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John Lennon, Imagine (Live)
“Imagine” is the sort of song played by rock stars young and old to honor the memory of dearly departed John Lennon. It’s kind of sad in a way that its turned into a memorial dirge of sorts, obscuring it’s utopian message of peace and harmony due its tragic association with the author’s horrible death. …
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John Lennon, #9 Dream
I was sneaking under a bus parked over a snowy muddy pit. I jostled a hinge holding the front of the truck to the freight, and it began to collapse on me. As it caved in on me, I genuinely thought I was going to die. This was the phrase that went through my mind,…
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Greatest Rock Vocalists #2, The Beatles, Twist and Shout
There is no tonal quality more life affirming, more charging, and more powerful than the one found in John Lennon’s voice during his rendition of the Isley Brothers tune, “Twist and Shout.” It’s the vocal performance that electrified the ears of the world; a singularity of rock and roll perfection, and simply among the greatest…
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John Lennon, India, India
Sorry for the disturbing lack of updates, but I was busy packing up my Brooklyn apartment and heading north for Maine. I’ve got three weeks in beautiful Portland before I head across the world to South Korea and Australia. I’m happy to be out of the city and hear crickets out my window, as four…
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John Lennon, George Harrison, Oh My Love
When the Beatles split in 1970, it was mainly a split between John and Paul. It’s odd because George, Paul, and Ringo would have kept the group going, but because John wanted to end it, George and Ringo became as enthusiastic as John about kiboshing the whole affair. I suppose John had more good will…
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The Beatles, Help!
Help! John Lennon managed to cram an unusually clear psychological slogan into one of the best pop songs he’d ever write. It’s hard for most people to just shout out help, especially when they need it. It really must have been difficult for someone as stubborn, independent, and prideful as John Lennon. When you have…
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John Lennon, Come Together, Live!
They say elephants never forget, and they also say fuck Yoko Ono. When John Lennon played Madison Square Garden Live in 1972, he played an afternoon show and an evening show. “Elephant’s Memory,” the backup band for John, claimed that the evening show was far superior, but upon releasing this concert in 1986, long after…
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The Beatles, Long, Long, Long
To paraphrase George Harrison, “the “you” in the song, is God.” Gaining this insight gives the song even more creepy mysticism. “Long, Long, Long,” from the “White Album,” is officially one of my favorite Beatles songs. Like many people growing up with the Beatles, I wasn’t a fan of the song until I got much…
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Willie Simpson, Another Broken Heart (pt. 7)
I wrote this song last fall, recorded it in the winter, started the music video in the spring, and put it away till..well…today. The reason it’s the 7th part is because it took 7 mixes for me to get it just right. Musically, this song was inspired by John Lennon’s “Julia,” and George Harrison’s “Not…
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The Beatles, Watching Rainbows
On January 14th, 1969, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr were sitting around Twickenham Studios. George Harrison had temporarily quit the band, so John was on piano, Paul was on electric guitar, and Ringo was behind the drums. John led the shortened group through a new improvised jam he had been fooling around with…