John Lennon Peace Sign In Central Park: Legendary Beatle Would Have Turned 75 Friday


In celebration of his birthday, which is October 9, Yoko Ono, the wife of the late, legendary rock icon John Lennon was on-hand to commemorate an attempt to form the largest-ever peace sign using the bodies of more than 2,000 people, reports Reuters. While they succeeded in creating one huge peace sign, the group fell short of the current record of 5,000.

“We wanted to do something great. Something big. Something that was here in New York. And what could be better than spending a day in the park, creating,” Brian Rothschild, Executive Director John Lennon Educational Bus Tours was quoted.

“This was the best birthday present to John,” Yoko Ono stated before a large group of participants, many of whom were holding their arms in the air gesturing with two-fingered peace signs.

John Lennon with guitar.
John Lennon playing the guitar in Paris in January 1964.

The body of musical, literary, and documentary work related John Lennon, both written by him, about him, and in outright tribute of him, is impressive. John Lennon became famous as a singer and guitarist with the Beatles, who rose to fame in the United States in the early 60s after a period of grueling travel between London and Germany, among other places, where they sometimes played for 6 or 7 hours in a row, as reported by the Indra Music Club. “Love Me Do” was the Beatles’ breakout hit. At first, their music was enjoyable pop. Somehow, by the end of the 1960s, the Beatles, as well as many other rock stars, were seen as something more. That perhaps, their opinions mattered.

“Love Me Do” was released in 1962 and is an almost-saccharine-y sweet love pop ballad. It’s a a great song, but its lyrics were hardly far-reaching. The change that the group underwent between 1962 and 1967 when “All You Need Is Love” was broadcast, was remarkable. All the music was well-liked by a broad audience, and the story behind the making of “All You Need Is Love” is just as interesting as the song itself. And there are hundreds of Beatles songs like that. Every song has a story that is documented and talked about.

In 1966, John Lennon famously compared the Beatles to Jesus, inspiring outrage in the United States, as reported by the Inquisitr. Lennon was actually attempting to make light of the irony of that the fact that the Beatles, a silly rock group, could get so much attention. It was probably quite an overwhelming experience for him. It was less of a comment about himself and more of a comment toward American society and that perhaps there were more important things going on than rock music.

The band split on April 17, 1970, and it was Paul McCartney who was reported to have first broken ranks in a promo for an album containing new solo material, reports Ultimate Classic Rock.

John Lennon Yoko Ono Bed-In 1969.
John Lennon’s and Yoko Ono’s 1969 “Bed-In For Peace.”

For years people speculated that Yono Oko had an increasing influence on John Lennon’s life. Paul McCartney has stated that John Lennon was “definitely going to leave” the Beatles, reports Rolling Stone.

“She certainly didn’t break the group up,” McCartney stated, contrasting the belief held by some that the Beatles split was Ono’s fault. “I don’t think you can blame her for anything.”

In 1969, Lennon and Oko staged a “bed-in for peace” for their honeymoon, at the Hilton Amsterdam, reports Ultimate Classic Rock.

After the Beatles broke-up, Lennon remained active as both a musician and an activist. Solo Lennon songs that continue to be rock standards include “Imagine,” “Give Peace a Chance,” “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” and “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night.”

Cracked has noted some ways in which John Lennon could have been perceived as less than perfect.

“I was a hitter. I couldn’t express myself and I hit. I fought men and I hit women.”

He was a rock star, and he was not perfect, and he appeared to show remorse for these acts, to at least some degree, later in his life. John Lennon, without a doubt, communicated the messages of peace and love throughout his career, with every available creative outlet that he had.

Mark David Chapman had reportedly traveled from Hawaii to New York City to meet Lennon and ask him for his autograph over a several day period that ended with Lennon being slain in front of his home on December 8, 1980. He was 40-years-old. Chapman was described as a “screwball” by police, reports the New York Daily News. And thus ended the life of John Lennon, one of the greatest music composers and musicians of the late 20th century. His legacy continues.

John Lennon peace sign.
Lennon fans mourn his loss in 1980.

[Peace Sign Screenshot Courtesy AFP via CBS / YouTube — Lennon With Guitar Photo by Harry Benson / Express / Hulton Archive / Getty Images — Lennon Fans Vigil Photo by Hulton Archive / Getty Images — Bed-In Photo by Central Press / Getty Images]

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