"When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life."
— John Lennon
I feel a strong connection to John Lennon. I love to read about him, watch shows about him and even just look pictures of him. He just seemed like such a real person in front of the world. Searching for his True Self on TV, in interviews. Some of the people interviewed about him have said that there were times he did things to just do things. Think of the song I am the Walrus, written in spite of an professor. But who doesn't do stuff like that? Like really? It is a stage many people go through.....doing stuff to shock people or see what the reaction will be. But with John he didn't just disappear after shocking the world; his life took a real downturn in the public eye. This is the time he was separated from Yoko Ono. He was drinking a forty of vodka in the morning and a forty of rye by the end of day. He really hit rock bottom.
"I was dreaming about the past,
And my heart was beating fast..."
Jealous Guy - John Lennon
John would write about his life in his music...he would go through huge, negative and even damaging events then write a song. You can hear it in his music. Playing out the game of life on his guitar.
He said in a radio interview after returning to New York after a drunk fest in LA, "we are going to play the song Scared. Which is how I felt when I wrote it but I am quite ok now". This song was on the Walls and Bridges song.
Then reinventing himself in front of us but being true to himself...being himself. He became a house husband and was so happy to be a full-time caregiver to his son, Sean.
Did you know that he deliberately tuned his D string flat? He did this for his Aunt so she could pick out which part he was playing in the song. I love that!
Okay, so I am too young to have experienced this LIVE but with the numerous documentaries I get to see his life through the eyes of the people he worked with and through Yoko. She really saved his life and it is a beautiful love story. In the video below, I love how John starts off in a dark room and Yoko gets up to open all the window to let the light in. This is so true to John's life.....he was really lost before she came around. She brought light back into his world.
"I hope some day you'll join us,
and the world will be as one."
