Imagine (John Lennon song)

"Imagine"
Single by John Lennon
from the album Imagine
B-side
Released 11 October 1971 (1971-10-11)
Format
Recorded
Genre
Length 3:03
Label Apple
Writer(s) John Lennon
Producer(s)
Certification
  • Gold (FIMI)
  • Platinum (BPI)
John Lennon US singles chronology
"Power to the People"
(1971)		 "Imagine" /
"It's So Hard"
(1971)		 "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"
(1971)
John Lennon UK singles chronology
"Stand by Me"
(1975)		 "Imagine" / "Working Class Hero"
(1975)		 "(Just Like) Starting Over"
(1980)

"Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. The best-selling single of his solo career, its lyrics encourage the listener to imagine a world at peace without the barriers of borders or the divisions of religion and nationality, and to consider the possibility that the focus of humanity should be living a life unattached to material possessions.

Lennon and Yoko Ono co-produced the song and album of the same name with Phil Spector. Recording began at Lennon's home studio at Tittenhurst Park, England, in May 1971, with final overdubs taking place at the Record Plant, in New York City, during July. One month after the September release of the LP, Lennon released "Imagine" as a single in the United States; the song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and the LP reached number one on the UK chart in November, later becoming the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed album of Lennon's solo career. Although not originally released as a single in the United Kingdom, it was released in 1975 to promote a compilation LP and it reached number six in the chart that year. The song has since sold more than 1.6 million copies in the UK; it reached number one following Lennon's murder in December 1980. In 1985, Central Park memorialized a portion of the park with a mosaic that reads "Imagine" in honor of Lennon.[1]

BMI named "Imagine" one of the 100 most-performed songs of the 20th century. The song ranked number 30 on the Recording Industry Association of America's list of the 365 Songs of the Century bearing the most historical significance. It earned a Grammy Hall of Fame Award and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. A UK survey conducted by the Guinness World Records British Hit Singles Book named it the second best single of all time, while Rolling Stone ranked it number three in their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Since 2005, event organisers have played it just before the New Year's Times Square Ball drops in New York City. Dozens of artists have performed or recorded versions of "Imagine", including Madonna, Stevie Wonder, Joan Baez, Elton John and Diana Ross. Emeli Sandé recorded a cover for the BBC to use during the end credits montage at the close of the 2012 Summer Olympics coverage in August 2012. "Imagine" subsequently re-entered the UK Top 40, reaching number 18.

Composition and writing

Several poems from Yoko Ono's 1964 book Grapefruit inspired Lennon to write the lyrics for "Imagine"[2]—in particular, one which Capitol Records reproduced on the back cover of the original Imagine LP titled "Cloud Piece", reads: "Imagine the clouds dripping, dig a hole in your garden to put them in."[3] Lennon later said the composition "should be credited as a Lennon/Ono song. A lot of it—the lyric and the concept—came from Yoko, but in those days I was a bit more selfish, a bit more macho, and I sort of omitted her contribution, but it was right out of Grapefruit."[4] When asked about the song's meaning during a December 1980 interview with David Sheff for Playboy magazine, Lennon told Sheff that Dick Gregory had given Ono and him a Christian prayer book, which inspired him the concept behind "Imagine".

The concept of positive prayer ... If you can imagine a world at peace, with no denominations of religion—not without religion but without this my God-is-bigger-than-your-God thing—then it can be true ... the World Church called me once and asked, "Can we use the lyrics to 'Imagine' and just change it to 'Imagine one religion'?" That showed [me] they didn't understand it at all. It would defeat the whole purpose of the song, the whole idea.[2]
"Imagine"
An excerpt from the second chorus
Problems playing this file? See media help.

