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"Imagine" is a song written and performed by English musician John Lennon. It was released as a single from his album Imagine in 1971, and was released as a single in the United Kingdom in 1975 in conjunction with the album Shaved Fish.

The song received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award and is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll; it was ranked the 3rd greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone in its "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

Background and composition

According to Lennon, the song's lyrics were inspired by "Cloud Piece", a three-line instructional poem from Yoko Ono's 1964 book Grapefruit. The words were reproduced on the back cover of the Imagine album.

In a 1980 interview with David Sheff for Playboy magazine, Lennon commented on the message of "Imagine":

Sheff: On a new album, you close with "Hard Times Are Over (For a While)". Why?
Lennon: It's not a new message: "Give Peace a Chance"—we're not being unreasonable. Just saying "give it a chance." With "Imagine" we're asking, "can you imagine a world without countries or religions?" It's the same message over and over. And it's positive.

Ono indicated that the lyrical content of "Imagine" was "just what John believed—that we are all one country, one world, one people. He wanted to get that idea out." In addition, the content of "Imagine" was inspiration for the concept of Nutopia: The Country of Peace, created in 1973. Lennon included a symbolically mute "anthem" to this country on his album Mind Games. The inspiration for Ono's Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland came from words in the second verse: "Imagine all the people living life in peace."

In the book Lennon in America, by Geoffrey Giuliano, Lennon commented that Imagine was an "anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic , but because it's sugar-coated, it's accepted."

Commercial performance

"Imagine" was issued as a single a month after the album in the United States, catalogue Apple 1840, and peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached number 1 in Canada on the RPM national singles chart, remaining there for two weeks, and was Lennon's only solo Australian number one single, spending five weeks there. When asked about the song in one of his last interviews, Lennon declared "Imagine" to be as good as anything he had written with The Beatles.

Promotional film

Directed by Lennon and Ono, the accompanying film begins with a view of them strolling through the garden of their Berkshire home, Tittenhurst Park. As they walk to the front door, they enter the house by disappearing outside and appearing inside; the camera tilts up to see a window with the line inscribed: "This is not here." The film then consists primarily of Lennon playing on a white grand piano in his white living-room, while Ono opens the shutters, bathing the room in sunlight.

Another music video for the song, made in 1986 by Zbigniew Rybczyński, was released. In 1987, it won the "Silver Lion" prize for Best Clip at Cannes.

Re-releases

"Imagine" was released as a single in the United Kingdom in 1975 in conjunction with the album Shaved Fish, where it peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart. Following Lennon's murder in 1980, the single re-entered the UK chart and was number one for four weeks in January 1981. "Imagine" was re-released as a single in the UK in 1988, peaking at number 45, and again in 1999, reaching number three. Despite no official re-release, the song re-entered the UK Top 40 in August 2012 after featuring prominently in the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, peaking at number 18.

"Imagine" was the sole John Lennon track included in a promotional-only various artists compilation album issued by Capitol Records entitled The Greatest Music Ever Sold (Capitol SPRO-8511/8512). Distributed to record stores during the 1976 holiday season, it was part of Capitol's "Greatest Music Ever Sold" campaign promoting 15 "Best Of" albums released by the record label. The song was also included on a six-disc boxed set commemorating Capitol Records' sixtieth anniversary that was issued in 2002. "Imagine", along with the entire John Lennon catalogue, was remastered and re-issued in 2010, to celebrate what would have been his 70th year.

Legacy and recognition

Since its release, "Imagine" has been included in an array of most-influential and greatest-songs-of-all-time lists. In 1999 BMI named "Imagine" one of the top 100 most-performed songs of the 20th century. The song received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999. "Imagine" ranks number 23 in the year-2000 list of best-selling singles of all time in the UK.

Although its been said that Imagine "carried us through extreme grief, from the shock of Lennon's own death in 1980 to the unspeakable horror of September 11th", Clear Channel Communications included the song on its post-9/11 "do not play" list following the attacks.

In 2002, "Imagine" was named the second best single of all time behind Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", in a UK poll conducted by the Guinness World Records British Hit Singles Book.

In 2004, "Imagine" ranked number 3 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, behind The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" and Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone".

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 number 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 the top spot. In Australia, it was selected the greatest song of all time on the Nine Network's 20 to 1 countdown show on 12 September 2006 and voted eleventh in youth network Triple J's Hottest 100 Of All Time on 11 July 2009. The song was named number one on Australia's MAX channel's 5000-song countdown that went through the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In 2006, Jimmy Carter said "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."

