Been listening to All You Need is Love while working. Great artist, and a loss that still seems unreal.
Keil Shults
Even weirder to think that in 10 years he will have been dead as long as he was alive.
As varied and bizarre as my music tastes can seem at times, I’d be lying if I claimed any band other than The Beatles to be my all-time favorite. As much as I love acts like Radiohead or Pixies or The Velvet Underground, I can imagine a life without their music.
al b.
My father once told me the story of him watching this game and hearing the news when he was 16. Even after seeing this video, I can’t begin to imagine what the emotions were truly like after this news was broken. Mr. Lennon is one of the greatest songwriters of all time and is an inspiration to me and millions of others around the world, musicians or not.
Since we’re telling Lennon stories, I have one. Small, but it’s always meant something to me.
New Year’s Eve 1999/2000 I went to New York, my first trip ever to the city, with two friends. We went to Times Square at 10:00 in the morning and stood there, directly under the ball, for 14 hours. I talked to a lot of people, naturally, and got to know plenty. I sat on the street when I was tired, shuffled through the crowd to Sbarro when I was hungry, met someone from one town next to mine (in NC) while waiting in line for the porta-johns, etc. It was a totally wonderful moment of togetherness, the whole time.
As the clock struck midnight in various time zones, there would be video of that area’s celebration throughout the Square. When it came to London, which would have been about 4pm ET, the sounds of “All You Need is Love” filled the streets via speakers set up everywhere. I looked around at all the various races and ethnicities, the many people I had met while crowded into that space, and each and every one was singing right along, word for word.
That stayed with me. And when the ball dropped for us? I don’t think I’ve ever hugged so many people in my life. A great day.
Keil Shults
So odd to think that they were only releasing music for about 7 years. Think back to when you saw The Return of the King, and then think that the entire Beatles career basically lasted between then and now
Zac
I was only 1 1/2 years old when it happened so I have no memory of it.
I was watching the OTL video on ESPN and found out that Cossell told the news while John Smith was preparing to kick and the weird part of it was that Smith is from England and was the only British born player in the NFL at the time. What a strange coincidence that the only British born player would be onscreen while Cossell delivers the news.
I’d be in hearing the rest of the commentary for that telecast. How could you possibly go on talking enthusiastically about men tackling each other and catching footballs when John Lennon has just been brutally murdered?
Comments
9 responses to “30 years”
Been listening to All You Need is Love while working. Great artist, and a loss that still seems unreal.
Even weirder to think that in 10 years he will have been dead as long as he was alive.
As varied and bizarre as my music tastes can seem at times, I’d be lying if I claimed any band other than The Beatles to be my all-time favorite. As much as I love acts like Radiohead or Pixies or The Velvet Underground, I can imagine a life without their music.
My father once told me the story of him watching this game and hearing the news when he was 16. Even after seeing this video, I can’t begin to imagine what the emotions were truly like after this news was broken. Mr. Lennon is one of the greatest songwriters of all time and is an inspiration to me and millions of others around the world, musicians or not.
Since we’re telling Lennon stories, I have one. Small, but it’s always meant something to me.
New Year’s Eve 1999/2000 I went to New York, my first trip ever to the city, with two friends. We went to Times Square at 10:00 in the morning and stood there, directly under the ball, for 14 hours. I talked to a lot of people, naturally, and got to know plenty. I sat on the street when I was tired, shuffled through the crowd to Sbarro when I was hungry, met someone from one town next to mine (in NC) while waiting in line for the porta-johns, etc. It was a totally wonderful moment of togetherness, the whole time.
As the clock struck midnight in various time zones, there would be video of that area’s celebration throughout the Square. When it came to London, which would have been about 4pm ET, the sounds of “All You Need is Love” filled the streets via speakers set up everywhere. I looked around at all the various races and ethnicities, the many people I had met while crowded into that space, and each and every one was singing right along, word for word.
That stayed with me. And when the ball dropped for us? I don’t think I’ve ever hugged so many people in my life. A great day.
So odd to think that they were only releasing music for about 7 years. Think back to when you saw The Return of the King, and then think that the entire Beatles career basically lasted between then and now
I was only 1 1/2 years old when it happened so I have no memory of it.
I was watching the OTL video on ESPN and found out that Cossell told the news while John Smith was preparing to kick and the weird part of it was that Smith is from England and was the only British born player in the NFL at the time. What a strange coincidence that the only British born player would be onscreen while Cossell delivers the news.
Whoa.
I’d be in hearing the rest of the commentary for that telecast. How could you possibly go on talking enthusiastically about men tackling each other and catching footballs when John Lennon has just been brutally murdered?
meant to say, “I’d be interested in…”