"I Just Shot John Lennon" is a song from

The Cranberries The Cranberries were an Irish rock band formed in Limerick, Ireland. Originally named the Cranberry Saw Us, the band were formed in 1989 by lead singer Niall Quinn, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler. Quinn was ...

' album ''

To the Faithful Departed ''To the Faithful Departed'' is the third studio album by Irish alternative rock band the Cranberries, released on 30 April 1996. The album was made in memory of Denny Cordell who signed the band to Island Records and Joe O'Riordan (vocalist D ...

''. It is a narrative of the events of the night of December 8, 1980, the night that musician

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

was murdered by

Mark David Chapman Mark David Chapman (born May 10, 1955) is an American man who murdered former Beatles member John Lennon in New York City on December 8, 1980. As Lennon walked into the archway of his apartment building at The Dakota, Chapman shot Lennon from a ...

in front of The Dakota in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. It is one of many tributes to Lennon, and also one of many other songs to recall the events of the night. After the narrative, there is commentary: "What a sad, and sorry and sickening sight". The title of the song comes from the words said by Chapman that evening. After being asked, "Do you know what you've done?" Chapman calmly replied, "Yes, I just shot John Lennon".

Live performances

The Cranberries performed the song live on ''

The Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production c ...

'' in 1995. Another live-session of the song is available on their single "

Salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...

References

The Cranberries songs 1996 songs Songs about criminals Songs written by Dolores O'Riordan Songs written by Noel Hogan Song recordings produced by Bruce Fairbairn Songs about John Lennon Songs based on American history {{1990s-rock-song-stub