With the combined influence of "Cloud Piece" and the prayer book given to him by Gregory, Lennon wrote what author John Blaney described as "a humanistic paean for the people".[4] Blaney wrote, "Lennon contends that global harmony is within our reach, but only if we reject the mechanisms of social control that restrict human potential."[5] In the opinion of Blaney, with "Imagine", Lennon attempted to raise people's awareness of their interaction with the institutions that affect their lives.[4] Rolling Stone's David Fricke commented: "[Lennon] calls for a unity and equality built upon the complete elimination of modern social order: geopolitical borders, organised religion, [and] economic class."[6]

Lennon stated: "'Imagine', which says: 'Imagine that there was no more religion, no more country, no more politics,' is virtually the Communist manifesto, even though I'm not particularly a Communist and I do not belong to any movement."[5] He told NME: "There is no real Communist state in the world; you must realize that. The Socialism I speak about ... [is] not the way some daft Russian might do it, or the Chinese might do it. That might suit them. Us, we should have a nice ... British Socialism."[5] Ono described the lyrical statement of "Imagine" as "just what John believed: that we are all one country, one world, one people."[7] Rolling Stone described its lyrics as "22 lines of graceful, plain-spoken faith in the power of a world, united in purpose, to repair and change itself".[7][nb 1]

Lennon composed "Imagine" one morning in early 1971, on a Steinway piano, in a bedroom at his Tittenhurst Park estate in Ascot, Berkshire, England. Ono watched as he composed the melody, chord structure and almost all the lyrics, nearly completing the song in one brief writing session.[7] Described as a piano ballad[9][10] performed in the soft rock genre,[11] the song is in the key of C major.[12] Its 4-bar piano introduction begins with a C chord then moves to Cmaj7 before changing to F; the 12-bar verses also follow this chord progression, with their last 4 bars moving from Am/E to Dm and Dm/C, finishing with G, G11 then G7, before resolving back to C.[12] The 8-bar choruses progress from F to G to C, then Cmaj7 and E before ending on E7, a C chord substituted for E7 in the final bar. The 4-bar outro begins with F, then G, before resolving on C. With a duration of 3 minutes and 3 seconds and a time signature of 4/4, the song's tempo falls around 75 beats per minute.[13]

Recording and commercial reception

A black and white photo of Lennon sitting at a white parlour grand piano. He is wearing headphones and a dark shirt.
A 1971 Billboard advertisement for "Imagine"

Lennon and Ono co-produced the song and album with Phil Spector, who commented on the track: "We knew what we were going to do ... It was going to be John making a political statement, but a very commercial one as well ... I always thought that 'Imagine' was like the national anthem."[14] Lennon described his working arrangement with Ono and Spector: "Phil doesn't arrange or anything like that—[Ono] and Phil will just sit in the other room and shout comments like, 'Why don't you try this sound' or 'You're not playing the piano too well'... I'll get the initial idea and ... we'll just find a sound from [there]."[15]

Recording began at Ascot Sound Studios, Lennon's newly built home studio at Tittenhurst Park, in May 1971, with final overdubs taking place at the Record Plant, in New York City, during July.[15] Relaxed and patient, the sessions began during the late morning, running to just before dinner in the early evening. Lennon taught the musicians the chord progression and a working arrangement for "Imagine", rehearsing the song until he deemed the musicians ready to record.[4] In his attempt to recreate Lennon's desired sound, Spector had some early tapings feature Lennon and Nicky Hopkins playing in different octaves on one piano. He also initially attempted to record the piano part with Lennon playing the white baby grand in the couple's all-white room. However, after having deemed the room's acoustics unsuitable, Spector abandoned the idea in favour of the superior environment of Lennon's home studio.[5] They completed the session in minutes, recording three takes and choosing the second one for release.[16] The finished recording featured Lennon on piano and vocal, Klaus Voormann on bass guitar, Alan White on drums and the Flux Fiddlers on strings.[17]

