“I magine there's no heaven, it's easy if you try. No hell below us, above us only sky. Imagine all the people, living for today… ” Thus he wrote — John Lennon, the legendary song-writer, singer and member of the unparalleled The Beatles.
Born on October 9, 1940 the long-haired and wispy-eyed singer from Liverpool went on to win a million hearts and souls. John Lennon's trademark was making surreal music with poignant lyrics held by a strong melody evident with songs like Rain , Strawberry fields forever and Across the universe . His songs have poetic vigour as well. Himanshu Sharma, member of a fusion music band Mehraj believes that John Lennon stands out at the songwriter with a purpose, “John Lennon brought another dimension to the music by The Beatles. He invented depth and meaning for them. His music is easy on the ears as well, unlike Led Zeppelin and The Doors where you need a couple of listens to feel the greatness of the song.” says Himanshu.
John Lennon is fondly remembered for his peace-loving nature but will The Beatles and Lennon become a thing of the past for the coming generations? “The Beatles are ageless, my eight-year-old daughter will start playing covers of the band in another year,” says a confident Ramesh Venkat, creative director at an advertising agency in the city. “The Beatles and John Lennon have influenced lives to no end and their songs give you the courage to face difficult realities,” he adds.
Cherian Thomas, an IT professional and bass guitarist says he was very much influenced by The Beatles, especially by John Lennon during his late teens and all through his twenties. Thomas feels that Lennon's lyrics invoked a lot of emotions as he spoke about issues like world peace.
“Lennon is an inspirational figure in the world of music. My daughter, who is thirteen now is also into The Beatles and ‘Imagine' by Lennon is one of her favourite songs.” Prashanth Oliver, singer and theatre artist feels that John Lennon's attitude changed the way in which you would look for things in an artist. He feels that Lennon was way beyond his own time, a profound song-writer and one who mixed political ideology with music.
“Lennon wanted to hold our hands, tell us was we needed was love, but truth is he got shot for telling people to love and give peace a chance. Maybe next time we'll get it right…” says Oliver.
