Lennon Reinvents Himself After ‘The Beatles: Get Back’

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LENNON REINVENTS TITLE

"24 Hours" - The Peace Debate

"24 Hours" - Dawn of Beatlemania

"Imagine" - Country Couple

"Imagine" - Welcome to New York

"Gimme Some Truth" - ‘Imagine’ Comes to Life

"Gimme Some Truth" - ‘All I want is the truth’

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'The Beatles: Get Back' Was Just the First Chapter

John Lennon Timeline 1969-72

Crucial Moments in the Lennon Story

The Beatles gather at the Twickenham Film Studios to begin rehearsing songs, with Michael Lindsay-Hogg enlisted to supervise filming of the sessions for a planned concert and documentary.

Jan. 2, 1969

Amid the haphazard rehearsals, a disgruntled George Harrison walks out. The band refocuses on recording a new album.

Jan. 10, 1969

With Billy Preston joining the sessions to act as both keyboardist and buffer between the warring egos, the band records “Get Back” and “Don’t Let Me Down.”

Jan. 28, 1969

The Beatles perform for the last time in public on the rooftop of their Apple Corps. building in London.  

Jan. 30, 1969

John Lennon and Yoko Ono are married in Gibraltar.

March 20, 1969

Lennon and Ono celebrate their marriage by hosting a “bed-in” — their “commercial for peace” — at the Amsterdam Hilton in the Netherlands.

March 25-31, 1969

John officially changes his name to John Ono Lennon.

April 22, 1969

Lennon and Ono conduct a second bed-in, this time at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. They record “Give Peace a Chance” with Tommy Smothers, Timothy Leary, Dick Gregory and Allen Ginsberg, among others.

May 26-June 2, 1969

The Beatles release “The Ballad of John and Yoko.” It’s credited to Lennon-McCartney as with all Beatles compositions involving the two bandmates, but it’s actually solely written by Lennon.

June 4, 1969

The Beatles begin sessions for what would be their final recording project, the “Abbey Road” album. Lennon is absent because he has to be hospitalized in Scotland after an auto accident.

July 1, 1969

“Give Peace a Chance” is released and eventually ascends to the Top 20 in at least 10 countries.

July 7, 1969

Lennon makes his first studio appearance for the “Abbey Road” sessions. Ono, still recuperating from her car crash injuries, is also in attendance while resting in a bed.

July 9, 1969

Lennon and Ono move to Tittenhurst Park, a 400-acre estate in Ascot, England.

Aug. 1, 1969

Lennon returns his Member of the Order of the British Empire medal awarded him and the other Beatles in 1965. His letter to the queen explains: "I am returning this MBE in protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and against ‘Cold Turkey’ slipping down the charts. With love, John Lennon of Bag."

Sept. 1, 1969

Lennon appears at the Toronto Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival concert, accompanied by guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Klaus Voormann, drummer Alan White and Ono. 

Sept. 13, 1969

The Beatles release “Abbey Road,” and it eclipses the Beatles’ previous record by topping 5 million sales by June 1970.

Sept. 26, 1969

The Plastic Ono Band’s “Live Peace in Toronto” album is released.

Dec. 12, 1969

The BBC airs “24 Hours: The World of John and Yoko,” a Paul Morrison documentary about Lennon and Ono’s activities and creative process over a five-day period in the final days of the Beatles. 

Dec. 15, 1969

Lennon-Ono deliver a Christmas message on billboards in 11 cities around the world: “War Is Over! If You Want It!” 

Dec. 16, 1969

Lennon and Phil Spector write and record "Instant Karma."

Jan. 26, 1970

The Beatles release their final single, “Let It Be,” in the U.K., and a few days later in the U.S.

March 6, 1970

Paul McCartney announces his split from the Beatles to coincide with the release of his first solo album, “Ram.” Lennon is miffed because he had left the Beatles in September 1969, but agreed not to publicize his decision while the group renegotiated its recording contract. "I started the band. I disbanded it. It's as simple as that,” he later said in an interview.

April 10, 1970

After being shelved for nearly a year, the Beatles’ “Let it Be” album is finally released with final production touches applied by Phil Spector.

May 8, 1970

Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s “Let It Be” documentary is released and provides a glimpse into the Beatles’ dynamics as they entered their final year together as a working band.

May 13, 1970

Lennon’s solo debut, “John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band” is released. Coproduced by Lennon, Ono and Phil Spector, it reaches the Top 10 in the U.S. and U.K.

Dec. 11, 1970

Lennon records what would become his signature song, “Imagine,” in his studio at Tittenhurst.

July 1, 1971

Lennon-Ono move to New York City and get an apartment in Greenwich Village. Lennon was told that he would not be able to remain in the United States due to a marijuana conviction in 1968.

Aug. 31, 1971

The “Imagine” album is released in America and eventually reaches No. 1 on both the U.S. and U.K. charts.

Sept. 9, 1971

The “Imagine” single is released and reaches No. 3 in the U.S. and No. 1 in the U.K.

Oct. 11, 1971

Lennon and Ono perform at the "John Sinclair Freedom Rally," a protest and benefit concert in Ann Arbor, Mich., for the MC5 band manager imprisoned for marijuana possession. Lennon’s song "John Sinclair" calls for his release. After the Michigan Senate reduces penalties for pot possession, Sinclair is released a few days later.

Dec. 10, 1971

Members of the U.S. Senate Internal Security Subcommittee prepare a memo about Lennon’s involvement with radicals Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman and Rennie Davis, the beginning of a long stretch of political harassment of Lennon in the U.S.

Jan. 1, 1972

In a secret memo, U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond urges Atty. Gen. John Mitchell to deport Lennon.

Feb. 4, 1972

Lennon’s U.S. non-immigrant visa expires. An extension is granted then revoked. Deportation proceedings begin, marking the start of Lennon’s ultimately successful four-year battle to remain in the U.S.

February-March 1972

Amazing tales that reveal the full John Lennon. Read more.

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The Whole World Is a Theater

Imagine What Might Have Been

‘Plastic Ono with Chocolate Coating’

Love and Racism

Famous Confrontation

Give Peace a Chance

The director of “24 Hours: The World of John and Yoko” shares new insights here. Enjoy the full film at The Coda Collection on Amazon Prime Video—click the button below.

'The Beatles: Get Back' Was Just the First Chapter

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