Issued by Apple Records in the United States in October 1971, "Imagine" became the best-selling single of Lennon's solo career.[18] It peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100[19] and reached number one in Canada on the RPM national singles chart, remaining there for two weeks.[20] Upon its release the song's lyrics upset some religious groups, particularly the line: "Imagine there's no heaven".[21] When asked about the song during one of his final interviews, Lennon said he considered it to be as strong a composition as any he had written with the Beatles.[7] He described the song's meaning and explicated its commercial appeal: "Anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic, but because it is sugarcoated it is accepted ... Now I understand what you have to do. Put your political message across with a little honey."[22] In an open letter to Paul McCartney published in Melody Maker, Lennon said that "Imagine" was "'Working Class Hero' with sugar on it for conservatives like yourself".[23] On 30 November 1971, the Imagine LP reached number one on the UK chart.[24] It became the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed album of Lennon's solo career.[25]

Film and re-releases

An image of a medium-sized brown upright piano in a glass case. The piano keys are exposed.
Lennon's Steinway piano, on which he composed "Imagine"[26]

In 1972, Lennon and Ono released an 81-minute film to accompany the Imagine album which featured footage of the couple in their home, garden and the recording studio of their Berkshire property at Tittenhurst Park as well as in New York City.[27] A full-length documentary rock video, the film's first scene features a shot of Lennon and Ono walking through a thick fog, arriving at their house as the song "Imagine" begins. Above the front door to their house is a sign that reads: "This Is Not Here", the title of Ono's then New York art show. The next scene shows Lennon sitting at a white grand piano in a dimly lit, all-white room. Ono gradually walks around opening curtains that allow in light, making the room brighter with the song's progression.[28] At the song's conclusion, Ono sits beside Lennon at the piano, and they share a quaint gaze, then a brief kiss.[29]

Several celebrities appeared in the film, including Andy Warhol, Fred Astaire, Jack Palance, Dick Cavett and George Harrison. Derided by critics as "the most expensive home movie of all time", it premiered to an American audience in 1972.[27] In 1986, Zbigniew Rybczyński made a music video for the song, and in 1987, it won both the "Silver Lion" award for Best Clip at Cannes and the Festival Award at the Rio International Film Festival.[30]

Released as a single in the United Kingdom in 1975 in conjunction with the album Shaved Fish, "Imagine" peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart. Following Lennon's murder in 1980, the single re-entered the UK chart, reaching number one, where it remained for four weeks in January 1981. "Imagine" was re-released as a single in the UK in 1988, peaking at number 45, and again in 1999, reaching number three.[31] It has sold 1,640,000 copies in the UK as of June 2013, making it Lennon's best-selling single.[32] In 1999, on National Poetry Day in the United Kingdom, the BBC announced that listeners had voted "Imagine" Britain's favourite song lyric.[21] In 2003, it reached number 33 as the B-side to a re-release of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)".[33]

Recognition and criticism

A colour photograph of a large metal monument with a conical base supporting a globe that is wrapped in contorted musical instruments. In the background is a blue sky.
The John Lennon Peace Monument in Liverpool, England

Rolling Stone described "Imagine" as Lennon's "greatest musical gift to the world", praising "the serene melody; the pillowy chord progression; [and] that beckoning, four-note [piano] figure".[7] Included in several song polls, in 1999, BMI named it one of the top 100 most-performed songs of the 20th century.[34] Also that year, it received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award[35] and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.[36] "Imagine" ranked number 23 in the list of best-selling singles of all time in the UK, in 2000.[37] In 2002, a UK survey conducted by the Guinness World Records British Hit Singles Book ranked it the second best single of all time behind Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody".[38] Gold Radio ranked the song number three on its "Gold's greatest 1000 hits" list.[39]

Rolling Stone ranked "Imagine" number three on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", describing it as "an enduring hymn of solace and promise that has carried us through extreme grief, from the shock of Lennon's own death in 1980 to the unspeakable horror of September 11th. It is now impossible to imagine a world without 'Imagine', and we need it more than he ever dreamed."[7] Despite that sentiment, Clear Channel Communications included the song on its post-9/11 "do not play" list.[40][nb 2]

