Love is in the air on this fine Valentine’s Day, and to celebrate that, we have put together a gallery of “Couples That Rock.” Regardless of whether the duos survived in the long-run, we collected 30 images to honor legendary musical relationships ranging from John and Yoko to Britney and Justin.
Head over to RollingStone.com to check out this gallery and more like it.
—Ben Murray
Three nights before he was killed on December 8th, 1980, John Lennon sat down with Rolling Stone to give what would be his final interview. The “joyous, outrageously funny, inspiring, fearless and subversive” conversation (which was never fully transcribed and printed until just last year) paints a vivid and candid picture of a timeless talent. Lennon was on the verge of public reemergence after stepping away from the spotlight to be with his family when he was tragically murdered on the way home from a mixing session at the age of 40. To honor the 31st anniversary of John Lennon’s passing and read about the days before his death, check out the complete interview on RollingStone.com.
— Parry Ernsberger
Photo: Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Beatles fans will forever mourn April 10. On that date in 1970, Paul McCartney announced the Beatles would be no more. In legal documents obtained by Rolling Stone’s David Browne, McCartney blames “personal differences, business differences, musical differences,” for the demise of one of the greatest bands in history.
Check out the time line of events in the days leading to the break up.
The first time John Lennon played Liverpool’s Cavern Club (as part of The Quarrymen), the music venue had a strict no-rock policy. Good thing they changed their minds.
Today marks the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ first performance at the Cavern, a venue they would return to 292 times during their storied career. Celebrate by checking out Beatles’ memories from that night on RollingStone.com.
When it comes to duets with rock legends, Jimmy Fallon has been on a hot streak. Last month it was Bruce Springsteen and last night it was Paul McCartney, who dropped by for the—ahem—original version of “Yesterday.” (Check out those harmonies on Jimmy’s end!)
When John Lennon sat down with Rolling Stone’s Jonathan Cott for a nine-hour interview on December 5, 1980, he lashed out at fans and critics who went after him for taking a five-year break from music. But he also spoke about maturing as an artist, and talked about plans for a possible return to the road. Select excerpts from the interview ran in Rolling Stone’s tribute to John Lennon the month after his death, but Cott never transcribed all of the tapes: For 30 years they sat in the back of his closet.
Now, for the first time, Rolling Stone has published the remarkably candid interview in a special John Lennon tribute issue that hits newsstands this Friday and released audio clips of the Q&A on RollingStone.com. Here are some quotes from Lennon from the interview:
“Give peace a chance, not shoot people for peace. All you need is love. I believe it. It’s damn hard, but I absolutely believe it. But I’m not claiming divinity. I’ve never claimed divinity. I’ve never claimed purity of soul. I’ve never claimed to have the answer to the light. I’ve never made any claims. I only put out songs and answer questions as honestly as I can, but only as honestly as I can. No more, no less.”
-From “John Lennon Lashes Out at Fans”
“The hardest thing is facing yourself. It’s easier to shout ‘revolution’ and ‘power to the people’ than it is to look at yourself and try and find out what’s real inside you and what isn’t when you pull the wool over your own eyes. Your own hypocrisy, that’s the hardest thing, and that’s what I’m involved in.”
-From “John Lennon on Maturing”
Archive video: Gunman murders John Lennon
TODAY’s morning news coverage from Dec. 8, 1980, the day the legendary musician was assassinated outside his New York City apartment building. Watch
John Lennon Announced dead by Howard Cosell During Monday Night Football Telecast 1980
During the last years of his life, John Lennon and wife Yoko Ono lived in New York City—where they spent much of their time in Central Park, in the recording studio and with their young son Sean.
Rolling Stone’s gallery of Lennon and Ono offers a glimpse into those final years, including photos of the couple posing in front of their home, filming video to promote the album Double Fantasy and showing off John’s green card the day he received it in 1976.
Check out these photos and more at RollingStone.com.
Thirty years ago today—on December 8, 1980—John Lennon was shot to death by a deranged fan outside of the Dakota, an apartment building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Three days before his death, Lennon spent nine hours talking with Rolling Stone for a planned cover story. Now, 30 years later, this extraordinary interview is being presented for the first time in the new issue of the magazine, on newsstands Friday.
Check out our web-exclusive companion coverage to the piece, including audio clips from the interview, a gallery of Lennon’s years in New York with Yoko Ono, other stories from our archives and more at RollingStone.com.
