John Lennon | Setting

John Lennon Setting

Liverpool, England—where Lennon grew up, encountered formative musical influences, and met fellow band members Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Richard Starkey (Ringo Starr)—influenced and inspired his music. One influential place was a nearby Salvation Army Children's Home named Strawberry Fields, which Lennon transformed into a song by that name; this children's home was located near his Aunt Mimi's home in Woolton, a suburb of Liverpool. Another important setting was a Liverpool street called Penny Lane, a name that McCartney used for a song. Liverpool was also an important site for contemporary musicians; it was Europe's busiest transatlantic passenger port, so the sailors returning from New York brought with them the most recent American records. The presence of avant-garde music in Liverpool no doubt influenced the progressive direction the sound of The Beatles' music was to take.

Germany serves as another important setting in the book. Lennon and the...
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