Happy Birthday, John

John Lennon would have been 70 tomorrow.  So I'll be the one to say that the car on the cover of Abbey Road should say "70 IF" on the license plate.  For the uninitiated, it says "28 IF", which played into the Paul is Dead theory.

My friend Amy Beth (sad sad Mets fan that she is) wrote a wonderful piece on John's impact.  She makes the point that The Beatles didn't really break up because of Yoko Ono (but let's be honest...she played a part in it) but because John and Paul McCartney were a couple of hot heads (basically).  All true.  It's also pretty well known that John and Paul began to break the ice and the thoughts built that maybe...just maybe...The Beatles might "get back."

Of course, December 8, 1980 came and that idea died, as John was mortally wounded by Mark David Chapman.

The remaining Beatles would reunite in the mid-90's, using John's voice for two songs, as part of the "Anthology" series.

Amy Beth has is all straight in the article I linked above.  John's impact is still very much felt, and even felt in pockets around New York City, a place he came to love so dearly, from when he first visited with The Beatles in 1964, to how he made his home here (and died here).  That legacy will be celebrated in film with a showing in Central Park.  Many others wish to remember John via his contributions to peace and love (and Yoko continues to soldier on his memory and on her own).

For me, it's the music - always.  So today, I began putting together a list of John's best - both with and without The Beatles.  The usual suspects are all there: "Help!", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Imagine", "Instant Karma" and so on.  What would you put on your "Ultimate Lennon" list?

Happy birthday, John (and anyone else having a birthday this weekend...hmmm...any, um, girlfriends having birthdays this weekend).