![]() ![]() That won’t appeal to most people in this world who believe in rewards for good behavior and fear punishment for sins in the hereafter. Lennon seems to hope there’s only oblivion after death, as echoed in the song’s later desire for the elimination of religion. 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 The two had been wed in 1969 and consummated their marriage with a week-long honeymoon “bed-in for peace” in Amsterdam.īaby boomer romantic nostalgia notwithstanding, the puerile lyrics of that tune sound like a collaboration of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Bernie Sanders and AOC. In response to that, some folks familiar with my work, requested I revisit one of my earlier song deconstructions: John Lennon’s utopian ode “Imagine.” The song was written and recorded by Lennon in 1971, after The Beatles breakup, during his Yoko Ono period. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.In a recent column, I critically deconstructed the lyrics of “Universal Soldier,” a popular folk song of the 1960s with an anti-war theme and a pacifist plea. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at for further information. MARTIN: "Imagine," written by John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono - the album and song were released 50 years ago today.Ĭopyright © 2021 NPR. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one. LENNON: (Singing) You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. It's the perfect package for that kind of heavy-duty delivery. There's something about "Imagine" where it's a mood, it's a performance - how the lyrics talk about big ideas without a lot of pressure. ![]() LENNON: I mean, it's really hard to nail exactly why this song occupies this place on a shelf alone. LENNON: (Singing) Imagine no possessions. It takes a very particular stance that I don't think any other politically minded song had ever done and I don't think has done since. So it doesn't feel like you're being lectured. LENNON: (Singing) But I'm not the only one. It sounds like somebody who thinks deeply but is speaking simply. But how does it make you feel? What does it make you imagine? We're listening to somebody who isn't naive and isn't saying these things from a kind of arrogance or ignorance. It's just saying, think about it, and then meditate on what happens when you think about it. My mother and father believed very much in the power of conceptual thinking, and that's where the "Imagine" concept comes from. I'm Sean Ono Lennon, and I am the son of John and Yoko. LENNON: (Singing) Imagine all the people livin' for today, ah.ĭECURTIS: This is Lennon stating hopes and dreams as directly as he could. It's easy if you try.ĭECURTIS: Imagine there's no heaven, no hell below us.ĭECURTIS: The idea of a world without borders - I mean, these are fairly radical ideas, but they get smoothed over because the song is so beautiful. JOHN LENNON: (Singing) Imagine there's no heaven. I'm a contributing editor for Rolling Stone and, of course, a great admirer of John Lennon. It's about dreams that will be real as long as human beings hope for a better time.ĭECURTIS: My name is Anthony DeCurtis. "Imagine" was John Lennon's utopian anthem.ĪNTHONY DECURTIS: It's not a protest against a particular war, or it's not ripped out of the headlines. KING: The album included songs like "Jealous Guy," "Gimme Some Truth," "Oh Yoko!" and, of course, the timeless title track. Exactly five decades ago today, John Lennon released his landmark album "Imagine." The Beatles had recently broken up, and this was Lennon's latest solo release. ![]() We are celebrating NPR's 50th anniversary this year by revisiting some cultural milestones from 1971, the year we went on air. ![]()
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