John Lennon - Help Me To Help Myself

This song was unreleased untill the 2000 reissue of "Double Fantasy" 20 years after it was originaly recorded and for me is the last song he left us with....
Double Fantasy is the comeback album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, released in 1980 initially on the newly-formed Geffen Records, and then from 1989 onwards through EMI. It is notable for being John Lennon's last authorised release, Released only three weeks before his murder. The album won the 1981 Grammy Award for Album of the Year and is Lennon's best-selling studio album at three million shipments in the U.S.

Yoko Ono approached producer Jack Douglas, with whom both Lennon and Ono had worked before, giving him John's demos to listen to. My immediate impressions were that I was going to have a hard time making it better than the demos because there was such intimacy in the demos, Douglas told Uncut's Chris Hunt in 2005.
Lennon, Ono and Douglas produced dozens of songs beginning that August, enough to fill Double Fantasy and beyond. A projected second album, Milk and Honey, was well into the rehearsal phase when work was halted following Lennon's murder that December.

Signed by David Geffen, alongside Elton John and Donna Summer, for his new label, Geffen, Double Fantasy was preceded by Lennon's "(Just Like) Starting Over", which became a US and UK #1 hit in the aftermath of John's murder. The album itself was received with much interest, coming after such an extended break. The album debuted at #27 in the UK and the following week reached #14, but then it fell down very quickly to #25 and then #46, making the #14 its peak position. In the US, the situation was different. There, the album debuted at #25 and then rose to #12 and then #11.
Douglas brought Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos of the band Cheap Trick to play on "I'm Losing You", but it was eventually re-recorded with the studio musicians. The Cheap Trick version was included on the John Lennon Anthology collection released in 1998.
The cover of the album is said to be inspired in a photograph of Astrid Kirchherr and Stuart Sutcliffe, the first bassist of The Beatles and one of John's best friends, who died in 1962.
Tragedy and aftermath
Further information: Death of John Lennon
On the evening 8 December 1980, Mark David Chapman shot John Lennon four times as he was walking into The Dakota with Ono; Lennon died approximately twenty minutes later. The last time I saw John he had this incredible smile on his face, Jack Douglas later told journalist Chris Hunt. It was the evening we finished Walking On Thin Ice. He was just thrilled, and so was Yoko, because we all knew we had accomplished what John set out to do with that track. I walked him to the elevator and said goodnight. About 40 minutes later my girlfriend came to the studio, all white. Its just been on the radio, she said. John was shot.
With worldwide grief for Lennon's death on an almost unparalleled scale, Double Fantasy rose to #1 in most countries making a #11 to #1 move in the US and spending 8 weeks at the top. Rising from #46 to #2 in the UK, spending there an impressive 7 weeks and then finally peaked at #1 for 2 weeks. "(Just Like) Starting Over" also immediately rose to #1 worldwide, selling several million copies, with many of Lennon's past solo and Beatles releases re-charting as well. Subsequent singles, "Woman" and "Watching the Wheels" were also very successful.
Only hours before his death, Lennon signed a copy of the album for his murderer. In 2003 this autographed LP was sold for $525,000, making it the most valuable record ever.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• John
• Lennon
• Help
• Me
• To
• Myself

[dstg62]

Thank you for posting this wonderful song and liner notes.John has a great honesty in his voice.I was getting ready for school on Dec 9,1980 when my sister came in and said I had better put the radio on..Its comforting to hear these gems he has left for us....thank you john.

[ChamuelNada]

Thank you so much for posting. I have learnt something new and beautiful about John Lennon today. It resonates for many including myself. Very kind of you to take the trouble to put it up. Gracias.

[TheGoldberg1995]

 Rip

John Lennon 1940-1980

[zukolover666]

LENNNON FOREVER!!!! Hopefully John's music ans spirit will never die.