The Day *THE* Music was Assassinated...by Melody Fox (aka the Princess of Rock)

 8 December 1980

John Lennon's last day on this planet...

It's amazing how some dates just stick to your mind, and December 8, 1980, is definitely one of them:  it's History!  The day that John Lennon was brutally assassinated by Mark Chapman. In cold blood!  I have a copy of Newsweek that gave the grim details.  A picture (image) I shall never ever forget!  I must look for it and put a picture here in my post.

John and Yoko were just coming back from the studio after picking up their brand new Double Fantasy album, where the track *Just Like Starting Over* was.  What a tragical coincidence...just like starting over, instead he was shot four times in the back by this criminal, losing all grip to life.  

Don McLean wrote a song where the lyrics go...the day the music died, referring to the untimely deaths of  Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson, back in 1959 in a terrible plane crash, where all three artists, plus the pilot, lost their lives.  Therefore, instead of using the same words for John Lennon (indeed, Music died with him), I decided to rephrase it saying that Music was assassinated.  John Lennon was assassinated in cold blood.  No wonder Mark Chapman has been denied parole 14 times:  he is eligible to appear at the parole board again in 2027.  That is one thing I cannot overcome.  We should all be ready to forgive, right?  Well, as much as I am a Peace bringer and practise peace and not only preach it, I just can't get myself to forgive Mr. Chapman.  I guess those on the board feel the same way, right?!  otherwise, why deny him parole after all these years?  1980 versus 2026...

John Lennon wrote one of the most beautiful songs of all time, in my opinion, that being IMAGINE, a song that can easily be labeled as a poem...those lyrics scream PEACE in its entirety.

Imagine by John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today...aha-ah...

Imagine there's no country

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion, too

Imagine all the people

Living life in Peace...You...

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope some day you'll join us

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world...You...

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope some day you'll join us

And the world will live as one...

released Oct. 11, 1971

           This was remastered in 2010...The beauty and Peace of this poetic track:  IMAGINE...☮

The above link is a remaster, and it has a great sound, but I prefer the link I have posted here below because it has life in it. It's the official video of 1971.  It shows John and Yoko together, hand in hand, walking on the gravel, as they are heading to one of their homes, going through the door,  John sitting at the piano, Yoko opening the shutters, letting the light stream in, and then...she sits next to him while he plays that magical white piano. The contrast at the beginning all dark and gloomy, sort of eerie, then they enter the light...the white.   I love it!

It starts off a bit on the gloomy side, but it turns into a surprisingly lovely and romantic video...This is the official video of IMAGINE for its release in 1971...

It suddenly dawned on me, (or rather, at the time of writing) that John mentions the word PEACE only once during the entire song, yet it talks Peace in every phrase, imho.

If only each and every person, around the universe, would sing this song once a day, or recite it, maybe we would reach that goal...the Peace achievement.  Why don't You try?

Staying on the subject and topic of Imagine, of course there have been written, and are being written, many beautiful and lovely lyrics, but nothing like Imagine.  Only one, sticks to my mind, which could be remotely similar in beauty, and that is Ozzy Osbourne's lovely, haunting, Rock ballad, DREAMER...However, I will talk about that in another post, and at another time.

What are your thoughts on John's death, his killer, and the song per se?

Comments are open to ALL...

LovePEACEMusic (always and forever...)

p.s.:  I will come back on this once I find my copy of Newsweek to post image of that sad day...