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)
The David Frost Show
John Lennon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This song is written by, the John Sinclair song, who wrote that song?
"Ah, John Sinclair, I wrote this one.. He spent two years in prison, virtually in isolation and solitary, in case he infiltrated the other prisoners or something. He didn't want any help for two years because he thought why bother, justice will let me out, my appeals will let me out......after two years he began to worry and he asked for some help. We went down, had a rally with 15.000 people. We weren't the only people there, Little Stevie Wonder, and Phil Ochs and Alan Ginsburg...a really big rally."
"Big Stevie Wonder now!"
"Big Stevie Wonder, yeah, and it was a beautiful show. Many people devoted their time to it and we came along, sang the songs we sang to you and this one, John Sinclair, which was the final one. By a stroke of good luck he was released on Monday."
In this song, John Lennon talks about the John Sinclair song, which was written by John Sinclair, an American poet and activist who was imprisoned for two years. Lennon tells the story of how Sinclair was kept in isolation in prison for two years without any help. He initially believed that he would be released due to justice, but when he realized that he needed help, a rally was organized with over 15,000 people in attendance. The rally was not just attended by Lennon and Yoko, but also by other famous personalities, including Phil Ochs, Alan Ginsburg, and Little Stevie Wonder. Lennon mentions Little Stevie Wonder and corrects himself, saying that it was Big Stevie Wonder who was there, which shows the excitement and enthusiasm surrounding this event.
The rally seems to have had a positive impact, and Sinclair was released on Monday, which is great news. The song, John Sinclair, which Lennon mentions, was written by him as a tribute to John Sinclair's struggles and his eventual release. The lyrics of the song show support for Sinclair and his cause, and Lennon's admiration for him is evident. Overall, this song is a reflection of Lennon's activism and the support he provided to those in need, especially in cases that he felt were unjust.
Line by Line Meaning
We're just gonna...
We are about to start the show.
Welcome back, welcome back with John and Yoko, Yoko and John
Welcome back to the show with John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
This song is written by, the John Sinclair song, who wrote that song?
This song is called the 'John Sinclair Song' and was written by John Lennon. Who wrote the song 'John Sinclair'?
Ah, John Sinclair, I wrote this one..
John Lennon wrote this song about John Sinclair.
He spent two years in prison, virtually in isolation and solitary, in case he infiltrated the other prisoners or something.
John Sinclair was imprisoned for two years in solitary confinement because authorities feared he might influence other inmates.
He didn't want any help for two years because he thought why bother, justice will let me out, my appeals will let me out...
John Sinclair refused help for two years, believing that justice would prevail and his appeals would secure his release.
...after two years he began to worry and he asked for some help.
After two years, John Sinclair became concerned and asked for assistance.
We went down, had a rally with 15.000 people. We weren't the only people there...
John Lennon and Yoko Ono organized a rally with 15,000 people to support John Sinclair's release, and other famous activists were also present.
...Little Stevie Wonder, and Phil Ochs and Alan Ginsburg...a really big rally.
Other famous activists including Little Stevie Wonder, Phil Ochs, and Alan Ginsberg were also present at the rally.
Big Stevie Wonder now!
Stevie Wonder was a significant contributor to the event.
and it was a beautiful show. Many people devoted their time to it and we came along, sang the songs we sang to you and this one, John Sinclair, which was the final one.
The event was a great success, with many people dedicating their time to it. John Lennon and Yoko Ono performed a few songs, including 'John Sinclair Song,' which was the final one.
By a stroke of good luck he was released on Monday.
John Sinclair was fortunately released after the rally on Monday.
Contributed by Madison Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@dr.buzzvonjellar8862
John was a great man. He’s intellectually free here, and he’s a literal genius. Very far out, but not crazy. An idealist in the vein of Viktor Frankl. John’s job on Earth was to perturb and inspire people out of their ruts.
@marieclaire4935
No not a great man he abandoned his kid Julian who still has trust issues over it years later into adulthood cause if "great John " honestly I'm glad someone in the end taught him a lesson .it's called karma .he cheated on his wife then on yoko then dumped may pang who he stung along and he was a heroin addict and not taking his son's calls ! yea great man ! !
@Waldenpunk
They were so sincere and real. Love this interview!
@philblane5752
No one could attain John's level of fame and adoration without going slightly insane.
@robertschumann7737
Sorry but you have to be a little insane to create what John did in his life.
@andydixon2980
You've got to admire John's passion and childlike naviety. At least he tried. Just look at the state of the world now.
@comedyriff5231
I don´t think he´s naive, I think the rest of us underestimate how much our mentality has changed throughout history. Look up stats on how many people die in wars per year, and you´ll see a decline over time (in the short run there can be ups and downs). We live in very peaceful times compared to where we´ve been, we live in peaceful times compared to 1969 when this was recorded. So what is the reason for this? Shouldn´t we be killing each other more? We have much better weapons, we are more people, we are more mixed. There should be many more conflicts and many more deaths. Something else must´ve changed. I believe what has changed is our mentality, our mindset. Exactly what the "naive" Lennon was talking about! I often see this comment that Lennon is naive for promoting peace, yet I have a feeling he´s done more for actual peace than any other artist in history. For example, how does songs like Imagine, Give Peace a Chance, All You Need is Love affect a person, how does it affect a child? We believe gangster rap influence violence, why don´t we believe songs about peace and understanding influence peaceful behavior? Most likely this historical change in mentality is due to many different reasons, and many different people who has pushed us in this direction, but what changed us for the better was certainly not cynical people who thought people that actually did something were naive. Culture shape minds, minds cause good/evil.
@knockedoutloaded279
The fact that most people laugh at peace more than war; shows how crazy this world is.....
@JohnLennon99791
Always loved both his singing and speaking voice
@dianahohimer1107
❤