Elephant Men: A John Lennon Timeline

'Starting Over'

December 8, 1980

'Silhouettes and shadows watch the revolution'

John Lennon was exhausted, but he knew there was no way he would let himself out of the Record Plant until Yoko's song was perfect. It was getting there. Just one more guitar lick here-

"John?"

She was looking at him with that look again. The one he'd seen only on Julia's face. That mix of disappointment and bemusement, with a hint of mischief thrown in.

"Yes mother?"

"Don't you think we should head home? Say goodnight to Sean?"

"Christ. What's the-"

"Quarter till eleven John." Jack Douglas was even more exhausted than John was, but he hid it well. John liked that about him.

"Bugger. Well… might as well put one more in the can. While we're at it." John hadn't been this excited about recording since he first heard Dylan. Jack and Yoko exchanged glances. "Mother, I promise you, this is going to the topper most of the poppermost!" It'd been longer since he'd said that to anyone. But he liked how the words chewed out of his mouth. They felt rebellious. Alive. Not too serious.

'And when our hearts return to ashes, it'll just be a story'

It was getting close to eleven, and Mark David Chapman was freezing. The lights of the city were beginning to fade, like a lit cigarette amongst ashes. Various ne'er do wells walked down the street, eyes downcast. Mark studied each of their faces, searching for answers. Any answers. The Dakota was a rigid silhouette against the cluster of Manhattan lights. Leaning against it, Mark could feel the wind pull the Gothic structure to and fro. "So big. And so weak." An apt analogy, thought Mark. He would've dwelled on it for far too long, had it not been for the encroaching lights of a large, jet black limousine crawling its way across the pavement. Mark's pupils retracted and shrank. Squinting, he could make out a familiar license plate number. He strained to see a familiar face, one that nearly every teenage girl in America had etched in their memory. The glacier halted. Mark's heart ceased its steady rhythm, and had now been playing at a fever pitch. The door opened quickly, more quickly than it usually did. Yet to Mark, the door had become frozen in space and time. He wasn't sure if he had been breathing or not. Then, he appeared.

John had seen that guy before. He couldn't remember when, but his face wasn't one you could erase. John nodded, and a smile creased his face. Whoever it was, it didn't really matter. He was about to go upstairs and see the love of his life.

Mark returned the smile. After all, it wasn't every day when a Beatle smiled at you. Then John turned, and Mark's face became rigid, hard. Like the gargoyles etched onto the side of the Dakota. Mark reached into his coat pocket. The blue metal was barely visible, but it's presence was felt instantly. A new aurora had permeated the area. Time decided to stop for a moment, and anxiously look on.

"Mr. Lennon?"

John turned around. He could tell that Mark was holding something. What it was, he had no idea. The two stood there for the briefest of instants, but John always remembered it as being eons before he remembered that face.

"Oh. That's who you are. You like the record mate?"

He couldn't do it. After hours of anticipation and wait, Mark couldn't bring himself to raise his gun, and fire. At this instant Mark saw John for who really was, for the only time in Mark's life: not God, not the Devil, but a man. Just a man. Mark's hand ducked back quickly into his pocket.

"Yes Mr. Lennon. Yes I did."

"Thank God for that. I was beginning to think I was the only one."

With that, John Lennon turned around, and followed his wife into the Dakota, trying not to drop the mix for Yoko's song, like last time.

December 9, 1980

"The world was never made;
It will change, but it will not fade."

Now it was John's turn to stand freezing in a bleak December night. He'd been standing outside of the Booth for God knows how long. But the show hadn't disappointed. So John let himself freeze for a bit. Throngs of people gathered around the stage door. John was worried he'd be the one trampled by ravenous fans, but it looked like David had him beat this time. Speak of the devil. There he was, flashing a row of pearly whites to the clamoring crowd. John had to laugh. Crowds of screaming people brought back memories for him. Not necessarily good ones, but memories nonetheless.

John's nostalgic waxing was broken abruptly by a stout, heavy set guy pushing him out of the way. Had it been twenty years ago, John would've started a blazing row over this. Not now. He was too used to the New York spirit. So he laughed it off. It was in the midst of this fit of laughter that Mark David Chapman pulled out a Charter Arms .38 caliber revolver and fired five shots. The first ricocheted off the side of the building and hit a young woman in the leg. The second, hit the stage door, creating a dent that was still there when the Booth was torn down ten years later. But the final three, however, struck David Bowie in the chest. The coroner later said that even if Bowie had been standing inside of the operating room when he was shot, he still would've succumbed to his injuries. He fell to the ground, and would never stand back up.

John couldn't hear a thing. His ears were ringing. Suddenly, the only face he saw was Julia's. She was smiling, laughing. She was happy. And so was John. By the last bullet, however, his mother was gone, and he had returned to a frigid December night in 1980. Primal fear over took John, and soon he was off the ground, flying through the air. He hit Mark David Chapman with a resonating thud. John hadn't been in a real row since Spector, but at this moment anger and pain overtook everything else. He ripped the gun out of his sweaty hands, and flung it as far away as he could. Tears began flowing down John's face. He hadn't seen a thing, but his ears caught everything.

