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

Daily Standard ^ | Joel Engel

[Hillary's Folly]

There are plenty of Lennon's songs I like, but I've always found this one to be especially insipid.

[jackbill]

I prefer the parody that Rush plays:

Imagine there'r no liberals.

[kjam22]

Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can / No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man /

Yeah... the word that comes to mind is hypocrit.

[LikeLight]

Amen . . . this song has been offensive to me for many years, but I guess people don't really think about it because it sounds "nice" . . . or they really believe in the garbage Lennon embraces in these lyrics . . .

[I still care]

I never could understand the appeal of this song. When it came out, I was a child, and even then I still knew it was a nightmare.

Supposedly it was voted the song of the millenium in Britian. Now that is frightening.

[EggsAckley]

Insipid is a good word, but puts it mildly. Intellectually insulting feels better.
~</;o)

[PJ-Comix]

Actually "Imagine" is one of my faves. You can micro-analyze the meaning of the lyrics but overall it is an excellent song. BTW, my favorite moment in the Quantum Leap series was when the Scott Bakula character leaped back into himself as a youngster and then sang "Imagine" to his sister to prove that he really was from the future. His sister after hearing the song believed him since in the year he leapt back to, Imagine hadn't even been sung yet.

[Hillary's Folly]

Supposedly it was voted the song of the millenium in Britian. Now that is frightening

A lot of things that happen in Britain these days are frightening

[Walkingfeather]

IMAGINE THERE'S NO LENNON..... Ah... thats better.

[Porterville]

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??

[Cincinatus]

Yes, it's gibberish, but it's a nice, gentle tune, so nobody really pays much attention to the words, aside from the few, unreconstructed hippies that are still around.

Lennon had a real talent for gibberish as lyrics -- witness: I am the Walrus.

[SerpentDove]

Yep.

One of a slew of corny idealistic songs of the era, like "Born Free" or "The Impossible Dream."

[shhrubbery!]

Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can / No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man / Imagine all the people, sharing all the world. . . . Let's begin implementing the third stanza's message by splitting up the royalties to this copyrighted song.

That, and the paragraph that follows, are brilliant and should be required reading for all Kumbaya singing liberals.

Imagine...a world without lame-brain libs.

[stuartcr]

Common sense does not suggest that the world would produce more hitlers than Mother Theresas.

[Freedom4US]

Socialist dirge, never could stand it. While he may have meant well, it's disconcerting that such an otherwise intelligent man could go off his rocker. Poster child for the hazards of dangerous drugs. A fellow who never worked a day in his life, (no pun intended) and who squandered millions, scolding us for trying to scratch out a decent life.

[Hillary's Folly]

I don't hate imagine, just an opinion that it is insipid, stupid if you prefer. As for the tune, there are worse of course, but there are better as well.

Actually, as the author alludes to, it is the reaction of the lefty left protestor types to the song that makes me cringe.

[steveo]

I have always thought
in the back of my mind
cheese and onions

I have always thought
that the world was unkind
cheese and onions

Do I have to spell it out?
C-H-E-E-S-E-A-N-D-O-N-I-O-N-S
Oh, no

[Hillary's Folly]

One of a slew of corny idealistic songs of the era, like "Born Free" or "The Impossible Dream"

LOL! Born Free.... What ever happened to Andy Williams? Is he still alive?

[17th Miss Regt]

Common sense might not, but a careful reading of the lessons of history will. Remove nations, religions and private property and you have a jungle. Not a heaven on earth, more like a hell on earth.