«When the Music Died» said Time Magazine two weeks after the assassination of John Lennon. Quite a statement as music can’t die; in fact, during these last 40 years we have seen and experienced some incredible music not also by younger artists but also by artists who had already a successful career by then.
John Lennon was only 40 years old when Mark David Chapman killed him. So it’s safe to assume that the shock was also a result of a great artist losing his life at such a young age. But then again, so many artists – younger than Lennon – have tragically lost their lives. The world still moved on.
Then again, a man who promoted love and peace was shot and killed by a deranged fan. No more records. No Beatles reunion. No wonder that December the 8th has resonated with us as the end of an era.
The main reason for that though is what John Lennon symbolized.
A driving force of the band that changed rock n’roll, created a whole industry, shaped pop culture. An intellectual, a peace advocate, a free spirit. A creative person with radical ideas such as promoting peace like it’s a product, a man who would speak his mind no matter what were the circumstances – and you would definitely pay attention to, even if you wouldn’t necessarily agree with his views.
The results of this man and his actions had influenced the world so profoundly that it’s not a surprise his death had – and still has – such an impact to all people and all genres of music and arts in general.
And as years go by, this day has an even greater impact on our culture – mainly as a result of our growing necessity for similar minds and actions.
PopMart 2.0 