Unperturbed, Mark David Chapman looked John Lennon dead in the eye, and said, "I just shot David Bowie."

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Elephant Men

December 16, 1980

John Lennon hadn't gotten out of bed for a week. He hadn't slept either. His eyes had glazed over. He gripped onto his guitar for dear life, aimlessly strumming from time to time. Yoko hadn't gotten a word out of him. Neither had Sean. He had entered a catatonic state. The music press, however, was not.

Scary Monsters…, David Bowie's most recent album, skyrocketed back to number one on the charts. Ashes to Ashes, the album's lead single, also returned to number one. David Bowie had become deified; his legions of fans went into hysterics. According to police reports, three fans took their own lives before Angela Bowie, David's recently divorced wife, made a call asking for his fans to not fall into despair.

David was, above anything else, a man who loved people. He loved life, he loved music, and he loved his family. He loved all of you, and wouldn't have wanted anyone to harm themselves for his sake. -Angela Bowie.

Tributes flooded out of the music industry. Brian Eno, a noted collaborator of Bowie's, released a album of ambient music, merely entitled, David, in January of 1981. John Lennon also experienced a resurgence, with many regarding him as a hero for detaining Bowie's killer, preventing him from harming anyone else within the vicinity. Lennon released a brief statement, in which he spoke of his deep admiration and love for David and his music. However, John Lennon did make another public appearance until the next year.

December 17, 1980

John Lennon woke up with a song stuck in his head. He had never heard it before, but it's grasp had overtaken his entire thought process. As the dawn broke over a New York skyline, John Lennon called up Jack Douglas, and discreetly left the Dakota for the Hit Factory. He was joined by Hugh McCracken, Tony Levin, and Andy Newmark. Yoko slept in. The resulting song, entitled Elephant, was released as a single on Christmas, 1980. The song dealt not only with Bowie's death, but also drew comparison with the historical "Elephant Man" Joseph Merrick, Bowie, and Lennon himself, as well as the universal terror of death, and how we must overcome its' grasp in order to truly live. The song reached number one, and held the position for three weeks. It is now considered to be one of the greatest songs in Lennon's canon.

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The cover of the single
 
Elephant Men

Sorry for the delay!

'One World, One People'

The recording of, Elephant, rejuvenated John Lennon. Immediately afterwards, John Lennon re-entered the studio, this time accompanied by Yoko Ono, to record the follow-up to Double Fantasy, entitled, Milk and Honey. The album was released January 16, 1981 to decidedly mixed reviews, with the general consensus being that the album was a step below even the meager standards set by his previous album. A single, I'm Stepping Out was released in February, where it stalled at the number 10 spot. Another Lennon penned number, entitled Life Begins At Forty appeared on Ringo Starr's album, Stop and Smell the Roses. With appearances from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and John Lennon on the album (albeit in separate songs) the album became a financial smash, despite a cool critical reception. While many fans clamored at the thought of a "Beatles Reunion", John Lennon had other plans for the time being…

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In March of 1981, John Lennon and Yoko Ono began their "One World, One People" World Tour with a surprise performance at Madison Square Garden, where they were joined by Lennon collaborator Elton John. After touring the United States for several months, John Lennon made his triumphant return to England, with a series of free shows held in open air venues, the first of which occurring at Strawberry Field Children's Orphanage in Liverpool. Whilst the album was critically derided, the tour was a massive financial and critical success, with many praising the loose, carefree nature of the endeavor (with Lennon often making numerous asides and short anecdotes between songs) as well as the technical proficiency of the performance, with many marveling at the various special effects used by Lennon in the show, an example being the tour's now iconic opening, featuring John and Yoko walking through the streets of the respective city where they performed. The one divisive element of the show, of course, were the re-arranging of various Beatle-era songs, which was sometimes met positively (with John's slowed, bluesy performance of Help being singled out as a highlight of the show) and oftentimes met with scorn (with many attacking his B-52's esque adaptation of I Wanna Hold Your Hand, which he sang directly to Yoko onstage) After nearly a year on the road, John Lennon returned to New York City in January of 1982, this time with a plan to truly re-establish himself as a solo artist, after the relatively lukewarm reaction to both Double Fantasy and Milk and Honey, this time without the input of Yoko Ono.

Average Set list for the One World, One People Tour
1. Starting Over
2. Kiss Kiss Kiss
3. I Wanna Hold Your Hand
4. Give Me Something
5. Help
6. I'm Moving On
7. Beautiful Boy
8. I'm Stepping Out
9. Yes I'm Your Angel
10. Woman
11. Beautiful Boys
12. Stand By Me
13. Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him
14. Hard Times Are Over
-Encore-
15. Instant Karma!
16. Walking on the Thin Ice
17. I Am the Walrus
18. Happy Xmas (War is Over)
19. Watching the Wheels
20. Imagine
21. One World, One People
 
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