Neil Young sings IMAGINE at Hollywood show for victims

Fox News | 9-21-01 | None

[OKSooner]

This morning on Fox News, they ended a segment with a clip of Neil Young, in his old cowboy hat, singing IMAGINE. This was at last nite's show in Hollywood to presumably benefit the families of the victims of the act of war in New York.

[rocker68]

"HI, Rock, back already?"

Yea, my damn car won't start! I think I have a bad starter, and my friend mechanic will be here soon to help me troubleshoot it.

[Long Cut]

Yeah, I used to have a Plymouth like that. Had to hit the starter with an axe handle to get it to work.

[RckyRaCoCo]

Didn't watch it. I gave earlier in the name of real hero's, my Father, Barbara Olson, victims and their families ....not in the name of and for the purpose of hollywood elitists self-grandiosity. If they raised a lot of money for the cause, great... though it may have been nothing more than an opportunity to ease their conscience.

[AlGone2001]

Learn how to read lyrics.

Learn how to read them all. You seem to be pulling out the ones that you like, and pretending that they sum up the whole song, while ignoring the rest.

A little leaaven leaveneth the whole lump.

We all love peace, but to deny that Lennon was telling us to imagine no religion is absurd.

[lynn madison]

Hey, I'm not religious, but I also am offended by this song. It says that the answer is to have a one-world government, free of "greed" (which is their term for capitalism). So the translation is, Young sympathizes, at root, with the motives of those who targeted the World Trade Towers, the symbols of capitalist "greed" in our country. Sickening.

[RckyRaCoCo]

Are you sure those are her armpits? Perhaps they airbrushed someone elses.

[Teacher317]

Did you read my other post? The song IMAGINE was banned by Clear Channel radio, according to foxnews.com. With Neil Young singing that song, it's sending a strong message about free speech in our country. I think that could be considered a patriotic symbol, and of course others will argue it's sending a communism message to America.

I'd buy that argument if NEIL YOUNG had mentioned anything of the kind when he sang it. Noting it now feels a lot like a desperate attempt to justify a regrettable PR decision on Mr. Young's part... and that's watering the offensiveness of his choice down quite a bit.

BTW, considering your defense of him in the face of so many offended Americans (usually a reason for entire governments to cave in!), I'm just wondering... are you his agent? ;^)

[Clinton's a rapist]

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too..."

Aren't these lines insensitive to the Taliban? Tsk, tsk. This could be a hate crime, or a thought crime, or something.

[lynn madison]

If you don't possess anything, how are you supposed to be free of hunger? have any privacy or quality of life? be an individual? It's a call for communist nirvana, and I found it offensive in the context of the World Trade Towers being the target.

[.30Carbine]

Neil owns the Lionel Train company

I luv Neil Young. I luv Lionel Trains. IMHO this post is not about those things, but about the Utopian Idealist Double-Non-Think of folks like Lennon, Hollywood elites, and rocker68.

[Teacher317]

LOL! Great catch!

[metacognate]

Lennon was never a communist you idiot. Excuse me, but he did write against phonies and purposeless violence.

[eccl1212]

Hollywood's bias and bullshit was so deep I had to turn it over. If Ted Nugent would have been there to do the star spangled banner, kiss my arse, or take me higher or KID ROCK with a new "#@*! the Osami butt lickers" rant, or aerosmith with "dream on", "just push play" or "sweet taste of india" or foo fighters with "my hero" or Bush with "chemicals between us" or something of that nature to point out our motivations and "in your face, killers" attitues in times of loss, it would have been better.

Look at who was NOT there... Crosby stills and nash did a cool rendition of my country tis of thee, on leno the other night... They did not show up to sing with neil "burnout" young... They appear to have grown a little in the last thirty years. Neil Young... he did not grow up, he just grew some gray hair... what a jerk.

Sammy hagar was not there or invited...

Eddie van halen does a GREAT job with our national anthem. NOT ONE of the bands that "on occassion" says anything about how great our nation is and the ability of our military folks to "kick ass" was invited or showed up.

Only the p@ssies showed up. Waahhh WAaahhh whiners.

I did enjoy seeing muhammed ali, say "If I was able... I would do something about this."

Overall, I did not expect much... and I was not dissappointed.

[metacognate]

You know nothing about it Puck. He wrote; "if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, ain't gonna make with anyone anyhow....if you talk about destruction..count me out"

[NYpeanut]

Huh?

[rocker68]

Well .30Carbine, you are the one along with others distorting the meaning of how the lyrics were intended. I mean, Lennon himself explained how they were intended and the meaning of them. But that is not good enough, so you have to interpret them into what suits your personal agenda and that seems to be to discredit the fundraising show last night by the liberal entertainers. Some people just can't put aside their political biases in times like this, and that is the sad part.

Now, if when he was asked the meaning of the song, and he replied that it was to promote communism, then that would be a different story. Lennon wasn't one to hide his true feelings, so I will trust his explanation of what the song stood for before trusting those that didn't even write the lyrics!

I am sure with enough effort, I can pick apart just about any song and come up with different meanings than what was intended by the original songwriter.

[rocker68]

"If you don't possess anything, how are you supposed to be free of hunger? have any privacy or quality of life? be an individual? It's a call for communist nirvana, and I found it offensive in the context of the World Trade Towers being the target"

The point of the song wasn't to say that nobody should possess anything, or that there should not be any religion. Read the post up above. Lennon himself said what the song means.

[Conservative til I die]

Religion and spirituality are not mutuall exclusive.

[Paul Atreides]

What are you talking about? I said that Tom Petty's song was appropriate for the occasion.

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

oops, bad eyes.