Music ballad: Eternal peace hymn of the dreamer: Lennon’s “Imagine” turns 50

Music ballad
Eternal peace hymn of the dreamer: Lennon’s “Imagine” turns 50

In the midst of the corona pandemic, John Lennon’s most famous hit was once again in everyone’s ears. During the lockdown, a number of Hollywood stars around Gal Gadot had sung “Imagine” for a joint Internet video.

The well-intentioned action was not so well received (many criticized it on social media as a pointless gesture). But it was no coincidence that the makers of their clip, which should give hope, had chosen the Lennon song. “Imagine” has been the hymn for a better world for 50 years. On October 11, 1971, a month after the album of the same name, the single was released in the UK.

Stevie Wonder, Queen, Lady Gaga and countless other musicians have already covered the song. It is played regularly at festive events and can also be heard on sad occasions.

The idea comes from Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, who, however, has only been registered as a songwriter since 2017 after a long delay. The ex-Beatle Lennon wished that during his lifetime. Ono’s avant-garde volume of poetry «Grapefruit» is said to have been the basis for «Imagine». “Imagine the clouds dripping” is what the book says, among other things. Lennon turned the abstract lyric poetry of the Japanese artist into a song text whose overarching message is probably understood by everyone.

“Imagine there were no states, nothing to kill or die for,” says the second stanza. As early as 1971, Lennon expressed an idea that today is propagated by the no-border network and similar movements – a world without borders. The singer took the wind out of the sails of critics in the chorus: “You can say that I am a dreamer, but I am not the only one.”

“And no religion either,” Lennon sings on, “imagine how people all live in peace.” This line is still highly controversial today, and not only among church representatives. For example, the former Berlin bishop Markus Dröge expressed himself critically in an interview with the WamS in 2017: “Would the world be better if there were no religion?” Said Dröge. “Of course I would argue with him.” But Lennon did not necessarily want to abolish religion.

He told Playboy in 1980 that he only had a world in mind “without religious denominations, without this My-God-is-better-than-your-God behavior”. The World Council of Churches once asked him if you could use the song and the text in “Imagine one Religion before »may change. Lennon refused, of course. “They showed me that they didn’t understand at all,” he said. “That would have ruined the whole purpose of the song, the whole idea.”

The third stanza was also controversial at the time. «Imagine if there were no possessions. I wonder if you can do that. ” The multimillionaire Lennon, who owned several expensive properties and cars, was criticized as a hypocrite. Hard to imagine what he would get on Twitter these days. Lennon, who did not refer to individuals but thought of society, was aware of this. When he sang the song live, he changed the lyrics to include himself: “Imagine if there were no possessions. I wonder if we can do that ».

No religion, no borders, no property – the ex-Beatle later admitted that the radical social ideas in his song had clear parallels to communism. “This is practically the Communist Manifesto, although I am not exactly a Communist and do not belong to any movement,” said the singer in an interview with “Playboy” – just a few days before he was in 1980 by a fan in front of the Dakota Building in New York who he lived was shot.

The “Strawberry Fields” memorial nearby – at the entrance to Central Park – commemorates him. The inscription: «Imagine». Street musicians and pilgrim fans often sing his songs there, which perhaps shouldn’t be taken too literally. It’s a timeless song that should give hope for a better world in difficult times. This is one of the reasons why “Imagine” is as relevant today as it was in 1971 – and perhaps even more popular.

dpa