John Lennon and 1980. We know how this story ends, and it’s still painful all these years later. Beyond the shock of John’s violent death, for fans, the bizarre thing was that he was taken away just after resuming his career after five and a half years. Lost in the horror of his assassination was the fact that 1980 was the year of John’s creative rebirth. A return, not just to the recording studio for the first time in five long years, but also his revitalization as the unique creative force the world had come to know during the 1960s.
John Lennon: 1980 Playlist [September 2020] by music historian Tim English (author of previous titles, Sounds like Teen Spirit and Popology) provides readers with a unique tour of John's musical world and shows how the music he listened to influenced crucial decisions he made during the last year of his life. The book also demonstrates how the music John listened to in 1980 resonated with his earlier work, both with the Beatles and as a solo artist. No reader will finish John Lennon: 1980 Playlist without having gained new insights into a beloved musical legend.
Tim talked to the Morning Breeze about the book and some John Lennon facts that, like Carolyn and Jack, you may not have known either about John. Listen below...