John Lennon It's Been 31 Years

As a Woman of a Certain Age, I remember where I was the night Lennon was shot.  I was newly divorced, living in my favorite city, San Diego, working a job I loved and had just returned from Hawaii with my best friend.  I was beginning to sort out my life as a single woman with a career, no children and the failure of my marriage which, in fact, haunted me.

The weather was good,  It's always good in S.D.  And I was struck by the impermanence of life when we learned Lennon was murdered in cold blood at point blank range in front of his building, The Dakota.  As I recall, he was shot right around 8pm EST making it 5pm PST.  I either heard it on the radio while driving home from work or via the evening news.  It was shocking.  There would be no Beatles reunion now.

 

John Lennon  meant a great deal to a great many people.  But to Boomers, he was an icon.  He represented Peace, Love, Protest, the First Amendment.  He was willing to be turned away from the U.S. on the strength of his beliefs.  He openly advocated marijuana use, was busted bringing it into the country.  He walked the walk.   He had his bed-in with Yoko.  He wrote his incredible poetry which, as songs, inspired my generation and more to follow.  

I don't consider it a stretch to say he was influential on a world-wide scale when he protested the war in Viet Nam.  His death was unnecessary, insane andthe ideals many of us carried died a bit with him.  

As a Beatle and a solo artist, he wrote many incredibly thoughtful lyrics on a myriad of subjects.  

Some of my personal favorites:

Revolution

Back in the USSR

In My Life
Ballad of John & Yoko


and my favorite..."Happy Xmas War Is over".  The following is the officially sanctioned music video by John & Yoko.  It could have been shot yesterday in Afghanistan, Pakistan et al.

Imagine if he had lived.