Paul McCartney Gets Emotional - Here Today video free download

Live At The Olympia (Paris, 22 October 2007)

Today Would Have Been John Lennon's 73rd Birthday

John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 1940 -- 8 December 1980) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as a founder member of the Beatles, the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed band in the history of popular music. With Paul McCartney, he formed a songwriting partnership that is one of the most celebrated of the 20th century.

Born and raised in Liverpool, as a teenager Lennon became involved in the skiffle craze; his first band, the Quarrymen, evolved into the Beatles in 1960. When the group disbanded in 1970, Lennon embarked on a solo career that produced the critically acclaimed albums "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" and "Imagine", and iconic songs such as "Give Peace A Chance" and "Imagine". After his marriage to Yoko Ono in 1969, he changed his name to John Ono Lennon. Lennon disengaged himself from the music business in 1975 to raise his infant son Sean, but re-emerged with Ono in 1980 with the new album "Double Fantasy". He was murdered three weeks after its release.

Lennon revealed a rebellious nature and acerbic wit in his music, writing, drawings, on film and in interviews. Controversial through his political and peace activism, he moved to New York City in 1971, where his criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in a lengthy attempt by Richard Nixon's administration to deport him, while some of his songs were adopted as anthems by the anti-war movement.

As of 2012, Lennon's solo album sales in the United States exceed 14 million units, and as writer, co-writer or performer, he is responsible for 25 number-one singles on the US Hot 100 chart. In 2002, a BBC poll on the 100 Greatest Britons voted him eighth, and in 2008, Rolling Stone ranked him the fifth-greatest singer of all time. He was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

"Here Today" is a song by Paul McCartney from his 1982 album "Tug Of War". McCartney wrote the song about his relationship with and love for John Lennon, who had died less than two years before. He stated the song was composed in the form of an imaginary conversation the pair might have had. The song was produced by The Beatles' producer George Martin.

Quite simply, a love song to Paul McCartney's recently departed musical partner and, more importantly, friend: John Lennon. Cast in a bittersweet folk-pop melody, he reminisces about what the two went through and, of course, how much he loved and misses him. It's no "trip down memory lane" song, though, as Macca stays in the moment perfectly. The vocal intertwines with George Martin's beautiful string arrangement, which artfully quotes his similar work on "Yesterday".

(Song Review by Matthew Greenwald, www.allmusic.com)

Lyrics:

And if I say I really knew you well,

What would your answer be?

If you were here today.

Uh, uh, uh, here today.

Well, knowing you,

You'd probably laugh and say that we were worlds apart.

If you were here today.

Uh, uh, uh, here today.

But as for me,

I still remember how it was before

And I am holding back the tears no more.

No, no, no,

I love you, uh.

What about the time we met?

Well, I suppose that you could say that we were playing hard to get.

Didn't understand a thing,

But we could always sing.

What about the night we cried?

Because there wasn't any reason left to keep it all inside.

Never understood a word,

But you were always there with a smile.

And if I say I really loved you

And was glad you came along.

Then you were here today,

Uh, uh, uh, for you were in my song.

Uh, uh, uh, here today.