"Imagine" is a utopian song, with elements of
atheism (in reference to solutions to people having conflicts between religions, a common start of hatred) and anarchy (as a solution to cure conflicts of government, a common start of hatred as well), written and performed by John Lennon. It appears on his 1971 album Imagine.
In the song Lennon asks us to imagine his view of a utopia, in which there are "no countries", "no religion", and "no possessions", and thus "nothing to kill or die for", only people "living life in peace" and "sharing all the world".
Some writers see this song as unintentionally self-satirical, as the multimillionaire songwriter is depicted in a film of the song playing a white grand piano in an enormous country house, while inviting us to "Imagine no possessions".
When the Liverpool airport was named after Lennon, a phrase from the song, "above us only sky", was painted on the ceiling of the terminal. George Galloway quoted the line I'm Not the Only One for the title of his autobiography. The song was used in the last sequence of the film The Killing Fields and was performed during a show commemorating the 30th anniversary of Star Trek. The song is often used as a celebration of peace. It has often been cited as one of the reasons for causing conflict in the American Army during the Vietnam war.
In 1999, BMI named "Imagine" as one of the 100 most performed songs of the 20th century.
Lennon's original recording of "Imagine" appears 23rd in the list of best-selling singles in the UK issued in 2002.
In the UK, the song is regularly voted at or near the top of polls to find the greatest song or single of all time.
In 2004, the band A Perfect Circle covered the song as a single on the eMOTIVe album.
On January 1, 2005, the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) named "Imagine" the greatest song in the past 100 years, as voted by listeners.
Rolling Stone magazine voted "Imagine" the third greatest song of all time.
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Last updated: 05-07-2005 10:27:06
