12/08/1980

“If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace.” John Winston Lennon

John Lennon stood for peace, only to be killed 26 years ago today, in a violent manner by a crazed fan.

Many people don’t mark a day someone died, preferring instead to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other “joyous” events. I don’t see today as a day to be celebrated so much as I think it’s a day for reflection. The Strawberry Fields Memorial in Central Park was dedicated as a shrine to tranquility, both inner and outer. Even though the majority of us cannot visit the Park today, take a minute wherever you are to sit quietly and calmly, and give peace a chance.

The song I picked for today is not one of the “meaningful” Lennon songs, like “Imagine” or “Give Peace A Chance.” Rather, I picked my favorite from his last album, Double Fantasy. To me, this song's message of hope is as strong as anything Lennon wrote.

(Just Like) Starting Over.mp3

I also want to direct you to WFMU’s Beware of the Blog blog, which has MP3’s of Lennon’s 1971 interview with Rolling Stone’s Jann Wenner, a dial scan of New York City's FM dial from Dec. 8, 1980, and a link to an article about that dial scan recording.

posted by aikin @ 8:12 AM