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

Daily Standard ^ | Joel Engel

[r9etb]

It's not a bad song. In fact it is quite good. How pissed off do you have to be to hate "Imagine" ??? Seriously, do you have to be a shut in with 20 cats and a penchant for self mutilation??

Not at all. You need merely to be able to tell good music from bad. And as has been pointed out in this article, the lyrics do nothing to relieve the insipidity of the "song."

[stuartcr]

No one said you did, it's in the 4th paragraph of the article.

[Paradox]

I have to admit that I like the song, but then again I like alot of songs that aren't really "my type". I realize the lyrics are pretty insipid (great word for it), but I dont think many really get THAT into the meaning of the song. They are content to think "well what a nice world this man is singing about" without really listening that carefully to the lyrics.

His vision of no heaven and hell is based on the eastern mysticism that he was into. There is a form of judgement for these people, its not quite how the author here has portrayed it. The rest of the song is just sappy, hippies-in-a-commune drivel.

[August West]

Well, it seems to me that the world produces more Hitlers than Mother Theresas. What planet are you on?

[Skooz]

I cannot believe it's been 23 years.

I was relaxing after a hard day at work and decided to turn on the Monday Night Football game. Howard Cosell broke the news.

23 years. Dang.

[Trampled by Lambs]

Amazing to see all these FReepers coming out of the woodwork to endorse godless communism . . . strange . . .

Hardly. I don't endorse anything suggested in the song. But I am not bent out of shape by merely being asked to imagine them. What are you so afraid of?

Yes, I am agnostic. I do not believe in organized religion so its not too much of a stretch for me to imagine a religion-free world. But thats as far as it goes. I do not expect anyone to see things as I do nor do I care a fig if people want to worship whatever god they choose (or none) as long as they harm no one and don't try to shove it down my throat.

(Before I get flamed too much here, I should add that the athiest @ssholes who are out there doing things like trying to have the word "god" removed from our PoA or make sure that no one reads the 10 commandments in a public place make me sick.)

[Gal.5:1]

This is a hymn of the new age, humanist, earth and man centered worldview/religion. I remember when it came out when I was a teen, and realizing this was another song intended to announce the replacement of God with utopian humanism. High school classes around here now pick this song as thier "class song".

[stuartcr]

Apparently not the same one as you. Make a list with the people that you personally know...I'll bet that there are more good people on it than bad. Take the people that you go to church with, or work with, are there truly more bad people there than good? Pick a non-Christian country, and show that there are more bad people there than good.

[Skooz]

Yeah. A comparison of deaths attributed a) Religion and B) Atheism would be interesting.

Hint: It ain't even close.

[Rummyfan]

I have always thought IMAGINE was the dumbest d*mn song.... Lennon surely thought so too, as he was an unrepentant capitalist and also financially supported the IRA.

[PaulJ]

"Row, Row, Row Your Boat" is highly irresponsible.

And just think of the violence of Rock-A-Bye-Baby!

[BSunday]

Lennon was a very talented lyricist (one of the very best)

Thanks for giving me a good laugh this morning.

[dhs12345]

This song is an excellent example of liberal thinking. Idealistic versus realistic. This is the same utopia as in Star Trek (TNG).

Humans are territorial and possessive "animals." Some are less, others are more, much more. It is part of our nature and is/was necessary for our survival.

The liberals solution is the lay down and give in to others and the world will be a wonderful place. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Wasn't Lennon a fan of Mao? How many Chinese died under Mao's rule?

[new cruelty]

... not unlike when nerdlings sit behind you in the movie theater, babbling away about how the dragons of the Nazgul can't REALLY fly because they lack a proper avian sternum.

ROFTLOL. Well, they can't!

[azhenfud]

"P.S. 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' is highly irresponsible."

You're telling ferry tales?

[Skooz]

Actually, Lennon was quite a talented lyricist. Several of his songs are trite and second-rate (he was in his 20s when he wrote most of them, btw), but many of his songs have quite clever and creative lyrics.

[Taliesan]

They are content to think "well what a nice world this man is singing about" without really listening that carefully to the lyrics.

Of course, that's what alot of people do. And then, there are those of us who actually listen to the lyrics of the songs which catch our ear.

The point of the article is that the lyrics of this song are a lie. The world he is singing about is not a nice world. And the means he recommends for getting there have been tried, and killed tens of millions of innocent people.

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

There's something brain-dead in that response.

[Revolting cat!]

John Lenin was a great lyricist? "And no religion too" What language is that in? Anyway, how many more posts informing the rest of us dumbies and the author too, as a way of excusing the idiotic lyrics, that Imagine is a song? Thanks, we didn't know!

Unfortunately, as songs go, this one has become a motivator for many people, not unlike the Communist anthems sung by Communist hero Pete Seeger.

[August West]

Actually, he is asking the listener to consider that an alternate reality does, in fact, exist; that's why it's "Imagine there is no heaven...", not "Imagine there were no heaven.." Although extremely subtle, the use of the verb "imagine" followed by the indicative mood (rather than the subjunctive mood) is pure genius - not that I agree with the premise of the song, but it is pure genius.

[hosepipe]

"Imagine" that mankind is not as self centered as a Drag Queen and about half as dumb as Al Gore... generally..