Then as now, I am amazed that a man like John Lennon could stop the world for an entire week, his music changed the world. Once again, John Lennon's charisma moved the world.
I turned 15 August 1980 and almost 40 years later (Dec 08 2020) this tragic event is fresh in my mind. Sadness still remains when I think back to Dec 08 1980. I had on Monday Night Football and trying to figure my math homework that late. I was waiting for my dad to return home from picking up mom at her job in Manhattan, so that he could help me with homework. I was also waiting for the news on Channel 7, my fave network then. I heard Howard Cosell announce the shooting of John Lennon. I was in shock because dad had bought Double Fantasy a few weeks before. For the next few weeks we mourned John Lennon’s death in our Queens NY home. We did not attend the vigil but saw the vigil in newscasts. Days later dad drove mom and my siblings and I to the Dakota to see where he lived and died and to remember him in silence. We were all Beatles fans. Dad bought us two vinyl Beatles records. He had all the Beatles records (now in my possession) I have a tribute video on my channel from the 38 th anniversary of Lennon’s death and other John Lennon, The Beatles collection videos. I am hoping to be at The Dakota for the 40th anniversary on Dec 08 and film a video.RIP John Lennon. If you only knew the impact. this has in so many millions of fans to this day. I get teary eyed thinking back.
I was there. I was not a huge Beatles or John Lennon fan but knew it was something I had to be a part of. I am glad I cut school with 3 other friends to attend. It was quite moving and absolutely amazing how so many thousands of people were so quiet for 10 minutes. We were near the barricades and the line of photographers and all you could hear was the clicking of cameras. It started snowing at one point too and the huge crowd was singing "Give Peace A Chance". Yoko looked down at us from the Dakota. An experience I will never forget.
4:44-52 makes a person, like me, who wasn't alive at the time realize just how big an impact Lennon had on the world. Here are murderers and rapists in a New York prison, and even they loved him. May his memory live on always.
At the time, I wasn't a big fan of either John Lennon or The Beatles, I liked their music, & I liked his music, but I was still learning who they were.
I was at the park. I've never heard the city so silent. I got home and my brother told me he was at his bar, the Giants game was on & the news cut into the game. All the guys were of course OH MAN C'MON!!! But hearing Imagine & then the total silence shut down the noise in the bar completely, it really hit them. Then my brother said proudly in our Noo Yawk accent "My sistah's there right now ".
December 8, 1980 by Mark R. Elsis "I am going into an unknown future, but I'm still all here, and still while there's life, there's hope." John Lennon, December 8, 1980 John Lennon was the greatest singer-songwriter and the most influential political artist of the twentieth century. He was assassinated on Monday, December 8, 1980, walking into the Dakota, his home on the upper West side of Manhattan, New York City. In mid-November of 1980, at our local Irish tavern, the Gaslight Inn, in Elmhurst, I told my closest friends, John Lennon was about to be assassinated. I told them the powers that be were going to blame it on a lone crazy deranged fan, and that this person would never have a trial. I don't know how I knew all of this would come to be, except to say that besides my parents, John Lennon, someone whom I had never met, was the most significant person in my life. Perhaps because of my lifelong adoration, I was tapped into a precognitive form of what Dr. Rupert Sheldrake postulated in his theory, Morphic Resonance. I have had many other episodes of precognition throughout my life. I've like The Beatles since first seeing them and hearing their music. On December 10, 1963, a five-minute news story shot in England about the phenomenon of Beatlemania aired on the CBS Evening News. I watched it and thought wow, in my almost six years of life, I have never seen such excitement. The young girls were going crazy for them. Then on its release day, December 26, 1963, radio stations in New York City started to play, I Want to Hold Your Hand. John Lennon's initial influence on me first took hold a few minutes past 8 pm on Sunday, February 9, 1964, when Ed Sullivan gave his now-famous introduction, "Ladies and gentlemen, The Beatles" and after a few seconds of rapturous cheering from the audience, the band kicked into "All My Lovin'." Only 79 days before my Irish Catholic President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated, and I had just turned six-years-old 32 days earlier. On that