Sunday, December 9, 2007

Do you remeber where you were?

The above question often refers to the assassination of former president John F. Kennedy.

How about this now: Do you remember where you were when John Lennon was assassinated?

It was twenty-seven years ago yesterday when former Beatle John Lennon was gunned down outside The Dakota in New York City by Mark David Chapman.

Following his death there have been all sorts of theories about it. One of them was that Mark David Chapman was a brainwashed assassin for the government because they saw Lennon as a threat to "the establishment." (You can read a more detailed article on that theory here)

As for myself, I don't dwell too much on the theories of political assassination. It can be a real headache sometimes. I instead just think about how Lennon was able to touch so many people with his music and non-violent activism.

I am reminded of a story that my girlfriend told me once: She and her father were in The Hard Rock Cafe in Boston when "Imagine" came on. Everyone there, stopped what they were doing to sing along. After the song was over, it went back to business as usual. That one moment shows just how influential the power of Lennon's words still is.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was in the Boston Hard rock that day. It was one of the most powerful and moving moments that I've ever seen.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes I still cry when I hear that song.