If ever there was a single example of artistic expression that encompassed humanity in general and the “brotherhood of man” in particular, this is it.
Yes, I’m of course talking about the song Imagine by John Lennon, from his 1971 album, Imagine. For me, the song is a cry for sanity and sensibility more than a longing for Utopia, as it is widely considered to be. From a purely literary point of view, the lyrics is pure genious.
The song is brilliant in its simplicity but is at the same time profound and thought provoking. People often spend an entire lifetime trying to come up with material like that but usually come up short.
As far as accolades are concerned, Imagine is highly decorated. Here are some of the awards and recognition bestowed on the song as per Wikipedia:
- In 1999, BMI named “Imagine” as one of the top 100 most performed songs of the 20th century.
- Lennon’s original recording of “Imagine” appears 23rd in the list of best-selling singles in the UK issued in 2002.
- In November 2004, ranked 3rd on Rolling Stone’s list of the RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
- On 1 January 2005, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation named “Imagine” the greatest song in the past 100 years, as voted by listeners, on the show 50 Tracks.
- The song ranked #30 on the Recording Industry Association of America’s list of the 365 Songs of the Century bearing the most historical significance.
- Virgin Radio conducted a UK favourite song survey in December 2005, and Imagine was voted into top spot, beating Beatles songs Hey Jude and Let It Be.
- The song was voted the greatest song of all time by the Nine Network’s 20 to 1 countdown show in Australia on September 12, 2006.
- Less than a week after John Lennon’s catalogue was released on iTunes, the song went up to #63 on the top 100 list.
The music video of the song featuring Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono is an intensely personal one. Personally speaking, it does not do justice to the brilliance of the song and looks more like an expensively shot home-video at best.
Check the video out for yourself and feel free to draw your own conclusions! But please don’t forget to drop a line about your opinions!
In case you want to sing along or just appreciate the poetic mastery of Mr. Lennon, the words are given below:
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today…
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace…
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
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world…
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 live as one…
Hat’s Off, John Lennon. I only hope you have found what you were looking for…
Posted by Tathagata 
