For many music fans, it was the proverbial day the music died. On December 8 of 1980, Mark David Chapman shot and killed music superstar John Lennon near his Manhattan apartment. Struck by bullets in four places, Lennon died shortly afterward at age 40.
My older readers need no explanation of who John Lennon was, which is itself a sign of his popularity, but for younger readers, he was a member of the music group the Beatles. The group, which featured John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, experienced a meteoric rise to fame in 1963 and 1964 when their music succeeded in capturing the attention of young people in both Britain and the US. The group’s popularity spiked off the charts, and the music dominated the musical charts of the day.
To give one example, on April 4, 1964, the Beatles had the number one song on the Billboard Hot 100, “Can’t Buy Me Love.” They also had the number two song, “Twist and Shout.” Not to mention the number three song, “She Loves You,” number four, “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and number five, “Please Please Me.” No other act has ever held down the top five spots of the Billboard charts in the same week.
John Lennon After the Beatles
In some ways, the Beatles bore similarities to the “boy bands” assembled to appeal to teenage girls today. At least, their music had a similar effect on young women. However, they were much more than that. John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote most of the group’s songs, and they were a superb team. Later albums moved beyond the catchy pop tunes that put the Beatles on the map to begin with.
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John Lennon in his last TV interview.
Despite its incredible success, the band broke up in 1970. Although individual members remained on the music scene, the Beatles were no more. John Lennon had released a new solo album earlier in 1980, but it would be his last artistic work.
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I love that you wrote about the Beatles! Although, unless you lived during their “reign”, you could never really understand the power they had over the music scene. Even now, their works are important, especially their later music (after they broke up as well). They were, and are, incredible. Hey Jude, Let It Be, so many other songs that encompass all types of music lovers. I’ll always be a fan ❤️
I had a feeling I might hear from you on this one, Sue. I sometimes try to communicate to my students just how important the Beatles were, but like you wrote, it’s hard to get that across to people today.