♫ Imagine ♫

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, music, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

I seem to play this one at least once, sometimes twice a year … as Keith said last year, it is one of the most impactful songs ever written.  When I look around today … not only here in the U.S. at the political turmoil, but afar … at Israel/Gaza, Ukraine, Taiwan and so many other places around the globe where peace is but a dream … I think of this song and imagine …

John Lennon wrote and recorded this song at his Tittenhurst Park estate in the English countryside where he and Yoko took up residence in the summer of 1969. When they moved to Tittenhurst, The Beatles hadn’t officially broken up, but they were on the outs and would never record together again (the last Beatles photo shoot took place there in August, 1969).

In early 1971, Lennon worked up songs for a new album – Imagine was one of them. In May, he summoned several of his musical cohorts to Tittenhurst to record it, including Phil Spector, George Harrison, bass player Klaus Voormann, piano man Nicky Hopkins, and drummers Alan White and Jim Keltner. They recorded on-campus in the studio Lennon had recently built, which he called Ascot Sound Studios. It was a genial atmosphere; footage from the sessions shows Lennon and his cohorts enjoying each others’ company, but also getting down to business when it came time to work – Phil Spector kept the sessions on track, and Lennon was exacting in his musical detail. Imagine was one of the first songs they recorded. With a very simple arrangement designed to spotlight the lyric, it required just Lennon’s vocals and piano, Voormann’s bass, and White’s drums. Strings were overdubbed later.

Some listeners had a problem with the “no possessions” line, finding Lennon hypocritical because he was so well-off. Yoko Ono addressed this in a 1998 interview with Uncut, where she said of her husband’s intentions: “He sincerely wished that there would be a time when all of us could feel happy without getting too obsessive about material goods.”

A sidewalk mosaic spells out the word Imagine in a section of Central Park dedicated to Lennon. The area is called Strawberry Fields, and is located across from Lennon’s apartment where he was shot.

Released as a single in America, Imagine climbed to #3 in November 1971. In the UK, John and Yoko decided not to release it as a single to put focus on their Christmas peace anthem Happy Xmas (War Is Over). In 1975, Imagine was issued as a UK single for the first time, reaching #6. Soon after Lennon’s death in 1980, it was re-released in the UK and hit #1 on January 10, 1981, where it stayed for four weeks.

Imagine
John Lennon

Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky

Imagine all the people
Living for today (ah ah ah)

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too

Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one

Songwriters: John Winston Lennon
Imagine lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management

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51 thoughts on “♫ Imagine ♫”

  2. Thanks Jill. To me, the lyrics are thoughtful and thought provoking. The criticism of the one line about possessions can be deflected by the following line – I wonder if you can.

    Also, John Lennon was not a perfect person, no one is. When I see people trying to defeat points that are more altruistic using hypocritical anecdotes, I find that disingenuous. Every one of us could be picked apart in that manner. Lennon is no different. He had an ego and he said rash things to provoke thought, but sometimes went too far. Yet, he made us think.

    Take care, Keith

    Liked by 2 people

    • Agreed … they are thoughtful and thought-provoking. The line about possessions … well, we are all human and we all probably have far more than we need … we try to improve. As you say, none of us are perfect, but I think the important thing is to be striving toward a goal that makes the world a little bit better, rather than destroying the world.

      Like

  3. That‘s one of the Beatles songs which will always stay of actuality! I literally liked all of their songs but I‘m a undiscerning listener and when their stuff came out, I could only listen to it on the radio where I wouldn‘t even understand all the lyrics.
    On another note; I‘m now for some time using Jetpack for commenting, I can do it on my iPad and see everything in larger fonts. BUT I cannot view the YT videos. And I must miss out on this audible pleasure. This just for your info, as I‘m now commenting much less on your always interesting musical posts.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Yes, it is the one song that I think will never lose its meaning … a truly iconic bit of music. Awwww … I’m so sorry you can’t watch the YouTube videos … I love to listen to this one every so often.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. There was a time when this was pretty important to me, posted quite frequently

    It saddens me but … I no longer share the sentiment. Look where it’s got us

    We’re not gonna’ save the world singing kumbaya

    Liked by 3 people

    • Well, it isn’t the sentiment in the song that got us where we are today. I still love the sentiment and meaning of the song … no, we won’t save the world by singing “Kumbaya” or “Imagine”, but if we listen and really try to live by those words, try to help make our world into that world, then maybe … just maybe …

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Pingback: ♫ Imagine ♫ | Filosofa’s Word | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

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