On 1 January 2005, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation named "Imagine" the greatest song in the past 100 years as voted by listeners on the show 50 Tracks.[42] The song ranked number 30 on the Recording Industry Association of America's list of the 365 Songs of the Century bearing the most historical significance.[42] Virgin Radio conducted a UK favourite song survey in December 2005, and listeners voted "Imagine" number one.[43] Australians selected it the greatest song of all time on the Nine Network's 20 to 1 countdown show on 12 September 2006. They voted it eleventh in the youth radio network Triple J's Hottest 100 Of All Time on 11 July 2009.[44]

Jimmy Carter said, "in many countries around the world—my wife and I have visited about 125 countries—you hear John Lennon's song 'Imagine' used almost equally with national anthems."[45][nb 3] On 9 October 2010, which would have been Lennon's 70th birthday, the Liverpool Signing Choir performed "Imagine" along with other Lennon songs at the unveiling of the John Lennon Peace Monument in Chavasse Park, Liverpool, England.[47][48] Beatles producer George Martin praised Lennon's solo work, singling out the composition: "My favourite song of all was 'Imagine'".[49] Music critic Paul Du Noyer described "Imagine" as Lennon's "most revered" post-Beatles song.[50] Urish and Bielen called it "the most subversive pop song recorded to achieve classic status".[51] Fricke commented: "'Imagine' is a subtly contentious song, Lennon's greatest combined achievement as a balladeer and agitator."[6]

Authors Ben Urish and Ken Bielen criticised the song's instrumental music as overly sentimental and melodramatic, comparing it to the music of the pre-rock era and describing the vocal melody as understated.[51] According to Blaney, Lennon's lyrics describe hypothetical possibilities that offer no practical solutions; lyrics that are at times nebulous and contradictory, asking the listener to abandon political systems while encouraging one similar to communism.[5] Author Chris Ingham indicated the hypocrisy in Lennon, the millionaire rock star living in a mansion, encouraging listeners to imagine living their lives without possessions.[52] Others argue that Lennon intended the song's lyrics to inspire listeners to imagine if the world could live without possessions, not as an explicit call to give them up.[52] Blaney commented: "Lennon knew he had nothing concrete to offer, so instead he offers a dream, a concept to be built upon."[5]

Blaney considered the song to be "riddled with contradictions. Its hymn-like setting sits uncomfortably alongside its author's plea for us to envision a world without religion."[5] Urish and Bielen described Lennon's "dream world" without a heaven or hell as a call to "make the best world we can here and now, since this is all this is or will be".[51] In their opinion, "because we are asked merely to imagine—to play a 'what if' game, Lennon can escape the harshest criticisms".[51] Former Beatle Ringo Starr defended the song's lyrics during a 1981 interview with Barbara Walters, stating: "[Lennon] said 'imagine', that's all. Just imagine it."[51]

The morning after the November 2015 Paris attacks, German pianist Davide Martello brought a grand piano to the street out in front of the Bataclan, where 89 concertgoers[53] had been shot dead the night before, and performed an instrumental version to honour the victims of the attacks; video of his performance went viral.[54][55] This led Katy Waldman of Slate to ponder why "Imagine" had become so frequently performed as a response to tragedy. In addition to its general popularity, she noted its musical simplicity, its key of C major, "the plainest and least complicated key, with no sharps or flats" aside from one passage with "a plaintive major seventh chord that allows a tiny bit of E minor into the tonic". That piano part, "gentle as a rocking chair", underpins lyrics that, Waldman says, "belongs to the tradition of hymns or spirituals that visualize a glorious afterlife without prophesizing any immediate end to suffering on earth". This understanding is also compounded by the historical context of Lennon's own violent death, "remind[ing] us that the universe can run ramshod over idealistic people". Ultimately, the song "captures the fragility of our hope after a violent or destructive event ... [bu]t also reveals its tenacity".[54]

