Strawberry Fields

This is the memorial to the late John Lennon known as Strawberry Fields and is situated on the west side of Central Park directly opposite The Dakota where John lived during the later part of his life and where he was murdered. The Central Park memorial was designed by Bruce Kelly, the chief landscape architect for the Central Park Conservancy. Strawberry Fields was dedicated on what would have been Lennon's 45th birthday, 9 October 1985, by New York Mayor Ed Koch and Lennon's widow Yoko Ono, who had underwritten the project.


Let me take you down, 'cos I'm going to Strawberry Fields.
Nothing is real and nothing to get hungabout.
Strawberry Fields forever.

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.
It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out, it doesn't matter much to me.
Let me take you down, 'cos I'm going to Strawberry Fields.
Nothing is real and nothing to get hungabout.
Strawberry Fields forever.

No one I think is in my tree, I mean it must be high or low.
That is you can't you know tune in but it's all right, that is I think it's not too bad.
Let me take you down, 'cos I'm going to Strawberry Fields.
Nothing is real and nothing to get hungabout.
Strawberry Fields forever.

Always, no sometimes, think it's me, but you know I know when it's a dream.
I think I know I mean a 'Yes' but it's all wrong, that is I think I disagree.
Let me take you down, 'cos I'm going to Strawberry Fields.
Nothing is real and nothing to get hungabout.
Strawberry Fields forever.
Strawberry Fields forever.

The Dakota

Since I mentioned the Dakota building in my blog yesterday I thought it appropriate to post a picture of the building. This is where John Lennon lived prior to his murder in 1980. His wife Yoko Ono continues to live in the building although in a different apartment now. The building is situated on 72nd Street and Central Park West and has a wonderful view over the park. The building was constructed between 1880 and 1884 and was apparently named because at that time the upper west side of Manhattan was sparsely populated and was as remote as Dakota Territory. Just opposite the building there is now a memorial dedicated to the late John Lennon called Strawberry Fields.

Imagine

The Lennon Wall is a wall in Prague, Czech Republic which was once a normal wall but since the 1980's has been filled with John Lennon inspired graffiti and pieces of lyrics from Beatles songs. 

In 1988, the wall was a source of irritation for the then communist regime of Gustav Husak. Young Czechswould write grievances on the wall and in a report of the time this led to a clash between hundreds of students and security police on the nearby Charles Bridge. The movement these students followed was described ironically as "Lennonism" and Czech authorities described these people variously as alcoholics, mentally deranged, sociopathic, and agents of Western capitalism.

The wall continuously undergoes change and the original portrait of Lennon is long lost under layers of new paint. Even when the wall was repainted by some authorities, on the second day it was again full of poems and flowers. Today, the wall represents a symbol of youth ideals such as love and peace.

The wall is owned by the Knights of the Maltese Cross, who allowed the graffiti to continue on the wall, and is located at Velkopřerovské náměstí (Grand Priory Square), Malá Strana.