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10 Best John Lennon Songs of All Time 29 July, 2024 - 0 Comments

John Lennon, born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, was a legendary singer, songwriter, and peace activist who co-founded the iconic rock band, The Beatles. He was a pivotal figure in the music industry and became one of the most influential and celebrated musicians of the 20th century.

In the early 1960s, along with Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, John Lennon formed The Beatles, a band that would revolutionize popular music and become a cultural phenomenon. As the primary songwriter and co-lead vocalist of the group, Lennon’s creative contributions were instrumental in shaping their sound and style.

The Beatles’ massive success and unprecedented fame brought Beatlemania to the world, influencing an entire generation and changing the landscape of popular music forever. Some of Lennon’s most iconic compositions for The Beatles include “Imagine,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “A Day in the Life,” and “Let It Be.”

In 1969, John Lennon married artist and musician Yoko Ono, and the couple became known for their activism and advocacy for peace. Their “Bed-In” events, peace protests, and iconic song “Give Peace a Chance” demonstrated Lennon’s commitment to promoting non-violence and social harmony.

In 1970, The Beatles disbanded, and John Lennon pursued a successful solo career. He released several acclaimed albums, including “Imagine,” which remains one of his most beloved and critically acclaimed works. His solo music often carried powerful messages of peace, love, and self-reflection.

Source: Edward Tomlin/singersroom.com

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Ringo Starr never turned to The Beatles' assistant with his problems. Here's why the assistant wished Starr would have sometimes.

Due to the enormity of their success in The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr had an entire staff of people to support them. One of these people was Alistair Taylor, who worked as the assistant to Beatles manager Brian Epstein. The band began to refer to Taylor as “Mr. Fixit” because of his skill at finding solutions to their problems. According to Taylor, Starr was the only one who never bothered him with his problems.

Taylor grew accustomed to dealing with The Beatles’ problems. McCartney, for example, asked Taylor to track down a waitress he met and invite her on vacation with him. Taylor did jobs like this for Lennon and Harrison as well, but he said Starr never asked him for help.

“[T]he one person that never, ever bothered me was Ritchie [Ringo],” Taylor said in the book All You Need Is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words by Peter Brown and Steven Gaines. “He was always apologetic, and he never bothered me. I’d find he’d done something. And I used to say to him, ‘Look, why on earth didn’t you ask me to fix that for you?’ ‘Oh, no. I don’t want to bother you.’”
A black and white picture of Ringo Starr sitting in front of a microphone with his chin resting on his hand. He holds a cigarette between his fingers.

Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com

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The Polish state broadcaster on Saturday suspended a television journalist who, during the Olympic Games opening ceremony, reacted to a performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine” by saying it was a “vision of communism.”

TVP, the broadcaster, issued a statement Saturday saying that the journalist and sports commentator, Przemyslaw Babiarz, would not be allowed to comment on air anymore during this summer’s Games.

Lennon’s song asks to imagine no heaven or hell, no countries, and no possessions.

“This is a vision of communism, unfortunately,” Babiarz said during the grand opening ceremony along the Seine River in Paris on Friday evening — comments that immediately triggered controversy for those watching in Poland.

TVP said in its statement announcing his suspension: “Mutual understanding, tolerance, reconciliation — these are not only the basic ideas of the Olympics, they are also the foundation of the standards that guide the new Polish Television. There is no consent to violate them.”

State media has been an ideological battleground in Poland for years. It was used as a mouthpiece by the right-wing populists who governed Poland from 2015-23. Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a centrist politician whose broad coalition took power in December, acted quickly to remove their control of the airwaves.

Conservatives and their allies still reeling from their loss of control of state media denounced the decision, among them conservative President Andrzej Duda and former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

“The truth will defend itself! Your actions will be remembered and censorship will fail,” Morawiecki wrote on X.

Some commentators on the political left said they felt the punishment was too harsh.

Source: VANESSA GERA/apnews.com

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Ever wondered who your favorite guitarist’s favorite guitarist is? Many of the greats have been tight-lipped about their personal inspirations, while others have been pretty forthright about the musicians they love.

