Happy Birthday, Beatle John Lennon, 79

Ellie Askew, Seth Auberon, Crystal Quintero (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; genius.com; Wiki edit

LYRICS: "A Day in the Life" [John Lennon:] I read the news today, oh boy, about a lucky man who made the grade. And though the news was rather sad, well, I just had to laugh. I saw the photograph. He blew his mind out in a car. He didn't notice that the lights had changed. A crowd of people stood and stared. They'd seen his face before. Nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords. I saw a film today, oh boy. The English Army had just won the war. A crowd of people turned away. But I just had to look, having read the book. I'd love to turn you on.

[Paul McCartney:] Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head. Found my way downstairs and drank a cup, and looking up I noticed I was late. Found my coat and grabbed my hat, made the bus in seconds flat. Found my way upstairs and had a smoke, and somebody spoke and I went into a dream.

[John Lennon:] I read the news today, oh boy, 4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire. And though the holes were rather small, they had to count them all. Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall. I'd love to turn you on.

"Imagine" - John Lennon with The Plastic Ono Band (and the Flux Fiddlers)

Here are free clips from previous editions of Coast to Coast exploring John Lennon's life and tragic death:

• On 12/8/05 rock historian R. Gary Patterson discussed the mysteries concerning the Dakota Building, where John Lennon lived in NYC.
• On 11/12/08 author Timothy Green Beckley recounted Lennon's UFO sighting and his keen interest in the paranormal.
• On 12/13/08 author Joseph Niezgoda shared his theory that Lennon had made a pact with the devil and foretold his own death via clues hidden in Beatles' songs.
• Coast Insiders can listen to previous programs that covered various aspects of Lennon's life, including Beatles historian Bill Harry on 8/9/14 and Lennon's former personal assistant, May Pang, recalling her time with the musician on 8/2/08.

Beatle John Lennon, 1969

John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (Oct. 9, 1940–Dec. 8, 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, and peace activist, who gained worldwide fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist, and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles.

His songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful in history. In 1969, he started the Plastic Ono Band with his Japanese second wife, Yoko Ono. After the Beatles broke up in 1970, Lennon continued as a solo artist and as a collaborator of Yoko Ono's "music."

Born in Liverpool, England, Lennon became involved in the (British jazz) skiffle craze as a teenager. In 1957, he formed his first band, the Quarrymen, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. He was initially the group's de facto leader, a role gradually lost to McCartney.

Starting in 1967, Lennon's lyrics began to espouse a pacifist message, and some of his songs were soon adopted as anthems by the anti-war movement and the larger counterculture. More

John and George are dead. Paul McCarthy was replaced. But Ringo Starr will never die.