February evening, the ongoing wake for President Kennedy finally ended. Then while watching television on the evening of Sunday, June 25, 1967, I realized that there was someone who believed in peace and love. This night John Lennon and The Beatles sang, All You Need Is Love, on, Our World. The Beatles performed the song as Britain's contribution to Our World, the first live global television link via satellite. An estimated 400 to 700 million people around the globe watched the broadcast. Watching John Lennon and The Beatles sing, All You Need Is Love, was profound, and perhaps the most transformational moment of my life. I was already a huge Beatle fan, but now the music, lyrics, and images of, All You Need Is Love, touched me at the deepest level inside my heart and soul, as nothing ever had before in my life. This admiration for John Lennon only grew from that evening until the evening of December 8, 1980. I was driving my taxi in Manhattan on that beautifully warm Monday evening of December 8, 1980. At around 10 pm, I was traveling without any passengers, going north on Central Park West, when I made a slow left turn on to 72nd Street. As soon I made the slow left turn on to 72nd Street, now looking towards the front of the Dakota, my instinct sensed something was wrong. So, I slowed down to a crawl while passing in front. I first noticed the outside doorman (Jose Perdomo, which somehow took the media six plus years to finally name correctly) who was standing on the left side of the archway. He was just outside of the doorman enclosure. Then, I looked directly at this other man and sensed that he was lurking in the darkness. He was standing just outside the right side of the archway. I felt something was wrong and nearly stopped my taxi. The next day this man was identified as Mark David Chapman. About an hour after I passed by the Dakota, I was still driving my taxi in Manhattan while listening, as always, to Vin Scelsa on WNEW 102.7, when he suddenly announced John Lennon had been shot. A short time later, while trying to hold back tears, he announced the death of John Lennon. When Vin Scelsa broke this horrible news of John Lennon's death, I was with a woman passenger in my taxi. I was on East End Avenue, the same street where I was born, in Doctor's Hospital. As soon as my passenger heard the news, she immediately broke out crying. Soon there were tears in my eyes and rolling down my checks. I slowly composed myself, turned my off duty light on, and finished driving my passenger to her home in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn (one block from where my paternal Grandmother lived). I dropped her off, waited until she was inside her home safely, and then headed straight to the Dakota. It was about 11:45 pm when I arrived, and already there was a large group of people gathered. I double-parked my Peugeot 504 taxi just about twenty feet West of the archway, in front of the Dakota. I opened the sunroof of my taxi and placed a portable speaker on the roof so people could hear WNEW FM live. Soon hundreds of people had gathered outside of the Dakota. Throughout that solemn night, thousands of fans arrived, mourned, and left. I know about these thousands of people coming to pay their respects and grieve the tragic loss of John in the middle of the night because I stayed in front of the Dakota for the next nine hours. It was heartbreakingly sad for me to witness. At any one time during the night, there were dozens of grown men and women openly weeping like babies. These nine hours were the catalyst that transformed my life. I swore on John's blood that I would do everything I possibly could to enlighten humanity and make our world better for future generations. And every day for the last forty years, I have been doing just that. Strawberry Fields: Keeping The Spirit Of John Lennon Alive (Film) (1:22:08) Producer | Writer | Director: Mark R. Elsis Featuring: Crying For John Lennon, by Hargo, Produced by Phil Spector and Graham Ward www.bitchute.com/video/4OFVttHeM8PD
"John Lennon was about to be assassinated", so why didn't do anything to prevent it? I already saw this story many years ago: just another Mr. Wannabe-Famous (like the assassin himself) wanting to cash on the tragic event. Not even a dislike deserved.
Wow thanks for posting this, what a trip. Like going back in time. Everyone was hip back then. A year later I saw the Simon and Garfunkel concert at Central Park and everyone was sharing joints while cops on horseback were only 2 feet away. I can`t believe it`s been 30 years already. "President elect Reagan" lol! That`s another one...My father and brother use to have bumper stickers all over the place supporting that guy, they use to call him "God" after the nightmare of Carter. Freakin` great!
