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about
I wrote this song December 9, 1980, one day after John Lennon was brutally murdered in NYC. Yes, it sounds very Beatlesque, it is supposed to! It is a tribute to a man who is still one of the biggest influences in my life. The John/Paul vocals and harmonies were all sung by the late great Billy Cowsill of the Cowsills. Billy too has now gone to hang out with the angels, I was privileged to know him and his incredible talent for a brief time in this life. Rest peacefully my dear brothers!
This song was recorded in the early 80s at Bullfrog Studios in Vancouver, Canada. All of the instruments were performed live. I played piano, bass and synthesizers (mainly string sounds). The drummer was Don Powrie, one of Vancouver’s premium jazz players, but he can rock out when he wants to too! My friend Konrad Breuers played lead guitar and Steve Yogi played the trumpet parts. The ending I put together by adding crowd noise and laughter from sound effect records. I recently remastered it using Logic 7 and Izotope Ozone 3.
A week or so before we did the vocal tracks, Billy Cowsill and I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning in Bullfrog’s office, I was playing acoustic guitar and Billy sang every Beatle song we could think of. When I closed my eyes, it was like Paul or John were sitting right there next to me. Billy had a knack at imitating other singers. Unfortunately Billy died on February 18, 2006 from complications from emphysema and Cushing’s syndrome. Billy was a great talent and he is missed. So this song is now as much of a tribute to Billy Cowsill as it is to John Lennon.
lyrics
TWENTY YEARS AGO TODAY
(A tribute to John Lennon)
A Monday night
the New York City lights
were glowing
Then a man
his victim close at hand
came calling, crawling
I heard it on the news
It took me by surprise
The whole world cried
Gentle like a dove
You filled our hearts with love
that helped to keep us
going and growing...
Sing along
An old familiar song
is playing
About a boy
who showed the world the joy
of living and giving
It ended all too soon
I can't help feeling bad
Feeling sad
The words you wrote
filled our lives with hope
That helped to keep us
going and growing...
Now he's gone
But the world will carry on
Forever, together
Life goes on
A simple theme
You gave us all a dream
That the world will keep on
going and growing...
credits
released December 8, 2000
Words & music copyright 1980 by Leon Portelance, Kaatza Music (SOCAN). Vocals & shaker- Billy Cowsil; drums- Don Powrie, trumpets- Steve Yogi; guitar- Konrad Breuers; piano, synth, bass and sound effects: Leon Portelance.
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