December 9th 1980, and the world woke to the news that John Lennon had been murdered outside his Manhattan home.
John McNeill and fellow Beatlemaniacs were in shock, but as a means of catharsis, he wrote a song, DECEMBER 8th 1980, about the assumed mugging on the mean streets of New York. There was only one problem, that wasn’t what actually happened. Oh, and the song, in the style of Lennon’s, Imagine, needed to feature piano, an instrument he couldn’t play!
Fast forward to 2020, and with the 40th anniversary looming, and John (nka Jonzip) in lockdown, he dusted off the tattered piece of paper and rewrote the lyrics. Then, after contacting piano player, Gavin Paterson, the song was finally recorded, as intended, all those years ago.
The digital-only single will be launched on all digital music platforms,
from 1st December 2020.
Meanwhile, it can be listened to on Bandcamp: https://jonzip.bandcamp.com/track/december-8th-1980
An accompanying video is available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjNCFJh2Szc
Jonzip McNeill fronts Glasgow, Seventies’ punk band, The Zips, but with over forty years of songwriting experience, and armed only with some sharp words and a battered, acoustic guitar, he has made forays into the world of punk/folk/protest, with tours in Europe, Scandinavia, and the USA, promoting an EP and album of his songs.
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