People tend to emulate famous personalities. Famous personalities tend to share their deep convictions with others, striving to instill what they themselves believe, or at least to plant ideas in the minds of those who haven’t yet forgotten how to think. Some showbiz stars genuinely hold interesting views and are capable of influencing what goes on in people’s minds. John Lennon – an artist still revered and loved in Liverpool despite his early death – was particularly active and influential regarding political ideas. We delve deeper into his views on resolving societal issues on liverpoolyes.com.
John Lennon and the Politics of the New Left
John Lennon’s political leanings were distinctly left-wing, influenced by his working-class background, upbringing, and the prevailing mood in his native Liverpool. John once confessed that his family and environment made him an “instinctive socialist.” This meant, among other things, that the Beatles member spoke out against the negative aspects of capitalist society and social injustice. However, he became most renowned as a staunch critic of war.
Lennon truly gained international recognition as an outstanding musician, but his anti-war activism made him famous even among people far removed from music. For example, John famously took a clear opposition to the Vietnam War. This was expressed, for instance, in the “Bed-In for Peace” with Yoko Ono and the anthem “Give Peace a Chance.”
Lennon supported a number of progressive initiatives, including the civil rights movement. He also approved of feminism and environmental protection, and he donated money to organisations like the Black Panther Party. His political convictions evolved over time. Lennon liked some communist ideas, but he ultimately rejected meaningless ideological labels, condemning various “-isms.”
So, if we filter out the obvious extremes of socialism, Lennon simply wanted to see humanity in peace and unity, also dreaming of universal social equality. Due to his activism and outspokenness, Lennon was closely monitored by the US government. Although the musician from Liverpool never joined political parties or ran in elections, he consistently used his fame to advocate for peace, civil rights, and social change.
Music as an Instrument of Political Influence
In Lennon’s songs, politics resonated without the grandiosity typical of protest banners, but the underlying idea was always clear. His audience consisted of millions of listeners, and a song could resemble a rally speech. This is most evident in Imagine. The attempt to envision a world without borders, without religious or national divisions, without divisive ownership – all of this sounded like a challenge then, and still does now. It contains no specific names or calls to action, but it lays out a set of values that are hard to dispute if one listens carefully.
Lennon understood the power of symbols. In the song, he appeals to the listener’s imagination – not imposing, but offering an alternative way of thinking. His pacifism wasn’t an abstraction; it was rooted in the experience of protesting the Vietnam War, the threat of deportation from the US, and disillusionment with a system that easily devours ideals. The song Imagine wasn’t a utopia; rather, it posed the question: why does this seem like a utopia to you?
At the same time, “Give Peace a Chance” and “Power to the People” were frequently played on radio and television, as well as from records and cassette tapes. The first – simple to the point of minimalism, written during a “bed-in” protest with Yoko Ono – became an anthem for the anti-war movement. The second had a more straightforward, even Marxist, undertone. Lennon, especially influenced by left-wing activists, often sympathised with ideas of direct democracy and social equality.
John’s solo career outside The Beatles gradually became a political project. He recorded albums filled with commentary on the events characteristic of his time: racism, class inequality, imperialism. In the song “Working Class Hero,” Lennon, instead of simply sympathising with the worker, speaks their language. And if The Beatles avoided direct political statements, Lennon, after the band’s breakup, seemed to free himself from unwritten restrictions.
Lennon’s Standoff with the US Government: How Nixon Tried to Deport the Star from Liverpool
In 1971, John Lennon moved to New York, immersing himself in the environment of American left-wing activists. He not only actively supported the campaign against the Vietnam War but also spoke at rallies, urging young people to vote against Richard Nixon in the 1972 elections. This activism attracted the attention of this US leader’s administration, which saw Lennon as a threat.
In February 1972, Senator Strom Thurmond sent a memorandum to the White House proposing Lennon’s deportation. This was a “strategic counter-measure” against his influence on young people. In March of the same year, the US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) began deportation proceedings, citing Lennon’s old marijuana possession charge in London. However, everyone understood: the real reason was his political activism.
Lennon, however, did not give up. Together with Yoko Ono, he organised press conferences, including announcing the creation of “Nutopia” – an imaginary state without borders or passports, to ridicule the absurdity of the situation. They also received support from well-known cultural figures such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, John Updike, and others, who wrote letters in Lennon’s defence.
Lawyer Leon Wildes, who represented Lennon, discovered that the INS was using a politically motivated practice of “selective deportation.” After a long legal battle, in 1975, the appeals court ruled that Lennon’s deportation was illegal. In 1976, he received permanent resident status in the USA.
This case set a precedent in the protection of immigrant rights and showed how political power can attempt to use immigration law to suppress dissent. Lennon, using his fame, was able not only to protect himself but also to draw attention to abuses of power.
Activism and Peaceful Protests
One of John Lennon’s most expressive forms of protest was the “Bed-In for Peace.” Together with Yoko Ono, they transformed their honeymoon into a political action, refusing to leave their bed in a hotel room in Amsterdam, and then in Montreal. The goal was to invite journalists and draw attention to the Vietnam War. Sitting in their pyjamas amidst flowers and “Hair Peace” and “Bed Peace” posters, the couple spoke about non-violence and the need for change. For Lennon, it wasn’t an outrageous performance but a sincere attempt to influence the consciousness of the masses.
Yoko Ono played a very important role in this story. She both inspired Lennon and shaped his worldview. John repeatedly acknowledged that it was thanks to Yoko that he truly began to take an interest in politics, art as a form of resistance, and the question of personal responsibility. Their joint actions combined pop culture, the philosophy of peace, and elements of contemporary art – all for one purpose: to tell the world that love and non-violence are truly possible.
The song “Give Peace a Chance”, recorded during the Bed-In, was performed by Lennon together with a group of friends and journalists in the hotel room. It was an open message to everyone who was willing to hear it – an extremely emotional appeal to the conscience of humanity. And it did reach many hearts, although, frankly speaking, little has changed for the better in the world since then.