Notable performances and cover versions

In December 1971, Lennon and Ono appeared at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Lennon performed "Imagine" with an acoustic guitar, yielding the earliest known live recording of the song, later included on the John Lennon Anthology (1998).[56] In 1975, he sang "Imagine" during his final public performance, a birthday celebration for Lew Grade.[51]

Elton John performed the song regularly on his world tour in 1980, including at his free concert in Central Park, a few blocks away from Lennon's apartment in the Dakota building.[57] On 9 December 1980, the day after Lennon's murder, Queen performed "Imagine" as a tribute to him during their Wembley Arena show in London.[58] Patti LaBelle performed the song in her 6 song set at Live Aid on July the 13th 1985. On 9 October 1990, more than one billion people listened to a broadcast of the song on what would have been Lennon's 50th birthday.[59] Ratau Mike Makhalemele covered the song on an EP of Lennon covers in 1990.[60] In 1991–92, Liza Minnelli performed the song in her show at Radio City Music Hall.[61] Stevie Wonder gave his rendition of the song, with the Morehouse College Glee Club, during the closing ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics as a tribute to the victims of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing.[62] In 2001, Neil Young performed it during the benefit concert America: A Tribute to Heroes.[63] Madonna performed "Imagine" during the benefit Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope.[64][nb 4] Peter Gabriel performed the song during the 2006 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.[66]

Since 2005, "Imagine" has been played prior to the New Year's Eve ball drop at New York City's Times Square.[67] Beginning in 2010, the song has been performed live; first by Taio Cruz, then in 2011 by CeeLo Green and in 2012 by Train. However, Green received criticism for changing the lyric "and no religion too" to "and all religions true", resulting in an immediate backlash from fans who believed that he had disrespected Lennon's legacy by changing the lyrics of his most iconic song.[68] Green defended the change by saying it meant to represent "a world [where you] could believe what [you] wanted".[68] The event got media attention outside of the US, with Britain's The Guardian stating "Lennon's original lyrics don't praise pluralism or interchangeable religious truths – they damn them".[69]

More than 160 artists have recorded cover versions of "Imagine".[70][71] Joan Baez included it on 1972's Come from the Shadows and Diana Ross recorded a version for her 1973 album, Touch Me in the Morning.[72] In 1995, Blues Traveler recorded the song for the Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon album[73] and Dave Matthews has performed the song live with them.[72] A Perfect Circle covered the song for the album eMOTIVe released in 2004. Dolly Parton recorded the song for her 2005 covers album Those Were the Days.[74] A cover version of the song, performed by Italian singer Marco Carta, entered the top 20 in Italy in 2009, peaking at number 13.[75] Seal, Pink, India.Arie, Jeff Beck, Konono Nº1, Oumou Sangaré and others recorded a version for Herbie Hancock's 2010 album The Imagine Project.[76]

Hancock performed it with Arie, Kristina Train and Greg Phillinganes at the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Concert on 11 December. On 13 February 2011, the recording—with Pink, Seal, Malian singer Oumou Sangaré, India.Arie and Jeff Beck won a Grammy award for Best Pop Vocal Collaboration.[77]

The song was performed as part of the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics. Performed by the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir and the Liverpool Signing Choir, the choirs sang the first verse and accompanied Lennon's original vocals during the rest of the song.[78][nb 5] A cover performed by Emeli Sandé was also used by the BBC for a closing montage that ended its coverage.[79] "Imagine" subsequently re-entered the UK Top 40, reaching number 18.[80]

In 2015, American singer/songwriter Lady Gaga performed the song at the 2015 European Games opening ceremony. The song was played for 70,000 people in Baku, Azerbaijan that served as host of the event.[81]

