On December 9th, 1980, David Bowie took to the stage at New York’s Booth Theatre for his role in The Elephant Man.
It had been a successful run, but that night, something felt wrong. Three empty seats in the front row, meant for John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Mark David Chapman—the man who had killed Lennon the night before—added a grim weight to the performance.
Bowie later revealed that Chapman had him on a list of potential targets. “I was second on his list,” Bowie said, reflecting on the eerie moment.
Jack Douglas’ Lingering Guilt
No one felt the impact of Lennon’s death more than Jack Douglas, the music producer working with Lennon on the day he was killed.
The pair had finished recording Walking on Thin Ice hours before Chapman took Lennon’s life. Douglas, haunted by the final recording session, found solace in heroin to escape the endless loop of regret.
“It was horrible,” he recalled, reflecting on how the tragedy reshaped his life.
The Creative Flow That Kept Lennon in New York
Douglas had helped reignite Lennon’s creative spark, working with him on Double Fantasy. The success of their collaboration led Lennon to cancel a planned trip to Bermuda, keeping him in New York—tragically close to Chapman.
“He didn’t want the creative flow to stop,” Douglas remembered, a decision that fatefully kept Lennon in harm’s way.
Lennon’s Demos and the Dream of a Beatles Reunion
Lennon had returned from Bermuda with a collection of demos, some marked “for Paul” and “for Ringo,” sparking rumors of a potential Beatles reunion.
While surviving members of the band have never confirmed these plans, the demos—Grow Old With Me, Free as a Bird, Real Love, and Now and Then—became a poignant part of Lennon’s legacy.
Whether intended as Beatles reunion songs or not, their emotional weight still resonates.
Ringo Starr’s Emotional Journey with ‘Grow Old With Me’
Years later, Ringo Starr was finally able to confront the painful memories associated with Lennon’s death.
In 2019, Starr recorded Grow Old With Me for his album What’s My Name, knowing it had been one of Lennon’s last wishes.
“The idea that John was talking about me before he died… I’m an emotional person,” Ringo said.
He was particularly moved by the thought of McCartney playing bass on the track, noting, “It’s the four of us, in a way.”
A Final Beatles Reunion, In Spirit
Ringo’s recording of Grow Old With Me wasn’t just a solo effort—it symbolized a reunion of sorts.
McCartney contributed, and Douglas arranged the strings, weaving a subtle nod to Here Comes the Sun ,invoking George Harrison’s presence.
Ringo emotionally concluded, “It’s the four of us.” The song became more than a solo track—it was a tribute to the enduring bond between the bandmates.
The Beatles’ Legacy of Friendship
At the heart of The Beatles was always their friendship, a bond that infused their music with honesty, joy, and deep connection.
Songs like With a Little Help from My Friends encapsulate that unity, while Grow Old With Me serves as a touching coda to their story, bringing the band back together for one last, heartfelt moment.
