September 28, 2009

Lucy O'Donnell Vodden of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" fame dies

Lucy Vodden (born Lucy O'Donnell) has died at age 46 after battling lupus for years. Lucy was a nursery school playmate of John Lennon's son Julian.

She came to the attention of John when then 4-year-old Julian came home from school one day with a drawing that he said was "Lucy in the sky with diamonds." That sparked off the idea in John for the song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." The resulting song was to be featured on The Beatles' ground-breaking 1967 album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Julian Lennon reached out to Vodden in recent years as she suffered from the disease. He sent her flowers with a personally written card and gift vouchers for a garden centre, as she enjoyed gardening. He has said that he is "shocked and saddened" by the death of his former classmate.

See also on BeatlesTrivia.com : Who was the Lucy that inspired “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”?

September 20, 2009

Video: The Beatles "Hello Goodbye"

The Beatles' promotional video for "Hello Goodbye" (1967). This video for the song was banned by the BBC, as the lip-synched performance violated the rules of the United Kingdom's musicians union.

John Lennon was very vocal in his dislike of "Hello Goodbye," saying it was "three minutes of contradictions and meaningless juxtapositions" and claiming it "smells a mile away." Then again, Lennon was critical of many Beatles songs, including a number of his own.