Personnel

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Original release
Chart (1971–72) Peak
position
Australia (Go-Set National Top 40)[82] 1
Australia (Kent Music Report)[83] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[84] 12
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[85] 14
Canada (CHUM)[86] 3
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[87] 4
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[88] 1
France (IFOP)[89] 13
Germany (Official German Charts)[90] 18
Italy (FIMI)[91] 1
Japan (Oricon)[92] 14
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[93] 6
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[94] 5
Norway (VG-lista)[95] 6
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[96] 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[97] 5
US Billboard Easy Listening[98] 7
US Billboard Hot 100[98] 3
US Cash Box[99] 2
US Record World[100] 1
1975 release
Chart (1975) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[101] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[93] 5
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[102] 19
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[103] 6
Posthumous releases
Chart (1981) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[83] 43
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[104] 4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[84] 6
France (IFOP)[89] 27
Germany (Official German Charts)[105] 7
Ireland (IRMA)[101] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[94] 5
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[106] 23
Norway (VG-lista)[95] 3
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[97] 2
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[107] 1
Year Chart (1986–2013) Peak
position
1986 US Billboard Top Rock Tracks[98] 20
1988 Ireland (IRMA)[101] 29
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[108] 45
1989 Australia (ARIA)[109] 21
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[94] 83
1990 France (SNEP)[89] 88
1994 France (SNEP)[110] 9
1999–2000 Canada (Canadian Singles Chart)[98] 10
Ireland (IRMA)[101] 3
Italy (FIMI)[111] 12
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[94] 56
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[112] 5
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[113] 3
2002 Poland (LP3)[114] 3
2007 Canada (Hot Canadian Digital Singles)[98] 47
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[94] 37
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[97] 59
US Billboard Hot Digital Songs[98] 47
2008 Australia (ARIA)[115] 94
2010 Australia (Kent Music Report)[115] 85
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[104] 66
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[112] 49
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[102] 46
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[97] 50
2012 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[112] 42
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[116] 18
2013 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[112] 44

Year-end charts

Chart (1971) Position
Canada (RPM 100 Top Singles)[117] 15
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[118] 67
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[119] 82
Chart (1972) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[83] 22
Italy (FIMI)[120] 3
Japan (Oricon)[92] 98
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[121] 5
Chart (1981) Position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[122] 86
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[123] 70
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[124] 73

Decade-end charts

Chart (1980–89) Position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[125] 25

All-time charts

Chart (1952–2013) Position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[126] 19

Certification and sales

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Italy (FIMI)[127] Gold 15,000*
Japan (Oricon Charts) 118,000[92]
United Kingdom (BPI)[128] Platinum 1,640,000[126]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The lyrical content of "Imagine" relates to Lennon's concept of Nutopia: The Country of Peace, which he invented in 1973. Lennon included a symbolically mute anthem to this country on his album Mind Games released later that year.[8]
  2. ↑ In 1991, the BBC restricted "Imagine" from airplay during the Gulf War.[41]
  3. ↑ Yoko Ono dedicated the Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland, in 2007.[46]
  4. ↑ Madonna included the song in her setlist during the 2004 Re-Invention World Tour and released it on the live album and DVD documentary I'm Going to Tell You a Secret in 2006.[65]
  5. ↑ The first adaptation of the original 8-track recording of "Imagine", Lennon also appeared in video.[78]

