imagine (1971)
Artist: John Lennon
Release date: October 11, 1971
Label: Apple Records
Songwriters: John Lennon & Yoko Ono
producers: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, & Phil Spector
Genre: Soft rock, piano ballad
“I feel, in the big picture, the fact that John and I met was to do this song.” - Yoko Ono
John Lennon's influence on popular music is as massive as Beethoven's on classical music. He was not only a founding member of the biggest rock group of all time, but a key driver of their artistic evolution. After taking the world by storm with mega-hit albums Please Please Me, A Hard Day's Night, and Help!, the band's unbridled creativity reached its peak in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Rubber Soul, and The White Album. This musical richness catapulted fandom to another level—Beatlemania—and paved the way for the "British Invasion," enabling more British talent to achieve international success.
Although Lennon's decade-long contribution to the group was monumental, his greatest work isn't found in The Beatles' catalog. It almost pains me to say that as a Beatles fan. Still, "greatness" isn't necessarily measured by record sales or unconventionality. Rather, it's measured by its lasting impact on culture—its ability to withstand the ages and hold up over time. As iconic as "I Want to Hold Your Hand" or "Strawberry Fields Forever" are, Lennon's best work was released a year after The Beatles broke up: his single, "Imagine."
“Imagine” is a song from Lennon’s 1971 solo album of the same name. Produced by Phil Spector, the single was recorded at the country estate John shared with his wife, Yoko, at Tittenhurst Park. The couple was vocal about their political leanings in songs like “Give Peace a Chance,” “Power to the People,” and “Happy Xmas (War Is Over).” “Imagine,” conversely, was not overtly political. Lennon purposely made it more palatable to a wider and more commercial audience. In his words, you’ve got to “put your political message across with a little honey.”
Like a good old-fashioned pop song, the song isn’t complicated. The melody is simple and diatonic, primarily using notes within a single key. The rhythm is slow and steady, ensuring the lyrics take the center stage: “Imagine there’s no heaven,” “Imagine no countries,” and “no religion too.” This use of anaphora makes it appear like ad campaign for peace. The call to action, however, isn’t to go out into the streets to rally or exercise your right to vote. It’s less demanding than that—it’s simply to imagine peace on earth.
It’s easy to roll your eyes at this message. Critics describe this song as overly sentimental and patronizing. It’s perhaps even nihilistic to suggest that there’s nothing to kill or die for; conservative commentator Ben Shapiro described the lyrics as morally vapid. There’s also a hypocrisy in Lennon singing about having no possessions, yet he was a multimillionaire living in a mansion. The public echoed this sentiment during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown when actress Gal Gadot and a group of celebrities sang this song in an Instagram video. Instead of boosting morale as intended, they were severely mocked by the internet.
On the other hand, “Imagine” received many accolades. In 1999, BMI named it one of the most-performed songs of the 20th century. In the same year, it was included in the list of the “Songs of the Century,” earned a Grammy Hall of Fame Award, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.” In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the song 3rd in its list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” In 2023, “Imagine” was preserved in the United States National Recording Registry as being culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.
Whether it’s a faux masterpiece or a genuine one, “Imagine” has endured the test of time because of its timeless message. More than fifty years after its release, peace and unity remain elusive in our society. War still exists in many corners of the world. We continue to be caught up with what divides us, whether it’s race, politics, or religion. Humans are becoming more savage by the minute in every social media post and subreddit rabbit hole. You wonder, is world peace even possible?
Amidst tumultuous times, “Imagine” is a reminder that it could be possible—if you believe in it. Even if the odds are stacked against us, the fact that this song even exists is enough to give us hope. In the documentary Above Us Only Sky (2018), Yoko Ono describes their popular slogan “War Is Over” as an artistic concept: War may not be over, but in concept, it is. This idea may be too simple for the practical thinker to grasp. Nonetheless, it’s a powerful message. Ono’s use of metaphysics to convey a utopian vision is quite innovative. It’s minimalist, yet effective in its communication.
Having said that, Yoko deserves as much credit for “Imagine” as John. Without Yoko, this song wouldn’t have the same artistic impact. More than that, this song wouldn’t have been made at all. “Imagine” is inspired by Ono’s conceptual art in her 1964 book Grapefruit, which has the same “imagine” prompts as the song. Lennon later acknowledged Ono’s contribution in the year of his death, admitting he was too macho to give credit to anyone else. Contrary to conventional “Beatles fan” wisdom, Ono isn’t the destructive force the media portrays her to be.
John’s star power was also necessary for “Imagine” to be as successful as it is. Musically, it stands on its own: simple instrumentation, heartfelt vocal delivery, and accessible lyrics. But if someone else sang this song, it wouldn’t reach as many people as it has; it wouldn’t touch as many people as it has; and it wouldn’t infuriate as many people as it has. Does Lennon’s wealth and celebrity diminish the meaning of the song? Everyone will have different opinions, but I beg to disagree.
This circles us back to the earlier critique about the hypocrisy of Lennon singing about no possessions. Although it’s a compelling argument, it’s still missing the point of the song. The reality is that we still live in a world of money and possessions; it’s almost impossible to move through the world without it. However, if we can get to the point that we’ve evolved enough as a society to make do without it, then it would be really cool. One can argue that we’re already heading towards that direction with everything going digital: our music, our money, our work, our identity…
But that’s another topic altogether. The point is, don’t shoot the messenger. No matter who brought the song to life, “Imagine” is beyond the artist. It hints at a reality that transcends our current one. Do I think it’s optimistic, delusional, and a bit out-of-touch? Well, yeah. You have to have some sort of childlike naivety to dream up a better world. Martin Luther King wasn’t being realistic when he recited his “I Have a Dream” speech. Neither did he shy away from being overly sentimental, which is another criticism Lennon was accused of. The fact is, music is supposed to be sentimental and a bit dramatic. What’s the purpose of art if not to cope with our emotional pains and desires?
All this to say, the song’s legacy outweighs all the negative criticism posed against it. “Imagine” is still going to be around a hundred years from now. It’s still going to be performed in recitals, galas, and protest movements because of its perennial nature. “Imagine” outlived Lennon, and it’s going to outlive all of us. The moment it becomes irrelevant in our society is the moment separation becomes a distant memory. Will we ever get there? No one knows for sure. In the meantime, John Lennon will be singing in the background, winking at the possibility of a utopian world.
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