It’s a simple thought: what if the world was different? What if humanity prioritized generosity and care more than short-term safety, financial gain and material wealth? It’s a thought we all want to believe in, in many ways.
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Thankfully, the idea is expressed eloquently and musically by the former Beatle John Lennon in his hopeful and iconic track, “Imagine.” But what is the history of the song, how and when was it written and what is its legacy? For that, let’s explore here below.
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1971
After the beakup of the Beatles in 1970, John Lennon began a solo career, as well as one with his wife Yoko Ono in their Plastic Ono Band. The two converged on the 1971 single, “Imagine,” which Lennon was inspired by things Ono described to him. And in 2017, nearly 50 years after the song was released, Ono garnered a songwriting credit on the track.
The track, which hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, was also co-produced by Lennon, Ono, and Phil Spector. Inspired by Ono’s poetry—largely from her 1964 book, Grapefruit—Lennon said he initially wanted to be recognized as the sole originator of the work, citing a “macho” feeling. But later, that bravado melted and his wife got her due credit.
But while some criticized the work or tried to pigeonhole it, Lennon fought back. He told the British music outlet 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.”
In addition, it was common for some to offer the former Beatle personalized criticism—how can someone so rich complain about materialism and financial greed. Ono later addressed this in an interview with Uncut in 1998, saying, “[John] sincerely wished that there would be a time when all of us could feel happy without getting too obsessive about material goods.”
The Songwriting
While the piano-driven song was released in 1971 post-Beatles, Lennon had been toying with the music for the piece a few years prior, during the 1969 Let It Be sessions. But in an inspired flurry, Ono says Lennon finished the song’s structure in about a day in early 1971. That writing (and the song’s eventual recording) took place in one of the bedrooms at his Tittenhurst Park home in Ascot, Berkshire, England.
When the trio of Lennon, Ono and Spector got to work, Spector said of that effort, according to author Joe Levy, “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.”
Bolstering that idea, former President Jimmy Carter said of “Imagine,” “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.”
Along with Lennon singing and playing keys, the song includes Klaus Voormann on bass, Alan White on drums and the Flux Fiddlers on backing strings. Former Beatle George Harrison was also on hand to record the song, which was eventually released as the title track on the 1971 album Imagine.
Footage from those recording sessions can be seen in the 1988 documentary about the making of the album, Imagine: John Lennon. In 2000, pop star George Michael purchased an upright piano Lennon used to put the song together for $2 million, and then donated it to the Beatles museum in Liverpool, England.
The Lyrics
Singing both emotively and vulnerably, Lennon opens the song,
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky
Imagine all the people
Livin’ for today
Ah
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Julian
Lennon’s son Julian Lennon (whose mother is not Yoko Ono, but rather, Cynthia Lennon) performed the song for the first time just a year ago as a way for raising funds and awareness for the Stand Up For Ukraine efforts to aid that country in its war with Russia. Said Julian, “I had always said, that the only time I would ever consider singing ‘Imagine’ would be if it was the ‘end of the world.'”
He added, “The War on Ukraine is an unimaginable tragedy. As a human, and as an artist, I felt compelled to respond in the most significant way I could.” And beyond Julian, the song has been covered thousands of times, with some requests from musicians to change the line “and no religion, too,” but Ono always denies these asks.
Final Thoughts
In the end, while wonderful, the song is a bit of a paradox. It’s a hopeful song that is inspired by, and in turn inspires, dreamers. But it’s also a song written and recorded by millionaires.
Nevertheless, the song remains, if nothing else, a standard for humanity to aspire toward. An idea, expressed beautifully, for what life and existence could be like. And that is in many ways that’s the real power and purpose of art.
Photo by R. Brigden/Daily Express/Getty Images
That the song was written by millionaires, only strengthens the message. Imagine if it were written by a pauper? What would the critics say to that?