In my younger years, I was addicted to The Beatles (as were most teens); however, as I got older, and so did The Beatles, my tastes changed, and so did theirs. In fact, after the band broke apart, I pretty much quit following them.
I know millions of people were not at all like me, and they’re still pretty much like “Elvis” fans – in their minds, he will NEVER die, even though he did. And so did John Lennon. In fact, Dec. 8, 2014 was the 36th anniversary of his death at just 40 years old.
1. Which of these songs does not feature piano? “Love”; “Instant Karma”; “Working Class Hero”; “Oh Yoko!”
2. What is one of Sean Lennon’s middle names? Taro; Love; Julian; Winston.
3. What was John Lennon’s first non-Beatles single? “Happy X-Mas (War Is Over)”; “Instant Karma!”; “Give Peace a Chance”; “Mother.”
4. Which of these was John’s first non-Beatles album? “The Two Virgins”; “Double Fantasy”; “Give Peace a Chance”; “Imagine.”
5. In the John Lennon song, “I Am The Walrus,” what creature was “singing Hare Krishna?” Zebra; Penguin; Kangaroo; Blue Fox.
6. Julia Lennon, John’s mother, died in what year? 1957; 1958; 1960; 1970.
7. What album won the 1982 Grammy Award for Album of the Year? “Double Fantasy”; “Mistaken Identity”; “Glass Houses”; “Breakin’ Away.”
8. Who murdered John Lennon? Mark David Chapman; Ted Bundy; John Hinckley, Jr.; Charles Manson; Mark David Chapman.
9. From his tribute album of late ‘50s/early ‘60s songs called “Rock and Roll,” this single made the top 20 in the U.S. What is this Ben E. King song, which contains the opening line, “When the night has come and the land is dark”? “Be Bop A Lula”; “Peggy Sue”; “Stand By Me”; “Boney Moroney.”
10. Like many rock musicians, Lennon suffered from drug abuse at times. Which song, released as his second single under the Plastic Ono Band name, details the withdrawal symptoms from drug addiction? “Clean-Up Time”; “Cold Turkey;” “Scared”; “It’s So Hard.”
ANSWERS: 1. “Working Class Hero” – it just has guitar. 2. Taro. It roughly translates to “John” in Japanese. 3. “Give Peace a Chance.” On the original single, the credits list Lennon/McCartney as the song writers. 4. “The Two Virgins.” 5. Penguin. It was an “elementry” (sic) penguin. “Magical Mystery Tour” is a fine album. It contains “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Baby You’re a Rich Man,” and of course, “I Am the Walrus.” Thank you, John. 6. 1958. While waiting for the bus, his mother was run over by a car driven by an off-duty police officer. She died instantly. John said, about the death of his mother, “It was the worst thing that ever happened to me.” 7. “Double Fantasy.” “Double Fantasy” became a worldwide success after Lennon’s death, three weeks after the album was released. 8. Chapman was sentenced to 20 years to life for killing Lennon. 9. “Stand By Me.” Lennon had to wait a long time to release this album. Amongst the reasons were contractual disputes with record companies and the recording’s original producer Phil Spector “running off” with the tapes. It was eventually released with a 1961 picture of John in Hamburg on the front cover. 10. “Cold Turkey.” “Cold Turkey” was released in October 1969, and reached number 30 on the Billboard chart. Lennon recorded acoustic guitar demos before Eric Clapton played the searing guitar riff on the final recording. Klaus Voorman (bass) and Ringo Starr on drums were other key musicians on the record. Lennon was disappointed with the lack of success for this song, and cited this as one of the reasons for returning his M.B.E. award in a letter to the queen.