Kurt Cobain loved The Stooges, David Bowie loved Arcade Fire (not the other way around; though we imagine the feeling is mutual), and Chris Martin loves Radiohead. Not surprisingly, former Beatles multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Paul McCartney has expressed his love for his favorite guitarist, Jimi Hendrix.

Paul McCartney Has Said in the Past That His Favorite Guitarist Is Jimi Hendrix

Paul McCartney wasn’t solely a guitarist for The Beatles. He was more well-known as the band’s bassist, as well as (more or less) one-half of the songwriting talent behind the legendary rock band. Still, he knows his way around the guitar, among other instruments.

McCartney and Hendrix ran in similar circles during their heydays in the late 1960s. McCartney said that he saw Hendrix perform in London at the Saville Theatre shortly after The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Hendrix even covered that album’s title track once he heard that McCartney was in attendance.

“Brian Epstein used to rent it when it was usually dark on the Sunday,” McCartney once said in an interview with Stephen Colbert. “Jimi opened, the curtains flew back and he came walking forward, playing ‘Sgt. Pepper’. And it had only been released on the Thursday so that was like the ultimate compliment.”

Source: Em Casalena/americansongwriter.com

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No musician is immune to the occasional beef with another musician. Though, we’d have to say George Harrison of The Beatles’s “beef” with the brothers behind Oasis was a little bit one-sided.

Many musicians out there have voiced their distaste for the Manchester, England rock band Oasis. Blur, Radiohead, Mick Jagger, and the actual members of Oasis are a few examples. And not surprisingly, George Harrison also had a few cross words for the band, as well.

In a way, it’s quite sad. Noel and Liam Gallagher have said that Oasis took a lot of inspiration from The Beatles. It was well-known that they were the Gallaghers’ favorite band. Never meet your heroes, kids.

“The music lacks depth,” Harrison said of Oasis’ music back in 1996. “And the singer Liam is a pain, the rest of the band don’t need him.”

It was a pretty shocking jab at the band, particularly Liam. And he didn’t take it sitting down. In an interview with MTV shortly after, Liam went as far as to threaten the former Beatle.“If any of them old farts have got a problem with me, then they should leave their Zimmer frames at home, and I’ll hold them up with a good right hook,” Liam Gallagher said on MTV.

Source: Em Casalena/americansongwriter.com

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The #1 Beatles Show in the World - 28 July, 2024 - 0 Comments

It was in August of 1964 when the British invasion first came to Colorado with the group that started it all…the Beatles. If you love the Beatles, you won’t want to miss the most unique, fun and affordable concert event of this summer at Red Rocks with The #1 Beatles Show in the World, “1964” The Tribute.

This group is hailed by critics and fans alike as the most authentic and enduring Beatles tribute in the world. Choosing songs from the pre-Sgt. Pepper era, “1964” recreates an early 60s live Beatles concert with period instruments, vintage costumes, hairstyles, onstage mannerisms, speaking voices, and unmistakable harmonies of the lads from Liverpool. Over forty years of researching and performing at major concert venues on four different continents has made the “1964” group masters of their craft in capturing the essence of the Beatles live on stage.

This 60th Anniversary celebrates Red Rocks Amphitheatre as one of four original concert sites still remaining from the Beatles first American tour in 1964. In celebration of this historic event, “1964” will include the 10 songs The Beatles performed at Red Rocks in 1964. Come experience the magic and see what it was like at the beginning.

Source: myprimetimenews.com

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The Beatles are one of the most respected and celebrated groups in music history. That said, they are actually somewhat under-awarded, compared to the place they hold in the minds and hearts of millions–and especially when their commercial impact is taken into consideration.

The band holds the record for the most nominations in the Record of the Year category at the Grammys. The Beatles have been in the running for what many consider to be the top prize at the ceremony four times.

Somehow, despite releasing dozens of tunes that have stood the test of time, and earning four nods, they’ve never won Record of the Year. The Beatles are one of several legendary figures who have had a shot at claiming the honor, but who have lost each and every time they’ve competed.

Later in 2024, the band could extend their record for the most nominations among non-soloists. They may even be able to end their losing streak, which has loomed over them for decades.

