John Lennon

John Lennon

John Lennon, born John Winston Lennon (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), was a former member of The Beatles.

Though none of the Beatles were as successful on their own as they were as a group, John Lennon was considered by many to have the most raw talent. He struggled with drug addiction, however, and several of his songs related to his habit, such as "Cold Turkey."

Lennon was the most outspoken among the Beatles on political issues, advocating pacifism during the Vietnam War. At one point the United States security services investigated him.

After a self-imposed five-year break from music to focus on his family and raising his young son Sean, Lennon produced a new album with his Japanese wife Yoko Ono in 1980, entitled Double Fantasy. Less than a month after its release Lennon was shot dead outside his apartment building by a crazed fan named Mark David Chapman.

Lennon's most famous individual work is "Imagine", a song that beseeches us to imagine a world not dominated by greed, war, and hatred, but one governed by love, where all people are "living life in peace." At the end of the song Lennon encourages the listener to join him in dreaming of this world, implying that there is hope for humanity to rise above its weaknesses, anger, and hate. The song explicitly calls for an end to religion, private property, and national borders, all of which are staples of Marxist political thought.^[1]

He remains a hero in Britain, where he was ranked in the top 10 of the 2002 "100 Greatest Britons" poll sponsored by the BBC.

In June 2007, Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur was released. The album, whose proceeds went to liberal group Amnesty International's campaign on behalf of Sudan's war-torn province of Darfur, featured artists of yesterday and today, such as U2, REM, Green Day, and Corinne Bailey Raye covering Lennon's work.

Poor family life[edit]

There are several reports of John Lennon treating his family cruelly.^[2][3][4] For example, Sean Lennon reported that his father screamed so loud in his ear that he damaged his ear, and he had to go to the hospital.^[5]

Religious views[edit]

Lennon, in a 1965 interview, said: "If you say you don't believe in God, everybody assumes you're antireligious, and you probably think that's what we mean by that. We're not quite sure 'what' we are, but I know that we're more agnostic than atheistic."^[6]

Lennon's song Imagine has been dubbed the "atheist anthem".^[7][8] Lennon himself has also admitted that the song is "...virtually the Communist Manifesto, even though I'm not particularly a Communist and I do not belong to any movement."

Lennon's most famous quote regarding Christianity was in 1966:

(Emphasis added)

After Christians worldwide criticized his attitude, misquoting him as saying "We are greater than Jesus," Lennon held a press conference on August 11, 1966, in Chicago at which he elaborated:

In 1977, John had a brief "Born Again" phase. He wrote several Christian compositions which included, "Talking with Jesus", "Amen (The Lord's prayer set to music)" and "Help me to help myself".

Some people who had Near-death experiences say they have seen Lennon in hell.^{[Citation Needed]}

References[edit]