References

  1. ↑ "Strawberry Fields". Central Park Conservancy. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  2. 1 2 Sheff 1981, pp. 212–213.
  3. ↑ Spizer, Bruce (2005). The Beatles Solo on Apple Records. 498 Productions, LLC. p. 54. ISBN 978-0-9662649-5-1.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Blaney 2007, p. 51.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Blaney 2007, p. 52.
  6. 1 2 Fricke 2012, p. 59.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wenner 2010, p. 13.
  8. ↑ Blaney 2007, p. 82.
  9. ↑ Floman, Scott. "John Lennon – Overview". Sfloman.com. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  10. ↑ Trust, Gary (10 April 2013). "A History Of Hit Piano Ballads On The Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  11. ↑ Otte, Jef (11 January 2012). "Imagine that: John Lennon fans turn into zealots over Cee Lo's change in lyrics". Denver Westword. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  12. 1 2 Lennon 1983, pp. 5–9.
  13. ↑ For the musical notation to "Imagine" see: Lennon 1983, pp. 5–9; for the piano on which Lennon composed "Imagine" see: "George Michael buys Lennon's piano". BBC News Online. 18 October 2000. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  14. ↑ For Spector co-producing with Lennon and Ono see: Du Noyer 1971, pp. 1–14; for "I always thought that song was like the national anthem" see: Levy 2005, p. 87.
  15. 1 2 Blaney 2007, pp. 50–51.
  16. ↑ Fricke 2012, p. 58.
  17. ↑ Blaney 2007, p. 53.
  18. ↑ Roberts 2005, p. 292.
  19. ↑ Blaney 2007, p. 57.
  20. ↑ For "Imagine" at number one in Canada on 27 November 1971 see: "Top Singles – Volume 16, No. 15, November 27 1971". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 21 July 2014.. For "Imagine" at number one in Canada on 4 December 1971 see: "Top Singles – Volume 16, No. 16, December 04 1971". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  21. 1 2 Harry 2000, p. 382.
  22. ↑ Levy 2005, p. 87.
  23. ↑ Doggett, Peter (2009). You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup (1st US hardcover ed.). Harper. p. 179. ISBN 978-0-06-177446-1.
  24. ↑ Badman, Keith (1999). The Beatles After the Breakup 1970–2000: A Day-by-Day Diary (2001 ed.). Omnibus. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-7119-8307-6.
  25. ↑ Goldman, Albert (1988). The Lives of John Lennon. William Morrow and Company. p. 397. ISBN 1-55652-399-8.
  26. ↑ "George Michael buys Lennon's piano". BBC News Online. 18 October 2000. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  27. 1 2 Harry 2000, p. 378.
  28. ↑ For a description of the room and Ono opening shutters see: Edmondson, Jacqueline (2010). John Lennon: A Biography. Greenwood. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-313-37938-3.; for the title of Ono's then New York art show see: Harry 2000, pp. 907–908.
  29. ↑ Norman, Philip (2008). John Lennon: The Life. ECCO (Harper Collins). p. 763. ISBN 978-0-06-075401-3.
  30. ↑ "Artist/VIP gallery: Zbigniew Rybczynski". Polish American Film Society. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  31. ↑ "John Lennon". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  32. ↑ Roberts 2005, p. 292: Lennon's best-selling single; for 1.64 million copies sold in the UK see: Lane, Daniel (27 June 2013). "Daft Punk's Get Lucky becomes one of the UK's biggest selling singles of all-time!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  33. ↑ Roberts 2005, p. 292: The 2003 re-release and peak UK chart position of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"; Blaney 2007, p. 282: "Imagine" as the B-side of the 2003 re-release of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)".
  34. ↑ "BMI Announces Top 100 Songs of the Century". BMI. 13 December 1999. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  35. ↑ "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame – i". Grammy Hall of Fame Award. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  36. ↑ "Songs that shaped Rock and Roll: "Imagine"". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 1999. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  37. ↑ Morgan-Gan, Theo Morgan-Gan. "The UK's Best Selling Singles". Ukcharts.20m.com. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
  38. ↑ "Queen rock on in poll". BBC News Online. 8 May 2002. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  39. ↑ "Gold's Top 1000: Day 4". Gold. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  40. ↑ Morello, Tom (1 November 2001). "The New Blacklist: The nation's largest radio network's list of 'questionable' songs". FAIR. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  41. ↑ Peddie, Ian (2006). The Resisting Muse: Popular Music And Social Protest. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 13. ISBN 0-7546-5114-2.
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  65. ↑ For the inclusion of "Imagine" in the set-list for the Re-Invention World Tour, see: Timmerman, Dirk (2007). Madonna Live! Secret Re-inventions and Confessions on Tour. Maklu. p. 27. ISBN 978-90-8595-002-8. and: Mervis, Scott (4 November 2012). "Madonna to perform Tuesday at Consol Energy Center". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 19 November 2012.. For the inclusion of "Imagine" in the DVD documentary I'm Going to Tell You a Secret, see: "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret – Madonna". Billboard. 7 July 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  66. ↑ "Gabriel, Pavarotti Participate In Surreal Olympic Opening". Billboard. 10 February 2006. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  67. ↑ For "Imagine" being played in 2005's New Year's Eve celebration in New York see: Gilmore, Hugh (17 May 2012). "John Lennon's "Imagine" meets the DSM". Chestnut Hill Local. Retrieved 19 October 2012.; for "Imagine" being played "in its customary spot leading up to midnight" during 2010's New Year's Eve celebration in New York see: "Hello 2010: Huge, Wet Crowd Rings In New Year In Times Square". NY1. 1 January 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2012.. For "Imagine" being played in 2011's New Year's Eve celebration in New York see: Golgowski, Nina (2 January 2012). "Cee Lo Green changes lyrics to Lennon's Imagine to include pro-religion message enraging fans". Daily Mail (London). Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  68. 1 2 Cooper, Gael Fashingbauer (1 January 2012). Fans angry that Cee Lo changed 'Imagine' lyrics at the Wayback Machine (archived 29 April 2012). NBC News. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
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  76. ↑ Kelman, John (21 June 2010). "Herbie Hancock: The Imagine Project (2010)". All About Jazz. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
  77. ↑ "Past Winners Search". Grammy.com. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
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  81. ↑ "Lady Gaga stars in Baku 2015 Opening Ceremony". Baku 2015. 12 June 2015.
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  98. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Imagine – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
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  126. 1 2 Lane, Daniel (27 June 2013). "Daft Punk's Get Lucky becomes one of the UK's biggest selling singles of all-time!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  127. ↑ "Italian single certifications – John Lennon – Imagine" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter John Lennon in the field Filtra. The certification will load automatically
  128. ↑ "British single certifications – John Lennon". British Phonographic Industry. Enter John Lennon in the field Search. Select Artist in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search