Yes this was 1980 and the last days I mean last traces of the “ hippie era” of the 1960’s was still there. You could see it in the styles of hair and dress the people had in this clip.
“I was hoping gun control could be enacted so that his death wouldn’t be totally in vain” Unbelievable failures we have become in this country, forty-two years on.
Claims of anyone being shot at the New York vigil is an urban legend at best. It was broadcast live on TV and heavily reported on by the media that day. A shooting would have lead the news that evening. Why would it have been covered up then or now? It makes no sense.
I remember this, I was about 16 when this happened and what ticked me off was they kept focusing on Jane Fonda for some reason. I think it was channel 11 not 4..I grew up in Queens NYC and what`s bizarre is a few weeks before he was shot me and my brother saw John in the street and my brother who was a Viet vet gave him some poems he wrote and Lennon was incredulous, like "What the F you want me to do with this mate?" ha ha That really pissed me off though with Fonda, I just hated her guts.
I agree about Gun Control. Wishing that we could all come together today for Love N Peace. I remember the day like yesterday and it was 37 years ago today. Was one of the hardest week of my life.
I've never heard that and don't believe it's true - at least not at the New York vigil. I'm sure it would have been reported in this newscast broadcast that evening.
Then as now, I am amazed that a man like John Lennon could stop the world for an entire week, his music changed the world. Once again, John Lennon's charisma moved the world.
I was 20 when he got shot. Heard it on the radio. I cried for days. I grew up a Beatles fan and they are my favorite group ever. Miss him everyday
Literally: "The day the music died." 😢
I turned 15 August 1980 and almost 40 years later (Dec 08 2020) this tragic event is fresh in my mind. Sadness still remains when I think back to Dec 08 1980. I had on Monday Night Football and trying to figure my math homework that late. I was waiting for my dad to return home from picking up mom at her job in Manhattan, so that he could help me with homework. I was also waiting for the news on Channel 7, my fave network then. I heard Howard Cosell announce the shooting of John Lennon. I was in shock because dad had bought Double Fantasy a few weeks before. For the next few weeks we mourned John Lennon’s death in our Queens NY home. We did not attend the vigil but saw the vigil in newscasts. Days later dad drove mom and my siblings and I to the Dakota to see where he lived and died and to remember him in silence. We were all Beatles fans. Dad bought us two vinyl Beatles records. He had all the Beatles records (now in my possession) I have a tribute video on my channel from the 38 th anniversary of Lennon’s death and other John Lennon, The Beatles collection videos. I am hoping to be at The Dakota for the 40th anniversary on Dec 08 and film a video.RIP John Lennon. If you only knew the impact. this has in so many millions of fans to this day. I get teary eyed thinking back.
I was there. I was not a huge Beatles or John Lennon fan but knew it was something I had to be a part of. I am glad I cut school with 3 other friends to attend. It was quite moving and absolutely amazing how so many thousands of people were so quiet for 10 minutes. We were near the barricades and the line of photographers and all you could hear was the clicking of cameras. It started snowing at one point too and the huge crowd was singing "Give Peace A Chance". Yoko looked down at us from the Dakota. An experience I will never forget.
4:44-52 makes a person, like me, who wasn't alive at the time realize just how big an impact Lennon had on the world. Here are murderers and rapists in a New York prison, and even they loved him. May his memory live on always.
At the time, I wasn't a big fan of either John Lennon or The Beatles, I liked their music, & I liked his music, but I was still learning who they were.
Me too
I was there. Wow. And these people in politics are still talking about gun control.
I remember it well. It was on Sunday December 14th, I did a current events report for school about it.
I was at the Central Park vigil and also the Dakota. I'm not in the footage though that I can see.
