This essay presents a case for John Lennon as the ideal recipient of a 20th Century Genius Award for Excellence in the Ages of Pluralism and Modernism. Drawing on Lennon's work with the Beatles and his subsequent solo career, the paper evaluates his life and art against five core tenets of Modernism — open-form poetry, disillusionment, stream of consciousness, existential angst, and sexual liberation — and demonstrates how his personal and artistic choices embodied pluralist philosophy. From his anti-war activism and media mastery to his cross-cultural partnership with Yoko Ono and the timeless idealism of "Imagine," the essay argues that Lennon's legacy transcends music to represent a broader vision for human peace and global unity.
It is with great pleasure and honor that the Committee of Genius presents the 20th Century Genius Award for Excellence in the Age of Pluralism and the Age of Modernism to English artist, musician, and social activist John Lennon.
John Lennon was born in Liverpool, England in 1940. In 1957, when he was still a teenager, Lennon founded a rock and roll band with bassist Paul McCartney. Their friendship and musical talents blossomed and became the Beatles — one of the biggest, most successful, and world-renowned musical acts in history. As his biographer Anthony DeCurtis (n.d.) points out, "If John Lennon had only been one of the four members of the Beatles, his artistic immortality would already have been assured." However, there is more to John Lennon than the Beatles. Lennon's life work "suggested not merely a profound musical and literary sensibility — a genius, in short — but a vision of life that was simultaneously reflective, utopian and poignantly realistic" (DeCurtis, n.d.).
After the breakup of the Beatles, John Lennon formed a multi-level partnership with Japanese artist Yoko Ono. Bridging two cultures in this way proved that John Lennon was the living embodiment of the Age of Pluralism. Lennon and Ono became life partners, artistic and creative partners, and partners for political action. Together, they staged political protests such as their famous "bed-in," a type of sit-in demonstration for peace.
Lennon was a genius on many levels, including in the realm of media and popular culture. Lennon once told a reporter that the Beatles were "bigger than Jesus." This controversial statement upset many people in America, who burned Beatles albums in protest (DeCurtis). However, this incident served to illustrate how dedicated a pluralist Lennon really was. When he and Yoko staged their bed-ins, they mastered the art of using the media to garner attention for important political causes. Lennon and Ono were dedicated to peace. Lennon also understood that "lowbrow" art forms like rock and roll were critical to the formation of popular culture, and that popular culture and the media were tools of social and political empowerment. John Lennon thus proved himself continually to be a spokesperson for both Modernism and Pluralism.
According to an eNotes explanation of the tenets of Modernism, five main issues are identified:
When these five issues are evaluated in turn, it becomes clear that few other twentieth-century figures could meet all five parameters as fully as John Lennon. First, the format of modernist poetry is evident in the many songs Lennon wrote both during and after the Beatles. Songs like "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" are among his most iconic works, and both employ open verse. While some of Lennon's songs rhyme for musical effect, most are composed in free and open form. The lyrics for "Norwegian Wood" illustrate this well:
"I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me...
She showed me her room, isn't it good, Norwegian wood?
She asked me to stay and she told me to sit anywhere,
So I looked around and I noticed there wasn't a chair.
I sat on a rug, biding my time, drinking her wine
We talked until two and then she said, 'It's time for bed'
She told me she worked in the morning and started to laugh.
I told her I didn't and crawled off to sleep in the bath
And when I awoke, I was alone, this bird had flown
So I lit a fire, isn't it good, Norwegian wood."
Lennon was also a member of what Gertrude Stein called the "lost generation." Although Stein used the term to refer specifically to Americans, its tenets apply equally well to Englishmen like John Lennon. Members of the lost generation were characteristically disillusioned with American culture, values, and policies — which is why many literary and artistic Americans in the first half of the twentieth century moved to Europe ("Modernism," eNotes). In Lennon's case, he too was disillusioned with American culture and was an outspoken opponent of the war in Vietnam (DeCurtis).
"Avant-garde music and existentialist qualities"
"Lennon's open lifestyle and pluralist worldview"
Lennon was tragically shot in 1980. A bullet ended the life of John Lennon, but nothing could kill his spirit or the legacy he left on the world. The entire world benefitted from the presence of John Lennon. His songwriting genius inspired countless musicians; his attitude toward pluralism and culture offered hope for world peace and harmony; and Lennon practiced all that he preached. The genius of Lennon's music is that it cut across all cultural boundaries to the heart of what it means to be human.
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