And in the End
John The Dreamer
John's first post-Beatle record, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, had a raw, loose sound and its follow-up, Imagine, is still considered his finest record and one of the best albums of the decade. The title song particularly seemed to sum up his feelings about peace, unity, and openness across the world:
You may say I'm a dreamer,
But I'm not the only one.
I hope someday you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.
John would go on to have an erratic musical and personal life for the rest of the 1970s. He settled in New York City with Yoko Ono in the early part of the decade, and would stay there for the rest of his life. In 1974, he enjoyed a number-one single with “Whatever Gets You Through the Night,” but he separated from Yoko for a year and went through a battle with alcohol and drugs. When he and Yoko reunited the following year, they became the parents of a baby boy named Sean. John decided to leave music for a while to become a full-time father. He had made ten albums since leaving the Beatles, and decided it was time for a rest. It ended up being nearly five years before he went back into the studio with Yoko Ono to make the Double Fantasy album in 1980.
The Beatles and the Stones
The Rolling Stones were an up-and-coming young rock and roll band in the early 1960s, along with the Beatles. Although it's a little-known fact, the Beatles were very helpful in getting the Rolling Stones their first recording contract. At a party, George Harrison had run into some record executives who asked him who the good groups were, and he replied, “You want to get the Rolling Stones.” The Beatles (actually John and Paul) donated a song to the Stones, who recorded “I Wanna Be your Man” in 1963 and made it a British hit. All through the 1960s, the press tried to make it appear as if there was a big rivalry between the two bands, but Paul noted that it was just “newspaper talk.” The Beatles and the Stones remained close over time and frequently inspired each other.
On December 8, 1980, while returning home from the recording studio, John was shot dead in front of his New York City apartment building by Mark Chapman, a deranged fan. The tragedy was mourned across the world; John, through his music with the Beatles and on his own, had been such a significant part of so many people's lives. Today there is a memorial to John in Central Park in New York City, called Strawberry Fields.
Additional topics
Musician BiographiesThe BeatlesAnd in the End - Paul Breaks Away, George's World, Ringo The Great, John The Dreamer, The Beatles And The Stones