I was at the park. I've never heard the city so silent. I got home and my brother told me he was at his bar, the Giants game was on & the news cut into the game. All the guys were of course OH MAN C'MON!!! But hearing Imagine & then the total silence shut down the noise in the bar completely, it really hit them. Then my brother said proudly in our Noo Yawk accent "My sistah's there right now ".
To this day, December 8, 1980 is the saddest day in music history.
The world still misses you, Johnny ❤
December 8, 1980
by Mark R. Elsis
"I am going into an unknown future, but I'm still all here,
and still while there's life, there's hope."
John Lennon, December 8, 1980
John Lennon was the greatest singer-songwriter and the most influential political artist of the twentieth century. He was assassinated on Monday, December 8, 1980, walking into the Dakota, his home on the upper West side of Manhattan, New York City.
In mid-November of 1980, at our local Irish tavern, the Gaslight Inn, in Elmhurst, I told my closest friends, John Lennon was about to be assassinated. I told them the powers that be were going to blame it on a lone crazy deranged fan, and that this person would never have a trial. I don't know how I knew all of this would come to be, except to say that besides my parents, John Lennon, someone whom I had never met, was the most significant person in my life. Perhaps because of my lifelong adoration, I was tapped into a precognitive form of what Dr. Rupert Sheldrake postulated in his theory, Morphic Resonance. I have had many other episodes of precognition throughout my life.
I've like The Beatles since first seeing them and hearing their music. On December 10, 1963, a five-minute news story shot in England about the phenomenon of Beatlemania aired on the CBS Evening News. I watched it and thought wow, in my almost six years of life, I have never seen such excitement. The young girls were going crazy for them. Then on its release day, December 26, 1963, radio stations in New York City started to play, I Want to Hold Your Hand.
John Lennon's initial influence on me first took hold a few minutes past 8 pm on Sunday, February 9, 1964, when Ed Sullivan gave his now-famous introduction, "Ladies and gentlemen, The Beatles" and after a few seconds of rapturous cheering from the audience, the band kicked into "All My Lovin'." Only 79 days before my Irish Catholic President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated, and I had just turned six-years-old 32 days earlier. On that February evening, the ongoing wake for President Kennedy finally ended.
Then while watching television on the evening of Sunday, June 25, 1967, I realized that there was someone who believed in peace and love. This night John Lennon and The Beatles sang, All You Need Is Love, on, Our World. The Beatles performed the song as Britain's contribution to Our World, the first live global television link via satellite. An estimated 400 to 700 million people around the globe watched the broadcast.
Watching John Lennon and The Beatles sing, All You Need Is Love, was profound, and perhaps the most transformational moment of my life. I was already a huge Beatle fan, but now the music, lyrics, and images of, All You Need Is Love, touched me at the deepest level inside my heart and soul, as nothing ever had before in my life.
This admiration for John Lennon only grew from that evening until the evening of December 8, 1980.
I was driving my taxi in Manhattan on that beautifully warm Monday evening of December 8, 1980. At around 10 pm, I was traveling without any passengers, going north on Central Park West, when I made a slow left turn on to 72nd Street.
As soon I made the slow left turn on to 72nd Street, now looking towards the front of the Dakota, my instinct sensed something was wrong. So, I slowed down to a crawl while passing in front.
I first noticed the outside doorman (Jose Perdomo, which somehow took the media six plus years to finally name correctly) who was standing on the left side of the archway. He was just outside of the doorman enclosure.
Then, I looked directly at this other man and sensed that he was lurking in the darkness. He was standing just outside the right side of the archway. I felt something was wrong and nearly stopped my taxi. The next day this man was identified as Mark David Chapman.
About an hour after I passed by the Dakota, I was still driving my taxi in Manhattan while listening, as always, to Vin Scelsa on WNEW 102.7, when he suddenly announced John Lennon had been shot. A short time later, while trying to hold back tears, he announced the death of John Lennon.
When Vin Scelsa broke this horrible news of John Lennon's death, I was with a woman passenger in my taxi. I was on East End Avenue, the same street where I was born, in Doctor's Hospital. As soon as my passenger heard the news, she immediately broke out crying. Soon there were tears in my eyes and rolling down my checks.
