It Was 35 Years Ago Today: The Murder Of John Lennon
There are places I remember All my life though some have changed Some forever not for better Some have gone and some remain All these places have their moments With lovers and friends I still can recall Some are dead and some are living In my life I've loved them all
There are moments you'll always remember. The date, time, and place are all etched into your memory forever. Some are personal....your first kiss, the birth of your children, the loss of a loved one. Some are universal. The assassination of JFK, Neil Armstrong walking on the moon, 9/11.
The murder of John Lennon is one of those moments.
The above video is how many people heard the news. Monday Night Football. Patriots vs Dolphins. Very surreal. John Lennon was shot? John Lennon was dead? WHAT? WHY? Who would want to kill John? Confusion and despair. Hearing the news from Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford made it even more surreal.
It's another anniversary of the death of John Lennon. Thirty-five years. You're sad and you're also reminded about how fast time flies. It's one of those where did it all go milestones.
So many changes in those thirty-five years. Marriages, children, divorces, death of parents, grandchildren. Then there's technology. Instant news on the internet and hundreds of television channels. If Lennon was shot in 2015, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't hear the news while watching a football game.
A few days after Lennon's killing, I had a conversation with my father. He had two observations. First, he never realized how much Lennon and The Beatles meant to my generation. Second was how ironic that a man who did naked sit-ins for peace would be gunned down. This led into a discussion about guns. My dad died two years after this but I'm sure that today we'd be having the same conversation. The more things change, the more things stay the same.
In the last month, we've had incidents of violence in London, Paris, Colorado Springs and San Bernadino. I'm pretty sure that's not what Lennon had in mind when he wrote "Imagine".
It's 35 years later and Johnny, I still miss you. The world still misses you.
Everybody's talking about Revolution, evolution, masturbation Flagellation, regulation, integrations Meditations, United Nations All we are saying is give peace a chance
The lyrics at the top and bottom are from Lennon songs "In My Life" and "Give Peace A Chance". John wasn't the only musician to experience gun violence. Here are some others.
Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.