Uploaded July 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
"I Don't Want to Die"
I was writing a song about dying, when I noticed that everyone who writes or sings about death, dies ... and usually tragically.
John Lennon was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the Beatles.
In the Lennon/McCartney song writing duo of the Beatles, John Lennon's songs were initially about love, and then later shifted to more philosophical and psychedelic themes. As a solo artist, Lennon's music would typically thought to be about peace, love or protest. However, death, dying and killing was actually a more dominant theme in his music, appearing in several songs on every one of his solo albums.
Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono moved to New York City, where he was very active in the early 70s. In the mid-70s, he separated from Yoko and stopped recording as a solo artist.
Following a five-year music hiatus, Lennon was reunited with Yoko and the pair returned to the recording studio. In 1980, they released the collaboration "Double Fantasy" to critical and commerical success.
Three weeks after the album release, on December 8, 1980, a deranged fan, shot and killed Lennon outside Lennon's New York City home, The Dakota apartment building. The assailant was sentenced to 20-years-to-life and remains incarcerated.
Side Note: I quickly reworked the theme of my tune to be about returning home through space and time (totally not dying). I then dropped the lyrics and turned the melody into a guitar instrumental. That should be safe (youtu.be/1FuUKGrjEGY)!
"I Don't Want to Die"
I was writing a song about dying, when I noticed that everyone who writes or sings about death, dies ... and usually tragically.
John Lennon was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the Beatles.
In the Lennon/McCartney song writing duo of the Beatles, John Lennon's songs were initially about love, and then later shifted to more philosophical and psychedelic themes. As a solo artist, Lennon's music would typically thought to be about peace, love or protest. However, death, dying and killing was actually a more dominant theme in his music, appearing in several songs on every one of his solo albums.
Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono moved to New York City, where he was very active in the early 70s. In the mid-70s, he separated from Yoko and stopped recording as a solo artist.
Following a five-year music hiatus, Lennon was reunited with Yoko and the pair returned to the recording studio. In 1980, they released the collaboration "Double Fantasy" to critical and commerical success.
Three weeks after the album release, on December 8, 1980, a deranged fan, shot and killed Lennon outside Lennon's New York City home, The Dakota apartment building. The assailant was sentenced to 20-years-to-life and remains incarcerated.
Side Note: I quickly reworked the theme of my tune to be about returning home through space and time (totally not dying). I then dropped the lyrics and turned the melody into a guitar instrumental. That should be safe (youtu.be/1FuUKGrjEGY)!