I slowly composed myself, turned my off duty light on, and finished driving my passenger to her home in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn (one block from where my paternal Grandmother lived). I dropped her off, waited until she was inside her home safely, and then headed straight to the Dakota.
It was about 11:45 pm when I arrived, and already there was a large group of people gathered. I double-parked my Peugeot 504 taxi just about twenty feet West of the archway, in front of the Dakota.
I opened the sunroof of my taxi and placed a portable speaker on the roof so people could hear WNEW FM live. Soon hundreds of people had gathered outside of the Dakota. Throughout that solemn night, thousands of fans arrived, mourned, and left.
I know about these thousands of people coming to pay their respects and grieve the tragic loss of John in the middle of the night because I stayed in front of the Dakota for the next nine hours.
It was heartbreakingly sad for me to witness. At any one time during the night, there were dozens of grown men and women openly weeping like babies.
These nine hours were the catalyst that transformed my life. I swore on John's blood that I would do everything I possibly could to enlighten humanity and make our world better for future generations.
And every day for the last forty years, I have been doing just that.
Strawberry Fields: Keeping The Spirit Of John Lennon Alive (Film) (1:22:08)
Producer | Writer | Director: Mark R. Elsis
Featuring: Crying For John Lennon, by Hargo, Produced by Phil Spector and Graham Ward
www.bitchute.com/video/4OFVttHeM8PD
"John Lennon was about to be assassinated", so why didn't do anything to prevent it? I already saw this story many years ago: just another Mr. Wannabe-Famous (like the assassin himself) wanting to cash on the tragic event. Not even a dislike deserved.
I was there.
Wow thanks for posting this, what a trip. Like going back in time. Everyone was hip back then. A year later I saw the Simon and Garfunkel concert at Central Park and everyone was sharing joints while cops on horseback were only 2 feet away. I can`t believe it`s been 30 years already. "President elect Reagan" lol! That`s another one...My father and brother use to have bumper stickers all over the place supporting that guy, they use to call him "God" after the nightmare of Carter. Freakin` great!
Yes this was 1980 and the last days I mean last traces of the “ hippie era” of the 1960’s was still there. You could see it in the styles of hair and dress the people had in this clip.
“I was hoping gun control could be enacted so that his death wouldn’t be totally in vain”
Unbelievable failures we have become in this country, forty-two years on.
Claims of anyone being shot at the New York vigil is an urban legend at best. It was broadcast live on TV and heavily reported on by the media that day. A shooting would have lead the news that evening. Why would it have been covered up then or now? It makes no sense.
I tried to find out the veracity of the story but I did not see who it was or if it is true
Can someone please tell me what was the song that broke the 10 minutes of silence?
"Imagine ".
We (me and my sister, BOTH "Beatlemaniacs") at Eastland Mall (North Versailles,PA Near Mckeesport). for the vigil. Sadly, It's gone now too.
I was there. ✌️♥️😭
I remember this, I was about 16 when this happened and what ticked me off was they kept focusing on Jane Fonda for some reason. I think it was channel 11 not 4..I grew up in Queens NYC and what`s bizarre is a few weeks before he was shot me and my brother saw John in the street and my brother who was a Viet vet gave him some poems he wrote and Lennon was incredulous, like "What the F you want me to do with this mate?" ha ha That really pissed me off though with Fonda, I just hated her guts.
I agree about Gun Control. Wishing that we could all come together today for Love N Peace. I remember the day like yesterday and it was 37 years ago today. Was one of the hardest week of my life.
I've never heard that and don't believe it's true - at least not at the New York vigil. I'm sure it would have been reported in this newscast broadcast that evening.
Polish Farmers form their own union...1980. My college daze.
Nice to know that randos at Rikers were cool. 👍😊👍
I also believe that it wasn't just a vigil for John Lennon, but it was also a funeral for the youth of the Baby Boomers.
I disagree with you. John Lennon and the spirit of the 60s will never die.