John Lennon's Influence On Modern Music

Introduction

Lennon is best known as a revolutionary musician who changed rock and roll with the Beatles then turned to a highly successful solo career. Almost 30 years after his death, the world is still realizing that long before Lennon had a guitar, his sketch pad and pencil were his first artistic tools and the results are stunning pieces of art. John Lennon's have a great influence on American modern popular music.

Analysis

John Lennon was remembered by most as a revolutionary song-writer in the Beatles, and not only that, a political activist, bizarre writer, unique singer and so much more. John Lennon wasn't the most technical musician but he had an uncanny ability to convey emotion through his songs. Whether it is in "Across the Universe" or "Mother", John Lennon was a master of his craft; being able to craft specific emotion in any song he had written (Mitchell, pp 12-24).

He, much like Frank Zappa was a very avant-garde musician. He had a lot of very crazy ideas to incorporate into the songs he contributed to the Beatles as well as bizarre lyrics such as the entirety of "I am the walrus". Even the girl he married, avant-artist Yoko Ono contributed to his weirdness and his creativity. But many do not see how truly important Yoko was to his life. If she wasn't there during the 1970's and up to his timeless demise in 1980 Lord knows what would've happened to him (www.johnlennon.com).

In the year 1940, a mother gave birth to a son in Liverpool, England. Little did she know at the time what a talented troublemaker her little John Lennon would be? Being born to a working class family provided John with a typical upbringing and exposure to current music. He was always fascinated by musical styles, especially Elvis Presley, and in 1957 he himself jammed in a duet group and a rock-skiffle group. This provided him the opportunity to meet and work with Paul McCartney. Once a team, the two set out on a long journey to organize a band and work with a trustworthy manager, which proved harder than first imagined. Ultimately, John Lennon became the founder of the Beatles! Even after Beatle mania, John proved his talent through solo work and duet albums with his wife. John Lennon's "rags to riches" story, his involvement with the Beatles, and his overall attitude and beliefs is what make him the one person whom I would be in "Rock" (www.johnlennon.com).

John Lennon represents an era of not only music but also history. He personifies the typical characteristics of the 1960's and 1970's. It is common historical knowledge that along with the rest of the nation, John experimented quite heavily with a variety of drugs. His wife and himself were busted for both marijuana and heroine use during the late 1960's. These drug arrests ultimately led to his problems with the U.S. government who attempted multiple times to remove him from the country. These imperfections make ...