Bibliography

  • Blaney, John (2007). Lennon and McCartney: Together Alone (1st ed.). Jawbone Press. ISBN 978-1-906002-02-2. 
  • Du Noyer, Paul (1971). Imagine (Media notes). John Lennon. Capitol Records. 
  • Ingham, Chris (2009). The Rough Guide to the Beatles (3rd ed.). Rough Guides. ISBN 978-1-84836-525-4. 
  • Fricke, David (2012) [2002]. "The Making of 'Imagine'". In Wenner, Jann. John Lennon: The Ultimate Guide to His Life, Music, and Legend. Rolling Stone. ISBN 7-09-893419-4. 
  • Harry, Bill (2000). The John Lennon Encyclopedia. Virgin. ISBN 978-0-7535-0404-8. 
  • Levy, Joe, ed. (2005). Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (First Paperback ed.). Wenner Books. ISBN 978-1-932958-61-4. 
  • Lennon, John (1983). The John Lennon Collection. Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-0-7935-0265-3. 
  • Roberts, David, ed. (2005). British Hit Singles & Albums (18 ed.). Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 978-1-904994-00-8. 
  • Sheff, David (1981). Golson, G. Barry, ed. All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono (2000 ed.). St Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-0-312-25464-3. 
  • Urish, Ben; Bielen, Ken (2007). The Words and Music of John Lennon. Praeger. ISBN 978-0-275-99180-7. 
  • Wenner, Jann (2010) [2004]. 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. OCLC 641731526. 

Further reading

Documentaries

  • Yoko Ono, Phil Spector (Producers) (2000). Gimme Some Truth – The Making of John Lennon's "Imagine" (DVD). Capitol. ASIN B000AYELY2. 
  • Andrew Solt (Director) (2005). Imagine: John Lennon (DVD). Warner Home Video. ASIN 6305847118. 

External links

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