Remembering John Lennon And His Music

Forty years ago today, John Lennon was murdered outside the building in New York City where he lived.  He had recently made a musical comeback with the album Double Fantasy, which also featured his wife Yoko Ono.

Whoever said time flies wasn't kidding.  But on the other hand, according to one of his songs, Lennon seemed to believe that the consequences of one's actions could come about very quickly.  Released in early 1970, before the official breakup of the Beatles, Instant Karma! reached the top five in both the U.S. and the U.K.  I know that many people giving a tribute to Lennon might give a nod to his famous song Imagine, but I've never been comfortable with its lyrics.

Musicians on Instant Karma! included Lennon on piano and acoustic guitar, George Harrison on electric guitar, Billy Preston on organ, Klaus Voormann on bass, and future Yes member Alan White on drums.  To bolster the piano sound, Harrison and White played a second one while Voormann played an electric piano.  Ono contributed to the backing vocals, but in the video, she was content to just crochet.

UPDATE:  I found a good article about John Lennon and the Beatles at Townhall.