Late John Lennon still a muse to rockers
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British band The Beatles' (from left) Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison at a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, at the start of their tour in 1966. Lennon's career was cut short 40 years ago, when he was shot dead in New York in December 1980.
PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
PARIS • Former Beatle John Lennon's career was cut short exactly 40 years ago when he was shot dead at 40 in New York on Dec 8, 1980, but he lives on in the songs and attitudes of other artists.
Many sing his tunes, some mention him in their lyrics while others question his legacy or even admit they really prefer his songwriting partner Paul McCartney.
Perhaps the greatest tribute to Lennon in recent years came from Bob Dylan, the American folk-rock giant who was a personal acquaintance.
The closing track of Dylan's 2012 album Tempest was titled Roll On John. The seven-minute dirge recounts Lennon's murder on Dec 8, 1980, and early life as a touring musician, "from the Liverpool docks to the red-light Hamburg streets".
Among the countless direct cover versions of Lennon's solo and Beatles songs, Ozzy Osbourne's 2010 tribute stood out: a version of How? from Lennon's classic album Imagine.
The ex-leader of heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath strolled through New York streets in a black leather trench coat and laid a wreath at Lennon's memorial in Central Park.
For all the nostalgia, Lennon was a divisive and contradictory figure. Sceptics questioned his status as a counterculture icon and the sincerity of his positions on gender equality and capitalism.
"Lennon had a 'teddy boy' side to him," said music journalist Stan Cuesta, author of a book about The Beatles, referring to the Liverpool musician's slick-haired, working-class rebel beginnings. "He once had a Rolls-Royce. He was complex."
"John was always the provocateur of the group. He caused a terrible scandal when he said The Beatles were more popular than Jesus," added Cuesta.
"But he only got political and started going to art galleries with Yoko Ono." Ono was the Japanese artist he married in 1969.
Even Lennon's undisputed musical legacy leaves room for discussion.
As a songwriting partnership, Lennon and McCartney changed the face of music through their harmonies, said singer Sharleen Spiteri of British band Texas.
Even so, the "who's your favourite Beatle" debate is as old as the group themselves.
"Lennon had a rather surreal artistic side to him. He was more political, rebellious, intellectual," said Laurent Voulzy, a French rocker of The Beatles' generation. "But as a guitarist and bass player myself, I have always liked Paul's graceful arrangements, the sensitivity of his melodies and lyrics."
Cuesta highlighted another track from the Imagine album: Jealous Guy, a wistful ballad that was notably covered by singer Bryan Ferry with Roxy Music.
Lennon "was a natural musical genius, more intuitive than the other Beatles", Cuesta said, citing also the band's psychedelic hit Strawberry Fields.
Like Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara, Lennon's face ended up on souvenir T-shirts, sometimes inscribed with the title of his song, Working Class Hero.
That anthem summed up Lennon's legacy for Yves Bigot, a television executive and former rock critic and record producer.
"It tells you to think for yourself," he said.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE