Today (Tuesday) is John Lennon’s birthday. I’ve told several John Lennon stories, including those associated with my late friend Riley, on my blog before. This time, I’m going to share someone else’s memories.
On Monday, Tom, Debby, and I went to Galveston. They’ve rebuilt the Pleasure Pier, a site with a long and rich hurricane-impacted history. Though none of us wanted to go on the rides, I did want to shoot photos. So Debby and Tom left me to it and walked along the beach looking for shells and enjoying a stunning day on a calm Gulf.
Disclaimer: Tom is not a smart phone person, so though it may look as if he’s staring at a phone as many of us Phone Zombies do, he’s probably examining a shell he picked up.
There was a live band playing on the Pleasure Pier. Most of what I heard sounded pretty good, though they did commit the nearly unpardonable crime of playing “Sweet Home Alabama.” You’d think, with my heritage, I’d love hearing that song, especially when I live several states from my homeland. But honestly, I heard enough of it in my youth to make me cringe whenever I hear those first guitar licks. So other than that, they sounded fine.
Later, I found out that while they were walking, Debby and Tom were also listening to the band, and when they played the Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” she reminisced to him about dancing to that song with her first boyfriend at her very first dance in the seventh grade. Or rather, as she called it, a “sock hop.” As she explained, the dances were held in the school gym, and so their shoes didn’t mess up the floor the basketball players used for their games, the kids danced in their sock (or stocking) feet.
Now really, who wouldn’t want to hold her hand?
Just before I left the pier to meet up with Debby and Tom, I grabbed this shot from the Rock and Roll ride.
The Beatles, collectively and individually, are part of the soundtrack of millions of lives. I wish we could have had all the music a few bullets denied us. John Lennon, you are still loved, remembered, and missed worldwide.
Peace.
Lennon Photo Archives, ©Yoko Ono
For some reason, Pleasure Pier has a very New England look. It’s also hard to believe that last Friday was the 50th anniversary of the release of the first Beatles’ single.
Crazy!
sweet home… I quite agree. I also have the same issue with its sequel stuck singing that same song all summer long uugghh… (with apologies for ear worms everywhere)
On the other hand, Pleasure Pier looks like fun! 🙂
Do you like roller coasters? Because the one there looked very intimidating!
roller coasters are awesome!
I’ll have to get some photos of this one up for you. No way would I have ridden it, which means it looks like a thriller!
Oh, I’d have gone on some of the rides – especially the swing ride. 🙂
I was a little tempted–but kept talking myself out of it. My ticket allowed me to be on the pier, but I hadn’t paid for rides, or I might have gone for at least a couple of them.
Lovely post! I’ve often wondered about the music we’ve missed because of that bullet.
Thanks!
To think he was only forty when he died–such a loss.