ono.
October 9th, 1975, day of the 35e birthday of John, is born his second wire, Sean. Lennon then withdraws public stage and musical to be devoted to his/her son.

Tragedy

It is a man reconciled with itself and returned from the pangs of surnotoriété which signs a last album Double Fantasy in November 1980. An album full with freshness and tenderness, with titles sung by Yoko, and others by John.

He dies assassinated in New York the December 8th 1980 with 22:52, after one evening of work in studio and whereas he joined his apartment of the Dakota Building close to Central Park. Under the eyes of Yoko, Mark David Chapman, a deeply religious man, but completely unbalanced the slaughtering of four balls of Revolver (gauges 38). A few hours earlier, Lennon had granted a Autographe to him.

Vision of the world

Although John Lennon is above all known like Auteur-compositeur-interprète, the vision which it posted of the world - although at the time, it could still shock -, its open-minded and its insistence on the questions of Paix and of Amour contributed to make of him a popular icon.

In its song God , John explains why God is a concept which the man was created to be able to support his own sufferings, or to acquire an additional force which will help the believer to survive. He thus recalls to the public a vision expressed per many writers (Sade, Marx, Nietzsche…) whose general public étatsunien does not know inevitably much more than the names. In addition, he explains his dream ( " you may say I' m has dreamer" ) of a world without war, Religion, suffering where all the human beings could live in the Amour, the Paix and the unit.

In the everyday life, the man will not always show such an Olympian detachment: if one of its photographs where it pastiche the small pocket of RAM, of his former friend Paul McCartney can be regarded as a simple gag, the words of the song How C you sleep are shown very hard towards this last: Those freaks were right when they said you was dead .

the public deviates besides from him when it feels the revolt to take forms of process: its album with Elephant' S Memory, Some time in New York City , whose each song or almost is claiming, will not have a success comparable with those which had preceded it.

A nice homage

A film, Two off custom , will pay homage at the same time to John and Paul by imagining a meeting between them at the time of the passage of Wings in New York. If the actors are hardly resembling their models physically, the respective attitudes and remarks of those however give to the meeting a beautiful aspect of probability. Like says it the proverb, Si not E vero… "

Albums recorded in studio

Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins (with Yoko Ono) (1968) US #124
Unfinished Music No.2: Life with the Lions (with Yoko Ono) (1969) US #174
Wedding Album (with Yoko Ono) (1969) US #178
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970) the U.K. #8; US #6
Imagines (1971) the U.K. #1; US #1
Time Nap in New York City (with Yoko Ono) (1972) the U.K. #11; US #48
Mind Ranges (1973) the U.K. #6; US #9
Walls and Bridges (1974) the U.K. #6; US #1
Rock'n'roll “Roll (1975) the U.K. #6; US #6
Double Fantasy (with Yoko Ono) (1980) the U.K. #1; US #1
Milk And Honey (with Yoko Ono) (1984) the U.K. #3; US #11

Compilations

Shaved Fish (compilation of best off and individual) (1975) the U.K. #5; US #12
The John Lennon Collection (compilation of best off and individual) (1982) the U.K. #1; US #33
Menlove Ave. (compilation the untraceable ones of the recordings 1973-74) (1986) US #127
Imagines: John Lennon (1988) the U.K. #64; US #31
Lennon (4CD box set) (1990)
Lennon Legend: The Very Best off John Lennon (1997) the U.K. #3; US #65
John Lennon Anthology (1998) the U.K. #64; US #99
Wonsaponatime (selections of Lennon anthology) (1998) the U.K. #76
Acoustic (a compilation of song) (2004) US #31
Peace, Coils & Truth (2005)
Working Class Hero: Final The Lennon (2005) the U.K. #11; US #135

Live

Live Peace in Toronto 1969 (1969) US #10
Live in New York city (1972)

Hit individual

1969 " Give Peace has Chance " (with The Plastic Ono Band) #2 the U.K.; #14 US
1969 " Cold Turkey" (with The Plastic Ono Band) #12 the U.K.; #30 US
1970 " Urgent Karma! " (with The Plastic Ono Band) US #3; #4 the U.K.
1971 " Mother" (US only) #43 US
1971 " Power to the People" (with The Plastic Ono Band) #6 the U.K.; #11 US
1971 " Imagines " (US only) #3 US
1971 " Happy Xmas (War Is Over) " (US only) (with Yoko Ono, The Plastic Ono Band and The Harlem Community Choir)
1972 " Happy Xmas (War Is Over) " (the U.K. only) (with Yoko Ono, The Plastic Ono Band and The Harlem Community Choir) #4 the U.K.
1972 " Woman Is the Nigger off the World" #57 US
1973 " Mind Games" #26 the U.K.; #18 US
1974 " Whatever Gets You through the Night" #36 the U.K.; #1 US
1975 " #9 Dream" #23 the U.K.; #9 US
1975 " Stand by Me " #30 the U.K.; US #20,
1975 " Imagines " (the U.K. only) #6 the U.K.
1980 " (Just Like) Starting Over" #1 the U.K.; #1 US
1980 " Happy Xmas (War Is Over) " (with Yoko Ono, The Plastic Ono Band and The Harlem Community Choir) (the U.K. Re-entry) #2 the U.K.
1980 " Give Peace has Chance" (with The Plastic Ono Band) (the U.K. Re-entry) #33 the U.K.
1980 " Imagines " (the U.K. Re-entry) #1 the U.K.
1981 " Woman" #1 THE U.K., #2 US
1981 " Watching the Wheels" #30 the U.K.; #10 US
1981 " Happy Xmas (War Is Over) " (with Yoko Ono, The Plastic Ono Band and The Harlem Community Choir) (the U.K. Re-entry) #28 the U.K.
1982 " Love" #41 the U.K.
1984 " Nobody Told Me" #6 the U.K.; #5 US
1984 " Borrowed Time" #32 the U.K.
1984 " I' m Stepping Out" #55 US
1985 " Jealous Guy " #65 the U.K.
1988 " Imagine" /" Jealous Guy" #45 the U.K.
1988 " Jealous Guy" (US only) #80 US
1999 " Imagine" (the U.K. Re-exit) #3 the U.K.
2003 " Happy Xmas (War Is Over) " (with Yoko Ono, The Plastic Ono Band and The Harlem Community Choir) (the U.K. Re-exit) #32 the U.K.

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