# Imagine



## Mesa (Mar 2, 2012)

(Just the title track, not the album.)

Pop masterpiece, an undeniably refined feat of songwriting with a positive message?

Or a lamentable channeling of the McCartney schmaltz hose over an appetizing hors d'oeuvre of a progression that has inspired a stream of insipid pop music ever since it's release?

I can flip flop about four times between the two in one listen.

To hoik a Charlie Brooker witticism, 'It's become a sort of theme tune to thick peoples funerals.'

Now it may sound somewhat harsh, but from four years at university i've seen loads of these people that have a lossy MP3 of Imagine in their 'EPIC TUNES!!' or 'SOUL SEARCHIN!!!' playlist on there iWhatevers.

John must appear upon a flaming pie to these people and say: "I am Lennon, and you know nothing of my work!"


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## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

I love this song, but the biggest criticism I've heard is that it makes Lennon look like a hypocrite (i.e. I'd like to see him get rid of his possessions instead of telling everyone else to). I dislike this criticism. He's not saying we should do everything that he says in the song, he just asks the listener for, a moment, imagine the world as a utopia. It's never going to happen, and it's just wishful thinking, but just pause for a moment and ask "what if..."


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

This one



> Or a lamentable channeling of the McCartney schmaltz hose over an appetizing hors d'oeuvre of a progression that has inspired a stream of insipid pop music ever since it's release?


Naaarsty.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I used to be a bit uneasy about the 'no possessions' line, especially when the film promoting the song was shot in the salubrious expanses of Lennon's Berkshire property (even if the piano room looks fairly empty!), but, to be fair, the film that was made was about the creation of the whole album, not just the title track...

I liked his explanation when asked why the Imagine album was in generally gentler vein to the visceral debut album - he said something along the lines that 'I realised that you had to sugar-coat the message to totally get it across'.

Imagine was probably the last really satisfying album Lennon made when taken as a whole but the title track is always going to divide those who think it's either a profound masterpiece or a monstrosity of mawkish hypocrisy, just like those who considered Revolution 9 either to be a bold step or total self-indulgence. Me? I've always preferred Gimme Some Truth.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

I'm with TurnaboutVox:

"...a lamentable channeling of the McCartney schmaltz hose over an appetizing hors d'oeuvre of a progression [_really?_] that has inspired a stream of insipid pop music ever since it's release...."


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## peterh (Mar 10, 2012)

" hors d'oeuvre of a progression"

What does this even mean?


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## Mesa (Mar 2, 2012)

Have you ever met someone that dislikes nibbles? I knew i should have typed 'appetizing appetizer', it sounds more Lennon.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

I like it, or liked it. Nice melody, really pure sounding. I like Lennon's use of falsetto. The lyrics are at least interesting, not the usual cliched love song.

However, it doesn't stand up to 100 listens, or whatever it's been for me. It isn't enhanced when played as background music in the supermarket.


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## peterh (Mar 10, 2012)

Mesa said:


> Have you ever met someone that dislikes nibbles? I knew i should have typed 'appetizing appetizer', it sounds more Lennon.


I know what the phrase means, I just don't understand what is meant by it in relation to the song.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Imagine there's no internet, it's easy if you try. No talk music forums ... above us only sky.
Imagine there's no downloads ... no CDs at all ... oh-only LPs ....

Ah ... the good ol' days.


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## 38157 (Jul 4, 2014)

Never much cared for this. I never found Lennon's message to be profound and never found the music itself to be interesting. But I have a natural aversion to Lennon anyway, for whatever reason.


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## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

I can appreciate the idealism in the lyric.

As a composer, I think the melody is overly repetitious, and the harmony boring. 

I read once that Lennon was jealous of McCartney's melodic gifts, and that McCartney, in turn, was jealous of Lennon's gifts for words. They were at their best when working together.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Whenever I hear this song, I can't help but think of one of Jack Handey's Deep Thoughts: "I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it."


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## captain charles ryder (Jul 20, 2014)

Very good piano party. IMO this song is rather symbol than music in proper sense.


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