The relationship between John Lennon and Almería is surprising. And 2020 is a good year to discover it, as several anniversaries related to the Beatles’ leader are being marked: 80 years since his birth and 40 years since his death. In the following lines, we explain an anecdote unknown to many fans of the singer, which will take you to one of the most interesting buildings in this Andalusian city: the House of Music.
John Lennon in Almería in 1966
John Lennon spent six weeks in Almería, back in 1966. He was part of the cast of How I Won the War, a satire by Richard Lester about armed conflicts. It was the golden era of this province as a perfect location for European film shoots, especially Spaghetti Westerns, but not only.
The leader of The Beatles, 26 years old at the time, was going through a difficult period, already with his mind set on a possible break-up of the band. And existential crises are often good moments for musical composition, so he took advantage of his stay in the city to write a track that ended up becoming one of the great successes of the British quartet: Strawberry Fields Forever.
This song reflects Lennon’s nostalgic memories of childhood; he grew up next to a Liverpool orphanage called Strawberry Fields. The purifying greenery that grew in its garden, the sound of schoolchildren’s voices swelling together, the joy of youngsters who, in their innocence, played with no apparent worries….
All of this came back to John Lennon in Almería, specifically in the house where he was staying during the filming of the movie: the Santa Isabel estate (also called Cortijo Romero), with a lovely garden next to the La Salle-Chocillas school. So the genius from Liverpool took the opportunity to compose the aforementioned song in a loose manner but in record time; it was included in the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band . And he recorded the first demos, in the presence of his wife Cynthia and his drummer and friend, Ringo Starr.
What this estate is today
Fortunately, this grand Almería house has not been forgotten—quite the opposite: it is one of this Andalusian city’s tourist attractions, as it now houses the House of Cinema, a themed museum that recalls the boom in film productions that the province of Almería experienced in the 20th century.
And, of course, one of the areas is dedicated to John Lennon’s stay in Almería. It is called the ‘Fountain of Inspiration Room’ and is decorated with large images and objects that evoke that experience. For example, the bathtub decorated with the song’s lyrics, as it seems that the ‘Beatle’ recorded his first demos in the bathroom. Without a doubt, those were pivotal weeks in his artistic and personal life, which continued upon his return to London shortly afterwards: there he met Yoko Ono, completely changing the course of his career.
The address of the House of Cinema is Camino Romero, 1. It is open every day except Mondays, with morning and afternoon opening hours.
