John Lennon – an Artist and Peace Activist

Introduction

In turbulent times, when many things seem to be out of sync, we look to music to help solve the day’s problems. This has been seen throughout history in music for many decades both in the US and around the globe. One artist, John Lennon, has been world-renowned for his attempt to plead for world peace in many situations. His early years were very chaotic both in reference to his family situation as well as wars going on all over Europe including Great Britain, his home country. Ironically, John was born on October 9, 1940, which was marked by a German invasion of Great Britain. One of the many that had taken place during John’s mom’s pregnancy. It has been stated, “There is a battle fought over every baby. The battle over this Liverpool baby was to be fiercer than most - revealing not that he wasn’t not wanted but that too many people wanted him” (Norman, 2008). While this was not a literal battle, John was passed around from both parents, ultimately to an aunt who ended up raising him for most of his childhood years. As we learn more about John’s life as both a musician and political artist, we realize that war and peace were both an actual and symbolic part of his entire life. Music was a part of John’s life from early on; his mother was a singer and his father loved listening to music in pubs in which he brought John along when he was a mere child. John waited anxiously each night for his uncle to turn on the radio which was piped into his room so that he could listen to music and radio shows. While he was known to be witty and extremely controversial, he focused early on in life wanting the lives of others to be better. There was a home for less fortunate children near his aunt’s, interestingly this home was called Strawberry Fields, which he later wrote the lyrics with this title. While it is thought that John did not remember much of his being passed around as a child, it certainly appears to be part of the foundation that attracted John to become the peace activist he was and expressing much of that through his music.

John Lennon – An Artist and Peace Activist

John Lennon was very well known for many songs searching for peace. One of his most famous songs is “Imagine” (1971). This song was written and released after his departure from the Beatles in 1971, with this song pleading for world peace during the height of the Vietnam War. Interestingly, John pleads and battles for world peace, but had very difficult relationship building along the way. He was not always known to be peaceful in his personal life. This song was written after a serious falling out with former Beatle band member, Paul McCartney. “Imagine” is a song we all know and have heard for many years and understand the reference to world peace. He intentionally wrote this song to be very generic in lyrics, not only as a plea for peace but also for equality of social groups. Lennon was never a believer in the class system, he felt everyone deserved the same opportunities and chances in life. It was well-known that he was not pro-capitalism but very much a socialist at heart. It has been stated that “Imagine is a bland song with an ideological bite as Lennon himself noted. Imagine is anti-religious, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic, but because it is sugar-coated, it is well accepted” (Sheff, 2000). The most famous part of the song in reference to peace is “Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say that I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one.” As stated above, this song referenced much more than just seeking peace, but it was best interpreted by the general public as a plea for peace during continued turbulent times.

Political Activism Through Music

Another one of Lennon’s most famous anti-war songs is “Give Peace a Chance” (1969). This song was written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono at their famous bed-in in Montreal; where they made a famous statement of peace by staying in a hotel room for one week. They allowed the press to come in all day and witness them in bed in their pajamas. This song was best known for “championing the anti-war movement as well as Native and African-American rights while also demonstrating a deepening interest in feminism”. This was his most politically driven song and was used at many of the famous marches and peace protests during the height of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s. This was the song that became a target of the US government due to it signifying his extreme disbelief in the Vietnam War. It is said that “Lennon became the target of the FBI surveillance for his part in the anti-war movement and engagement with the leftist politics. A past drug offense would be used to threaten the singer with deportation”. As we can see from some of the famous lyrics of this song, it continued to be used and sung at many politically driven peace marches and protests. While it goes into details about religion, revolution, feminism, and many controversial subjects, the main verse, which comprises nearly fifty percent of the lyrics is “all we are saying is give peace a chance”. We have continued to hear this song rehearsed and chanted at peace rallies today.

Lennon's Legacy

John Lennon, while controversial and sometimes at the brunt of personality wars amongst other artists, has also been very well respected by the musical industry as a political and peace activist. It is well known that the Beatles split up was one of very different ideas regarding how the business aspect of the band should be run and not necessarily feelings of disrespect or ideological differences. Lennon stated, “It’s human, I’m more interested in my songs, Paul in his, and George in his. It’s just that in the past, George lost out because Paul and I are tougher”. That said, John has received continuous recognition in the music industry. One of the most famous tributes to John Lennon was when Bono from U2 and Yoko Ono unveiled artwork representing Manhattan as a yellow submarine to be held at the museum of immigrants at Ellis Island. While this is not only symbolic of John’s song “Yellow Submarine” (1966), Yoko Ono states, “He was really concerned about what was happening in the world and he knew that what we do in America is really going to affect the whole world”. With utmost respect as a solo artist and songwriter, John Lennon was inducted into the Music Hall of Fame. A speech was made by Paul McCartney focusing on a personal letter to John.

Conclusion

John pleaded for peace, equality, and human welfare in many of his songs and actions throughout his life. While his early years were filled with family chaos and a time of war in Great Britain, he fought for peaceful actions through his music and songwriting. Unfortunately, John’s life was taken on December 8, 1980, when he was shot and killed. To continue to represent peace, John has a memorial in Central Park, named Strawberry Fields and marked by a mosaic called “Imagine”. John’s songs live with fans forever and thousands visit this memorial each year to place flowers and many other items as a peaceful tribute to the late artist. To continue to believe in peace as a positive force, I will close with one of John’s famous quotes “Declare it. Just the same way we declare war. That is how we will have peace… we just need to declare it” (Lennon, 1969).

References

Norman, P. (2008). John Lennon: The Life. HarperCollins.

Sheff, D. (2000). All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. St. Martin's Griffin.