Monday, December 8, 2014

THIRTY-FOUR YEARS AGO TONIGHT

And the heart still breaks.






12 comments:

  1. I will never forget the moment when I heard about it. The waves still ripple
    outward and into our new century. I haven't been holding the torch for Lennon
    as much as I should, so maybe I'll add one more New Year's resolution to my rather long list. Hope you've heard Dylan's Lennon tribute on his last album.

    Mike Freed

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    1. The waves still ripple outward indeed, Mike.

      Yes, I've heard the Dylan song. Powerful and heartfelt, as I recall.

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  2. And the day before was the anniversary of Pearl Harbor.


    Jack

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    1. And oddly enough, his massive popularity was probably quite iintertwined with the event.

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    2. I don't think that's true. The assassination certainly burnished the Lennon legend, but the Beatles popularity (both individually and as a group) has proved fairly transcendent.

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    3. I don't mean the assassination. The Beatles already proved a musical force. I meant his popularity is connected to Pearl Harbor.

      Jack

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    4. Okay, so Pearl Harbor has the flame that launched the U.S. rocket into war. Arguably the U.S. may have gotten into the war eventually, but this also allowed America to stay invaded and relatively unaffected on the home front.

      Of course you could also say that as the manufacturing and economic engine it was also a large part in winning the war, so Lennon would never have risen to prominence at all in a Nazi world. For now though let's ignore that.

      In the post-was years sociological elements situations, and economic strength led to the invention and rise of Rock n' Roll. But that isn't even what I mean.

      As the good superpower our culture was exported across the world, including England. It was often times accepted because for the first time this was done not by the point of gun. The music could get to John. That isn't what I mean either.

      Really it is something that happened after the war... baby boomers. Specifically American Baby boomers. America was the unquestionable winner in the world, and as such their kids won big time. This was the largest economic step up in history and they were told that they could do anything. People talk about kids now having out of whack self esteem, well it was nothing compared to this. The whole of society told them this. And why not? We won. If yopu were an American, what could be better

      continued...

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    5. This led to some interesting things. America's natural love of rebelling led to Rock n' Roll being accepted by the generation for quality? sure, but rebelling didn't hurt. Then of course came the desire to change the world, and the belief that a whole generation could. Just as this generation was going to college and starting to experience new things and experiment so did the Beatles. Despite being older they were seemingly changing with the generation.

      Then of course was Vietnam (another consequence of WWII), Lennon's disapproval struck accord with millions of kids who didn't want to go get shot in the jungle half a world away.

      Lennon rode that wave. That is why he wasn't Elvis or Sinatra. A generation had a deep connection to him. That generation was created by the prosperity of the post war years, and the experience of their parents who fought in it.

      Of course to be far WWII sill affects the world today though ripples. It was one of the defining points in world history. And maybe the defining on for this country.

      Jack

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    6. Fascinating and insightful, Jack. Thanks for sharing those thoughts!

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  3. I thought that somehow Yoko was gonna get blamed for Pearl Harbor...

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    1. God knows, the Yoko-bashers have blamed her for everything else, Jeff.
      Hope all's well with you!

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