John Lennon Final Concert Appearance All Because Of A Bet With Elton John
John Lennon performed at Madison Square Garden with Elton John, marking one of his final concerts.
The Story All Starts With A Song
George Stroud/Getty Images
“Whatever Gets You Through the Night” by John Lennon is a song whose lyrics were inspired by a phrase heard on late-night television by a preacher named Reverend Ike who would say “Whatever gets you through the night.” John Lennon found this phrase relatable and used it as the basis for the song’s theme.
John Lennon’s life at the time was controlled chaos. In June 1973, as Lennon was about to record Mind Games, Yoko Ono suggested that she and Lennon should separate. Lennon soon moved to California with his and Ono’s assistant May Pang with Ono’s encouragement and an 18-month relationship he would later refer to as his “Lost Weekend”
Yoko and John got back together soon after the song went to #1
The Rock And Roll Bet That Got John Lennon To Perform Again
John Lennon called on his pal Elton John to be on the record on harmony vocals and piano. While in the studio.
Elton bet Lennon that the song would top the charts, and such was Lennon’s skepticism that Elton secured from him a promise to appear on stage with Elton, should the record indeed hit No. 1. When the record did achieve that feat, Lennon appeared at John’s Thanksgiving performance at Madison Square Garden on 28 November 1974. It was Lennon’s last major concert appearance.
Elton John & John Lennon – Whatever Gets You Thru The Night
On November 28, 1974, Elton was joined on stage at Madison Square Garden in New York City by a surprise guest after a bet that John Lennon and Elton John made: if Lennon’s ‘Whatever Gets You Thru The Night’ reached #1 in the US charts, John Lennon would join Elton on stage. It did, and he did. It would be John Lennon’s last concert appearance.
Jimmy Fallon Interviews Elton About That Legendary Performance
Elton John discusses transforming from a shy child into who he is now, confirms he is ready to wrap up his farewell tour, and shares what it was like to perform with John Lennon for his final performance.
The #1 Song Was The First Single From ” Walls & Bridges”
Walls and Bridges is the fifth solo studio album by English musician John Lennon. It was issued by Apple Records on 26 September 1974 in the United States in October. Walls and Bridges was an American number-one album and included two hit singles, “Whatever Gets You thru the Night” and “#9 Dream”. Lennon’s first number-one hit in the United States as a solo artist.
August 1966 The Beatles Released A Masterpiece Revolver
The 57th anniversary of one of the greatest albums the Beatles some say ever made. In August 1966 The Beatles Released A Masterpiece Revolver. Possible names for the album were tossed around like Beatles on Safari and Abracadabra.
The Beatles Revolver 8 Track
Critics hailed the album as innovative with backward looped guitar solos, and horn sections and introduced by George Harrison some heavily influenced Indian music. Rolling Stone magazine called Revolver,” The best Beatles album ever made.”
Despite being a short album at thirty-five minutes long, you can pretty much tell which songs were Lennon and those written by McCartney. The Song, “Here There and Everywhere.” a Paul McCartney Masterpiece. John Lennon jumped out with the song, “Tomorrow Never Knows.” Jam-packed with all-out crazy back loops and sound effects.
For the 1st time in Beatle history, an album starts with a George Harrison song. His magnum opus song, “Taxman,” gets the album off and running with a stunning guitar riff that still stands the test of time. Klaus Voormann, a friend of The Beatles from their early days at the beginning of 1960, is responsible for the cover art and put together a collage. Klaus studied art and moved to the UK to take up music, playing bass with the group Manfred Mann. He created the collage out of a number of photos of the band. Klaus himself appears on the front cover, looking underneath the drawing of John’s mouth.
Enjoy some of the highlights of Revolver. As we celebrate 57 years of one of the greatest rock albums in history.
