Tags
December 8 1980, Elton John, Empty Garden, Gimme Some Truth, Give Peace A Chance, guns, John Lennon, peace, violence, Yoko Ono
This image was tweeted this weekend by Yoko Ono. I don’t have “heroes” in the usual sense, but I have always been inspired by the work of John Lennon, ever since I was a kid. It was a shocking thing and a powerful statement for a wife to send a photo around the world of her husband’s bloody glasses to make a point about gun violence and peace.
This photo demonstrated for me with startling clarity how the world- and the United States- has changed since 1980, and how we have forgotten John Lennon’s legacy of the pursuit of peace.
How can we go forward when we don’t know which way we’re facing?
We need you, John- more than ever. Won’t you come out to play?
Dear Prudence (I sang this song to my oldest daughter in the NICU).
Woman (stripped down in a 2010 remix)
Empty Garden (Elton John’s tribute to John Lennon after he was assassinated)
Radical Totality 
While all my girlfriends were squealing about how dreamy Paul was, I felt drawn to John. Still am. Thanks for posting this.
Me too. I was very moved by this- the usual celebrity stuff doesn’t get to me, but I was very moved by this. I thought “those can’t be THE glasses he was wearing-” but I don’t think Yoko Ono would fake something so painfully personal to make a political point. I buy that that really is Lennon’s blood on his glasses, which makes the pint that much more powerful and poignant.
I’ve had the Lennon box playing all morning between patients. Got through Plastic Ono Band and now playing through Imagine.
Hearing John Lennon’s music as a boy definitely had an influence on the man I became. I even chose my glasses and hair to look like his.
Seeing that photograph crystallized the issue for me. It made an emphatic, poignant statement about how the world has changed since 1980- and that we’ve forgotten about Lennon’s message of peace. We’ve forgotten about Lennon’s legacy. That made me very sad.
Tonight I will light a candle, pull out my acoustic, and sing “Give Peace A Chance.” I’ll probably record it too- but I bet posting it on Soundcloud violates their terms of use. We’ll see.
Nice post. Thanks for pointing my attention to this pic. I didn’t know this was tweeted. Strong image.
I’ve always been attracted more to “Imagine”, which has become more and more “the song of my life”, being a conscientious objector and all that. But I look forward to your version of “Give Peace a Chance”, though!