Born in Liverpool, Lennon became involved in the skiffle craze as a teenager. In 1956, he formed The Quarrymen, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Sometimes called "the smart Beatle", Lennon initially was the group's de facto leader, a role he gradually ceded to McCartney. Through his songwriting in the Beatles, he embraced myriad musical influences, initially writing and co-writing rock and pop-oriented hit songs in the band's early years, then later incorporating experimental elements into his compositions in the latter half of the Beatles' career as his songs became known for their increasing innovation. Lennon soon expanded his work into other media by participating in numerous films, including How I Won the War, and authoring In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works, both collections of nonsense writings and line drawings. Starting with "All You Need Is Love", his songs were adopted as anthems by the anti-war movement and the larger counterculture of the 1960s. In 1969, he started the Plastic Ono Band with his second wife, multimedia artist Yoko Ono, held the two-week-long anti-war demonstration Bed-ins for Peace and left the Beatles to embark on a solo career.
Between 1968 and 1972, Lennon and Ono collaborated on many works, including a trilogy of avant-garde albums, several more films, his solo debut John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and the international top-10 singles "Give Peace a Chance", "Instant Karma!", "Imagine", and "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)". Moving to New York City in 1971, his criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in a three-year deportation attempt by the Nixon administration. Lennon and Ono separated from 1973 to 1975, during which time he produced Harry Nilsson's album Pussy Cats. He also had chart-topping collaborations with Elton John ("Whatever Gets You thru the Night") and David Bowie ("Fame"). Following a five-year hiatus, Lennon returned to music in 1980 with the Ono collaboration Double Fantasy. He was murdered by a Beatles fan, Mark David Chapman, three weeks after the album's release.
As a performer, writer or co-writer, Lennon had 25 number-one singles in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Double Fantasy, his best-selling album, won the 1981 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. That year, he won the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2002, Lennon was voted eighth in a BBC history poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. Rolling Stone ranked him the fifth-greatest singer and 38th greatest artist of all time. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (in 1997) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (twice, as a member of the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1994).
Studio albums
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)
Imagine (1971)
Some Time in New York City (with Yoko Ono, 1972)
Mind Games (1973)
Walls and Bridges (1974)
Rock 'n' Roll (1975)
Double Fantasy (with Yoko Ono, 1980)
Milk and Honey (Posthumous with Yoko Ono, 1984)
Experimental studio albums with Yoko Ono
Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins (1968)
Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions (1969)
Wedding Album (1969)
Jerry Lewis Telethon
John Lennon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Audience) John! John! John! John!
-"John, Yoko, John, Yoko, John, Yoko, John. I'll tell you what, oh, cool it, cool it! I would suspect that John Lennon is probably one of the wisest showman I've ever met. He knows what he's doin'! He did two things, he did two... shhhh! Please! He did two things tonight. He came here to help, one, I think this was the primary purpose of his visit. And, two, he meant to say something. I think he did both those things. He has split. Let's thank them very much!"
These lyrics are not actually a part of the song "Jerry Lewis Telethon" but rather a segment from Jerry Lewis' 1972 Labor Day telethon. John Lennon was a surprise guest on the telethon and these lyrics are Lewis introducing Lennon and Yoko Ono to the audience. The repeated calling of their names by the audience is a sign of their excitement and appreciation for Lennon's presence.
The lyrics also reference Lennon's purpose for being there. Lewis notes that Lennon's primary purpose for being on the telethon is to help raise funds for charity, but that he also had something to say. This may be a reference to Lennon's activism and advocacy for various social and political causes. The lyrics demonstrate the enthusiasm of the audience and the impact that Lennon had on people even outside of his music.
Line by Line Meaning
John and Yoko, let's hear it! John Lennon, John Lennon, Yoko! Let's hear them, let's get a bow, John Lennon, John, Yoko!
The audience cheers for John Lennon and Yoko Ono, calling for them to appear on stage.
John, Yoko, John, Yoko, John, Yoko, John. I'll tell you what, oh, cool it, cool it! I would suspect that John Lennon is probably one of the wisest showman I've ever met. He knows what he's doin'! He did two things, he did two... shhhh! Please! He did two things tonight. He came here to help, one, I think this was the primary purpose of his visit. And, two, he meant to say something. I think he did both those things. He has split. Let's thank them very much!
The host calms the audience down and praises John Lennon's showmanship, saying he came to perform and make a statement. The host believes Lennon accomplished both tasks and thanks him for his contribution to the telethon.
Contributed by Penelope Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Joseph Consoli
There's always something that you miss. I NEVER knew John did the telethon.
Joseph Consoli
@Christopher Kelsall You're correct. Typo on me.
Christopher Kelsall
Marathon? No, he never did a marathon of any sort. The marathon is a run of 26.2 miles or 42.195kms. He did however, to the telethon.
Never a running race. He would have collapsed and barfed his brains out if he tried running more than a few hundred metres.
MeeMee
Priceless footage. R.I.P. John Lennon. He is and always will be my favorite Beatle.
WNala Australia
Great footage . Any footage of John is always good . Performance is hit and miss .
Produced By Kev
Never heard Yoko actually try singing. I've only heard her banshee thing. Better than I expected.
Stephen DiSalvo
John and Yoko were two peas in a pod. Their message was clear. They communicated it in simple terms. Yoko’s line in her song “ are we going to keep shooting those fighting for change” (paraphrasing) was quite foreboding about John’s future.
Preacher At Arrakeen
I must've seen this live. I was conscious of him and remember watching him on Mike Douglas that year.
Preacher At Arrakeen
I must've scurried out of the living room when yoko started singing.
Mat Cooper
"I've been David Brent, and you've been the best!"