Following the death of John Lennon, many of his fellow musicians took to performing his biggest hits. How better to honor a musician than replicating their work? Of course, Lennon’s Beatles bandmates have honored him countless times. Nevertheless, there is one action Paul McCartney will never take when it comes to saluting his friend: covering “Imagine.”
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The John Lennon Song Paul McCartney Doesn’t Want to Sing
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky
An uncountable number of musicians have covered “Imagine.” It’s Lennon’s signature song and, moreover, it’s one of the most recognizable songs ever to be written. Despite its prestige, McCartney has vowed never to put his spin on the ballad.
“There’s no shame in doing [Lennon’s] songs,” McCartney once said. “In fact, I considered doing a major tribute to John…But then people started saying, ‘Why don’t you do ‘Imagine?” And I thought, ‘F***ing hell, Diana Ross does ‘Imagine’.’ They all do ‘Imagine’. That’s when I backed off the whole thing.”
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Despite his apprehension for performing “Imagine,” he has spoken highly of Lennon’s work on that timeless song.
“When we came to not writing together, I think it was difficult for both of us,” McCartney once said of his former songwriting partner. “But, y’know, he still did ‘Imagine.’ He still did one of his best things ever.”
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
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
(Photo by David Redfern/Redferns)
