Reviews

John Lennon has been in the news a lot lately, and with good reason.  2020 marks what would have been the musician’s 80th birthday and, sadly, it’s also the fortieth year since his death.  But there’s more to that final year of John’s life than the tragic events of December 8, 1980.  In his new biography, John Lennon: 1980 – The Last Days in the Life, Beatles expert Kenneth Womack tracks that period of creativity and reinvention, writing in a way that’s simultaneously approachable yet authoritative and thorough.

But to say it’s just a day-by-day explanation of a year would be to sell Womack’s considerable storytelling talents short.  He takes readers along as he traces John and Yoko’s history together in all its ups and downs.  Through new interviews and extensive research, Womack uncovers fresh information at almost every turn, telling the “other side” of the story of that period often referred to as “The Lost Weekend,” when Lennon began a relationship with May Pang and began a period of prolific artistry and well-deserved success.  Womack puts us in the action as Lennon struggles with citizenship, reunites with Ono, begins a life of domesticity, sets forth on the high seas of Bermuda where he completes what would become some of his most enduring music, records Double Fantasy alongside Ono, and plans for the future.  Womack also reveals aspects of Lennon’s creative process, unveiling the complete evolution of some of his most legendary later songs, from their infancy to their recording and release.

Womack gives readers an inside look into the Dakota, The Hit Factory, and all of Lennon’s travels in New York and abroad, detailing all the people he met along the way, who’d go on to inspire him and his music.  With this intimate look into Lennon’s final years, readers will see all the sides of Lennon’s personality and artistry – inspired, enthusiastic, and always looking forward.  It’s a thrilling ride, available now wherever fine books are sold.

You can order your copy of John Lennon, 1980: The Last Days in the Life from Amazon U.S., Amazon U.K. or Amazon Canada.  And check out this accompanying Spotify playlist – curated by Kenneth Womack – to enjoy as you read!