In late 2023, The Beatles returned and released a comeback single. “Now and Then” arrived on November 2, which makes it eligible for the forthcoming Grammys. The tune has a good chance of being nominated for at least one or two trophies, as voters love the band too much to pass up a chance to reward them again. Will that desire extend to Record of the Year?

It’s easier than (almost) ever for any tune to be nominated for Record of the Year, though that doesn’t mean it’s actually simple. There are now eight slots that must be filled, which is more than the five that was customary for decades. Each time The Beatles were nominated, they were one of the five. Now, their chances are better, and as nostalgia for the Fab Four is greater than ever, “Now and Then” may be too tantalizing to voters to forget.

Source: Hugh McIntyre/forbes.com

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In 1964, John Lennon and Paul McCartney collaborated on a song which was released and became part of the album Beatles ’65. The song was titled, I’m a Loser.

Throughout my longevity on this earth, I’ve often been my greatest critic. As a teacher, I’d self-evaluate what I did in planning, presenting, and following up. I’d constantly look at how I might have done something good and make it better, and how I’d take something with positive direction and intention that may not have been done the best way it could’ve been done, and do it better. I did the same thing as a coach, a fundraiser, a Director of a Summer Tutoring Program which I was part of for multiple years, as Director and Presenter of numerous Baseball Player and Coaching Clinics/Camps of which I was a part, and as a baseball official for many years too.

I was always aware I’d have others critiquing (terms like bum, idiot, and loser come to mind) what I was doing as well as myself, including supervisors and outsiders. Regarding many of the latter, I heeded the words of Theodore Roosevelt when he said,

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

I knew what came with the roles I chose for myself, and accepted it. I didn’t always like it, but took what was directed toward me because it came with the job.

Source: J. Paul Lombardo/post-journal.com

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As every Beatles fan knows, the songwriting power in the band came from John Lennon and Paul McCartney. That’s not to say the other two members didn’t pen a few stellar songs themselves. But it was Lennon and McCartney that got the most cuts and they didn’t often differ to George Harrison or Ringo Starr for songwriting sessions.

In fact, it wasn’t until after the Beatles called it quits that McCartney and Starr ever hopped in the writers room together as a pair. Learn more about the only song this duo ever wrote together, below.

As McCartney was gearing up to work on his solo album Flaming Pie, he decided to tap Starr for some help in the songwriting department. Their collaboration started as little more than a jam session. Starr played on one of McCartney’s other songs from the project. After that was completed, McCartney wanted to keep his old bandmate around a little while longer.

Source: Alex Hopper/americansongwriter.com

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George Harrison had already written a surplus of songs to get him started on his first solo album following the breakup of The Beatles. As the enduring classic rock chestnut “What Is Life” proved, not all of those leftover songs were intended for the Fab Four.

Meaning Behind “You’re in My Heart' by Rod Stewart and the Famous Girl Who Inspired It

What is the song about? How did Harrison end up releasing it, after initially intending it for another artist? And how did Harrison eventually land on the finished version of the song? Read on as we explore George Harrison’s “What Is Life,” an anthemic song that asks the questions and yields the answers all at once.
A Beatle’s Backlog

The commonly told tale is George Harrison was only given one or two songs to write on each Beatles album because his writing wasn’t up to par with what John Lennon and Paul McCartney delivered. But that doesn’t accurately tell the whole story. Harrison’s songs were often judged harshly by Lennon and McCartney in spite of their quality.

Evidence of that is many of the songs that appeared on Harrison’s breakout 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass had been introduced during the Fab Four years, but had received a cold shoulder from the band. Classic songs from that record like “Isn’t It a Pity” and the title track were among those songs that could potentially have been Beatles hits.

On top of that, Harrison was shopping his songs around to other artists, who were more than willing to take advantage of his unsung writing gifts. For example, “Badge,” a hit for Cream, was written in part by Harrison. Meanwhile, “What Is Life,” as Harrison explained in his autobiography I Me Mine, was originally intended for Billy Preston, who famously helped The Beatles on Let It Be:

Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com

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