Imagining "Imagine" : John Lennon's gibberish-filled anthem.

Daily Standard ^ | Joel Engel

[blowfish]

Well, I happen to think it's a beautiful piece of music, and I view the song as an expression of a heartfelt longing for a better world and more spiritual people (and I'm sure Lennon would have included himself at the top of the list), not as a call for the Communist Manifesto. If you start taking song lyrics too literally and seriously you might as stop listening to music altogether.

[dhs12345]

Unfortunately, many interpret it literally.

[Coffee_drinker]

Did anyone watch CSPAN this weekend, the Democratic National convention? They were playing Imagine and everyone there was swaying to the music. It was so classic. Liberals everywhere, dreaming of a perfect world with no religion to.


CD

[A Navy Vet]

I didn't say atheism; I said organized religion.

[Lijahsbubbe]

While the author is right in the literal sense, I think he comes off as a bit anal to actually deconstruct the lyrics. 99% of the people listening to the song probably like the tune/sound and never give a second thought to what the lyrics actually mean. Articles like these are the reason conservatives are viewed as so ill-humored. JMO

Peace and love songs of the era. Does the author think someone actually wanted to "teach the world to sing in perfect harmony", or "hold it in my arms and keep it company", or even "buy the world a Coke'? LOL

[Paradox]

It's like listening to a song celebrating Aryan supremacy, and responding with "but it's got a really snappy beat".

True, true. Every time I hear "Imagine" on the radio, I dissect the lyrics to my very conservative wife, and she kinda rolls her eyes at me for ruining a nice song. As much as I "like" the song, the lyrics do give me a problem, but mostly because they are real stupid. Now, if I thought people were really listening and believing all that cr*p, then I would be worried. But your point is well taken.

[Skooz]

huh?

[Paradox]

Liberals everywhere, dreaming of a perfect world with no religion to. What a site that must have been. Ironically, they don't seem to understand that Liberalism IS a religion!

[BSunday]

expression of a heartfelt longing for a better world and more spiritual people

"and no religion too" ????

While I will agree that one can be religious without being spiritual, it would be awfully hard to be sprititual without being religious, according to the definition of Jesus' brother James : "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

[Revolting cat!]

The best you can say for it is that it's hippie schmaltz! No different from bopper schmaltz sung 10 years earlier by the likes of Bobby Vinton. And among that was at least one song, Blue on Blue, written by Burt Bacharach and the master lyricist Hal David. So there!

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

But I will disagree with you using Lennon/Lenin's own words:

Wellllll...it could be argued that the last two lines are a lament that there are so many closed minds that are unable to imagine or daydream.

[August West]

You said Mother Theresas, not good people. I do believe the overwhelming majority of people are good, but that doesn't make them Mother Theresa.

[Coffee_drinker]

I agree, but you will never get a liberal to agree to that definition. To a liberal religion is basically the Christian religion.

[August West]

Atheism with a capital "A" is a religion.

[Trampled by Lambs]

This is what I ask people who argue that religion is the only thing that keeps society from falling into barbarism or anarchy.

If someone, somehow proved to you today that there was no god, would you run out tomorrow and rape your neighbor's wife, rob a bank and shoot a cop?

Imagine...

[BSunday]

Come on now...you are reaching and you know it. But you do have that right and it seems we will just have to disagree on it.

[Skooz]

Of course not.

But morality, based upon religious principles, is the foundation for law across the world. Always has been.

[Taliesan]

Agreed. A point can be at the same time true and yet not critical enough to test a friendship over.

I personally can't enjoy the song because of the lyrics. But I generally don't argue about them. Except on FreeRepublic, of course -- where we argue about everything! :-)

Regards.

[stuartcr]

Animals do not murder or rape, they just do what animals do. I think it's our societal laws and mores that do more to keep humans in line, than religious beliefs.