The Songs Of John Lennon

(Berklee Press). An essential guide for all songwriters and Beatles fans, this book explores John Lennon's songwriting genius with a guided tour through 25 of his Beatles-era hits. Author John Stevens explains Lennon's intuitive talent from a technical point of view, through the lens of songwriting's three basic elements: melody, harmony and lyric. He shows how Lennon fashioned songs that were at once politically and socially relevant during the '60s, yet remain ageless and timeless today. Features in-depth musical analysis of: A Hard Day's Night * Ticket to Ride * Norwegian Wood * Strawberry Fields Forever * Come Together * and more. John Stevens is a songwriting professor at Berklee College of Music. For more than 20 years, he has taught "The Music of John Lennon," one of the most popular courses in the Berklee curriculum. "You've got the Beatles' records and the John Lennon records; now with this book, you can have the Owner's Manual. This will tell you how the songs are built and how they work. Good stuff." Marshall Crenshaw, Singer/Songwriter

Despite John Lennon's immense popularity, little attention has been paid to his work apart from the Beatles. Yet his solo artistry not only illuminates what he gave to the Beatles, but also constitutes a significant contribution to popular music in general. Lennon was able to fuse experiments in technology, instrumentation, lyrics, and musical form into recordings that were both artistically and commercially successful. Few singer-songwriters have been his equal. In this long overdue investigation, authors Ben Urish and Ken Bielen give Lennon's artistry the opportunity to speak for itself. After a brief biographical introduction, chronologically arranged chapters discuss his incredible body of work album-by-album and single-by-single. A discography and annotated bibliography conclude the book. Despite John Lennon's immense popularity, little attention has been paid to the overall efforts of his work apart from the Beatles. Yet his solo artistry not only illuminates what he gave to the Beatles (and what the Beatles experience gave to him), but also constitutes a significant contribution to popular music in general. Lennon was able to fuse experiments in technology, instrumentation, lyrics, and musical form into recordings that were both artistically and commercially successful. Whether expressing emotions, explaining philosophies, protesting social situations, or ruminating on the joys and pains of personal entanglements, few singer-songwriters have been his equal. In this long overdue investigation, authors Ben Urish and Ken Bielen give Lennon's artistry the opportunity to speak for itself. After a brief biographical introduction, chronologically arranged chapters discuss his incredible body of work album-by-album and single-by-single. A discography and annotated bibliography conclude the book. Although he is often lauded as a spokesperson for his generation, this praise, however intended, is far too limiting. Lennon was able to transform the intensely personal into the deeply universal (as well as the reverse), often with humor and pointed insight. At their core, his songs are simultaneously humanistic and transcendent. And as such, they-and he-continue to be relevant, and will certainly remain a valuable part of our cultural heritage for a long time to come.

"Jonn Lennon's life in the years between 1970 and his tragically young death in 1980 were eventful and fascinating. He moved from stardom in the world's biggest pop group, to global peace campaigner and figurehead for radical causes. He left England for a new life in the USA with Yoko Ono. There was a bizarre interlude of 18 months - his famous 'lost weekend' - when John ran off with Yoko's secretary May Pang and descended into alcoholism. Reunited with Yoko, he abandoned publi life and retired to his New York apartment to raise their son and live the life of a recluse. In 1980 he re-emerged with a new album, but the plan to resume his career was cruelly curtailed on that fateful night outside the Dakota Building. This book recounts John's life after The Beatles in a fascinating and revealing track-by-track analysis of the stories behind each song that he wrote."--Back cover.

(Piano/Vocal/Guitar Songbook). Learn songs created by one of the most successful partnerships in music! 42 full songs with piano arrangements, guitar chords and lyrics are included, each with their own plain-English performance notes detailing the wheres, whats and hows. Hits include: Across the Universe * Can't Buy Me Love * The Fool on the Hill * Good Day Sunshine * Hey Jude * I Saw Her Standing There * If I Fell * Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da * She's Leaving Home * We Can Work It Out * You've Got to Hide Your Love Away * and many more.

**NOTE: EBOOK DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY IMAGES** Every album and every song ever released by the Beatles?from "Please Please Me" (U.S. 1963) to "The Long and Winding Road" (U.S. 1970)?is dissected, discussed, and analyzed by two music historians in this lively and fully illustrated work. All the Songs delves deep into the history and origins of the Beatles and their music. This first-of-its-kind book draws upon decades of research, as music historians Margotin and Guesdon recount the circumstances that led to the composition of every song, the recording process, and the instruments used. Here, we learn that one of John Lennon's favorite guitars was a 1958 Rickenbacker 325 Capri, which he bought for £100 in 1960 in Hamburg, Germany. We also learn that "Love Me Do," recorded in Abbey Road Studios in September 1962, took 18 takes to get right, even though it was one of the first songs John and Paul ever wrote together. And the authors reveal that when the Beatles performed "I Want to Hold Your Hand" on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, John's microphone wasn't turned on, so viewers heard only Paul singing. All the Songs is the must-have Beatles book for the any true Beatles fan.

For the first time, John Lennon: 1980 Playlist examines the music this legendarily figure was listening to in the year of his creative rebirth, and how that music impacted his life. Reggae, new wave, blues, country, R & B, early rock and roll, ambient and gospel; John listened to it all and loved it all. Readers will learn:* What John thought about punk bands like the Clash and the new wave music so popular in 1980.* That John's eclectic musical taste made him an unlikely fan of Bing Crosby, Noel Coward, and even Morris Albert's schmaltz classic "Feelings."* How Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and Bob Marley each inspired John to write a new song of his own in 1980. * How songs by Queen and the B-52s inspired John to re-enter the recording studio for the first time in five years.* The event that spurred John and Yoko to return to the studio just a couple of weeks after Double Fantasy was released.* The Doobie Brothers track that lent its title to one of John's Double Fantasy songs.* The rock, disco, funk, country, and pop songs John was listening to that year.John Lennon: 1980 Playlist examines the music of an incredibly diverse list of artists that provided the soundtrack to John's final year including David Bowie, Dolly Parton, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Presley, Jermaine Jackson, the Knack, Kate Bush, Devo, B.B. King, Yoko Ono, Elvis Costello, the Vapors, Donna Summer, Tina Turner, Bobby Darin, Christopher Cross, Olivia Newton-John and the Cars, to name but a few. In John Lennon: 1980 Playlist readers will learn not only what John had to say about these artists, but how their music resonated in John's life, sometimes even influencing crucial decisions he made that year. All of this is placed in the context of the time, the turbulent year of 1980.Even the most jaded of Beatlemanics will learn something new in John Lennon: 1980 Playlist.Even the most jaded Beatlemaniacs will discover new information and insights in John Lennon: 1980 Playlist!

Lennon's life after the Beatles was eventful and fascinating. He moved from stardom in the world's biggest pop group to global peace campaigner and figurehead for radical causes. He left England for a new life in the USA with Yoko Ono. He later abandoned public life and retired to his New York apartment to raise their son and live the life of a recluse. In 1980 he re-emerged with a new album, but the plan to resume his career was cruelly curtailed on a fateful night outside the Dakota Building when he was murdered. Upon first publication, this book was the first to examine and assess all of John Lennon's solo work. This updated edition includes lyrics and is released on the 40th anniversary of his death and the 80th anniversary of his birth.