Like any art form it’s always considered to be subjective. That includes sports, for what it’s worth, because while most people consider Michael Jordan and Tom Brady to be the greatest of all time, others don’t see it that way.
It usually boils down to homerism, which is the one thing that clouds objectivity. If you ask someone what the greatest movie or song of all time is then the parameters would likely be due to generational or genre differences.
But some things are just undeniable. And this new A&E documentary details the making of probably the greatest song ever written.
In the pantheon of well over a hundred years of filmmaking there are certain movies considered to be the greatest of all time. If you ask any film buff then they’ll most likely consider one of the following “Citizen Kane,” “Casablanca,” “Lawrence of Arabia,” “2001 a Space Odyssey,” “Dr. Strangelove or; how I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” and “Gone With the Wind,” the GOAT.
When it comes to music it’s essentially the same thing. There are even new age artists that can rival some of the all-timers in music. For instance, Chris Stapleton and Kanye West are not only considered to be the greatest of their respective genres.
In the late 1960s, 70s and early 80s – about a 20 year span – is by far the golden age of rock’n roll. That era includes bands like Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Queen, AC/DC, Aerosmith and many, many more.
No other era can compete with that.
Even after The Beatles broke up, they all went their separate ways and all were individually incredibly successful even without each other.
Ironically, John Lennon’s solo career wasn’t nearly as legendary as Paul McCartney or George Harrison’s, but he did write one probably the best song ever written in “Imagine.”
And a new A&E documentary “John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky” explores the making of Lennon’s last great song.
Emmy winner Michael Epstein directs the film with a focus on what he calls a “pivotal year” in Lennon’s life.
Epstein told Fox News, “It’s a year just after the Beatles have broken up. And just before [John’s] going to move to the United States. The film does touch on why John loved [Yoko] and what their union was. And why Yoko saved John.”
The documentary clearly describes how Yoko was the one who inspired the song.
Epstein added, “It was more than just a love affair. You know they were artists who worked together and I think John was able to find his voice through Yoko. She helped him fully realize himself as an artist and I know that a lot of Beatles fans … hate that notion the idea that she took him from us.”
It’s notoriously known that Yoko was the one who changed Lennon in his later years. That he really became apathetic about making music towards the later end of his life before he was tragically assassinated by obsessed fan Mark David Chapman on the streets of New York City.
But according to Epstein, work on the film started “with a phone call from Yoko” who revealed she and others wanted to “open the vaults” and re-release the music. Epstein described how Ono, now 86 years old, wanted the public to “get a chance to see John” again.
It was refreshing to get an insight into one of the greatest songwriters who has ever lived and “John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky” is a must-see documentary.