John Lennon Remembered: We All Shine On - Page 3

I was one of those who felt buoyed without latching on too tightly to the heightened expectation. Of course I bought the album, enjoying it well enough--good old inconsistent John, pulling through again--but taking it in the spirit in which it was meant. In tacit acknowledgement of a simple request, we welcomed John back in his new unassuming guise and in the low-key manner he asked of us; we were secure in the knowledge that he was back for good and in it for the long haul.

Indeed, it was just like starting over, slowly but surely. For now, we thought, we’ll bask in the moment and not bother about the momentum--never dreaming then or imagining even twenty-five years on, that the impetus could be instantly quelled, a great spirit stilled, a spirit more in keeping with a pointed, irreverent National Lampoon-style humor over some of the more hagiographic bowing and scraping that goes on.

As for his fans on December 8, 1980, life got worse long before it would improve. Though we knew things would be getting better again, if not all the time as the song promised, we couldn't help but feel that--in place of the assurance we took comfort in--a certain emptiness and ache was here for good and in it for the long haul, instead.

Article Author: Gordon Hauptfleisch

Gordon Hauptfleisch is a Blogcritics Books Editor, freelance writer, and book reviewer for the San Diego Union Tribune. For many years he worked in and managed bookstores and record stores. Email him and he'll stop talking in the third-person.
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