LENNONYC
2011; Oxford University Press; Volume: 98; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1093/jahist/jar154
ISSN1945-2314
Autores ResumoJohn Lennon moved to New York City in 1971 and lived in the United States, mostly in New York, until he was murdered in 1980. This is how one of the world's most famous British subjects can be called an “American master.” Of course, Lennon is hardly the first artist to be claimed as American who moved here after establishing a reputation on the basis of work produced in his or her native land. There is no doubt that Lennon's New York years represent a distinctive episode in his life and career and that New York was very important to him personally. While LENNONYC makes it clear that the United States influenced the songs and recordings he made during the last ten years of his life, the nature of that influence and the meaning and value of the work remains opaque. After the Beatles called it quits in 1970, Lennon released two albums in quick succession, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970) and Imagine (1971), both of which were commercially successful and critically well received. With tracks such as “A Working Class Hero,” “Imagine,” and “Jealous Guy” these records (and the song “Instant Karma,” released as a single) are widely regarded as the best of Lennon's solo career. It was only after Imagine was released that he and Yoko Ono moved from London to Greenwich Village. They came to escape the confinement imposed by fame on a Beatle in England, where Yoko was widely blamed for the quartet's breakup. They apparently immediately felt at home, and Yoko reports John saying that he should have been born in New York. Yoko's connections to the avant-garde art scene allowed them to hang out with Andy Warhol and other luminaries.
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