NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — John Lennon would have been 80 years old Friday.
The year he died, 1980, was the year music writer Tim English said the legendary Beatle came alive creatively.
In his new book "John Lennon: 1980 Playlist," English tracks what inspired Lennon to get back in the studio after a five-year sabbatical.
English said Lennon was influenced by pop, disco and the second British invasion.
WCBS 880's Wayne Cabot asked English about that 1980 sound coming out of New Jersey, specifically Lennon's reaction to Bruce Springsteens "The River."
"He said it was better than his album 'Double Fantasy.' He was really taken with it, I think. John liked 'Hungry Heart' a lot," said English. "He compared it to 'Starting Over' that was both taking that 60s sort of sound and modernizing it."
When Lennon heard Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," English said he heard Elvis Presley in it and said it was one of the things that convinced him to come back into the studio.
Lennon also took inspiration from Christopher Cross' "Sailing," which was number one on the charts the summer he was recording "Double Fantasy."