How a John Lennon Song Inspired Stephen King's 'The Shining'

John Lennon was a singer-songwriter who had a tremendous influence. Certain genres like psychedelic and avant-garde music wouldn’t be the same without him. Surprisingly, his influence also extended to horror novelist Stephen King‘s masterpiece The Shining.

The Shining remains one of King’s most acclaimed books. The book’s title refers to psychic abilities shared by some of its characters. The term was, shockingly, inspired by John’s hit “Instant Karma!”

As a solo artist, John often made unconventional music. “Instant Karma!” is one of his accessible solo songs, which is probably why it became such a big hit. Part of its appeal lies in its catchy refrain of “We all shine on!”

When John wrote that song, there’s a good chance he wasn’t thinking about horror novels. On the other hand, King used to listen to music when he wrote his books. “Instant Karma!” managed to exert a considerable influence on The Shining. The song’s refrain inspired the concept of “shining” which figures so prominently in the novel. In a way, the idea that “Instant Karma!” inspired a horror novel makes sense, as it’s a song with foreboding lyrics.

Source: cheatsheet.com

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