John Lennon Research Paper

Patton 1
Seth Patton
Mrs. Sperry
English 12 CP
30 November 2012
The Amazing Legacy of John Lennon “How do you expose somebody who posed nude?” (“John Lennon…” 8) pondered comedian Conan O’Brien in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine twenty years after the tragic death of John Lennon. O’Brien was making a light reference to the controversial album cover of “Virgins” which featured a fully nude John Lennon and Yoko Ono. This album is just one of countless things that Lennon did while alive that, in a way, keeps him so in our hearts and lives. An undeniable influence in style, in culture, and in music, a great effect on the world and world events, and the controversy that made him famous, both then and now are all reminders of the
His music encompassed so many great things that it is difficult to put into words an appropriate description of the art although, many have tried. Drew Barrymore states that, “If you put [John’s] music onto anything that you’re doing in life, it fits right alongside of it” and Noel Gallagher says, “His music is just completely timeless and unsurpassable” (“John Lennon…” 5). John Lennon was responsible for constructing The Beatles- the band that changed the face of rock’n’roll and created a worldwide sensation. John later went solo and began experimenting with his wife, Yoko, and with many different types of music and sounds and his work continued to change people’s lives around the world. Lennon paved the road for many new kinds of rock’n’roll to come in many ways. One way is described in a Rolling Stone article that reads, “[Lennon] strived for an honesty and an idealism that
Previously, I spoke in detail about the influence John Lennon had on music, culture, and style. An influence that spreads so far is one that is sure to come with lots of controversy. When The Beatles were first becoming popular and many people were falling in love with them, many others were outraged at the sight of them. They were criticized on their hair and the way the dressed, accused of not being “real men” and so on, and for the references and innuendos in their songs as being “devil’s music”. Lennon, throughout his life, was always very anti-establishment, “systematically renounc[ing] Jesus Christ, Buddha, the Bible, the Gita, and other glorified entities, including Elvis. He asserted himself as a free-thinking individual” (Tillery 2). John’s recreational drug use didn’t help his anchor-hold in the spotlight either. Even to this day, Lennon is still appearing occasionally in magazines and newspapers with some piece of juicy information on him or in media hype or conspiracies. One example of a conspiracy theory that has brought John back on some people’s radar is the compilation and analysis of quotes similar to when John said, “I’m even nervous about commenting on politics. They’ve got me that jumpy these days” (Gilmore 6). wondering if the Illuminati or some other group might actually be behind some of John’s troubles or maybe even his death. From John Lennon’s years of fame to over thirty years after his death,