On 25 February 2009, the Supreme Court of the United States quoted the lyrics to the song in footnote 2 of Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, a case dealing with the messages of monuments:

What, for example, is "the message" of the Greco-Roman mosaic of the word "Imagine" that was donated to New York City’s Central Park in memory of John Lennon? See NYC Brief 18; App. to id., at A5. Some observers may "imagine" the musical contributions that John Lennon would have made if he had not been killed. Others may think of the lyrics of the Lennon song that obviously inspired the mosaic and may "imagine" a world without religion, countries, possessions, greed, or hunger.

On 9 October 2010, which would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday, the Liverpool Signing Choir performed "Imagine" along with other Lennon songs at the unveiling of the John Lennon Peace Monument in Chavasse Park, Liverpool England.

The slogan of Liverpool John Lennon Airport is "Above Us Only Sky," a line from the song.

A scene in the movie Forrest Gump in which Gump and John Lennon appear on The Dick Cavett Show makes it appear that it was Gump's description of China that gave Lennon the inspiration for the lyrics.

Notable performances

In 1980, Elton John performed the song on 13 September during his concert in Central Park.Later that year Queen performed it live as a tribute to Lennon, once on 9 December 1980, in London, the day after Lennon's death, and on 14 December in Frankfurt.

Stevie Wonder with the Morehouse College Glee Club covered it for the closing ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Neil Young performed "Imagine" on 21 September 2001, for the benefit concert America: A Tribute to Heroes.

Madonna performed the song on her 2004 Re-Invention World Tour. It was released as the live album/DVD documentary I'm Going to Tell You a Secret in 2006.

The song was performed by Peter Gabriel as part of the 2006 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.

In 2008 on American Idol, David Archuleta famously covered the song earning rave reviews from the judges. Archuleta went on to make it to the 'Idol' finale where he reprised "Imagine." This is thought of as one of the best performances in American Idol history.

In 2012 the song was used as part of the London Olympic closing ceremony. It was performed by the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir and the Liverpool Signing Choir. The choirs performed the first verse, and accompanied Lennon's original vocals for the rest of the song. Lennon also appeared in video. This version was the first adaptation of the original 8-track recording of "Imagine".

Since 2005, "Imagine" has been played just before the New Year's ball drop in Times Square. In 2011, singer Cee Lo Green performed the song live, but changed the lyric "and no religion too" to "and all religion's true". There was an immediate backlash from fans who believed that he had disrespected the legacy of Lennon by changing the lyrics of his most iconic song. Green defended the change by saying it meant to represent "a world could believe what wanted".

Cover versions

"Imagine" has been recorded by over 100 artists:

• Joan Baez covered the song on her 1972 Come from the Shadows album, and frequently includes it in her concerts.
• A Perfect Circle covered the song on their 2004 album eMOTIVe. Blues Traveler covered the song for the "Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon" tribute album and recently Chris Cornell covered it on his 2011 acoustic live album "Songbook".
• Jack Vidgen covered the song on his 2012 album Inspire.
• Seal, P!nk, India.Arie, Jeff Beck, Konono N°1, Oumou Sangare and others recorded "Imagine" for Herbie Hancock's 2010 album, The Imagine Project.
• Herbie Hancock performed it with India.Arie, Kristina Train, and Greg Phillinganes at the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Concert on 11 December; the subsequently released recording won a Grammy award for Best Pop Vocal Collaboration on 13 February 2011.
• Emeli Sandé covered the song in 2012, which was used by BBC for its end credits montage at the close of the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Notable parodies

Elton John, a friend of Lennon's, made up the following lyrics to parody how Lennon's own lyrics contrasted with Lennon's lifestyle:

Imagine six apartments
It isn't hard to do
One is full of fur coats
The other's full of shoes

In The Comic Strip Presents episode "More Bad News", which takes the form a mockumentary following the reformation of the heavy metal band Bad News, lead singer Vim Fuego (played by Ade Edmondson) tells a reporter (played by Jennifer Saunders) how he and Lennon wrote a song together "Imagine" (which he pronounces "Image-un" (presumably 'Imogen' - the "girl's name")), though the reporter initially mistakes this for "Imagine". He then proceeds to play it to her in his "studio", where he (badly) sings "Imagine" whilst playing a child's keyboard also very badly.

Comedian Tim Hawkins did a parody of this song for his DVD "Full Range of Motion" about wanting a world without spoiled kids, dumb drivers, and musicians with political lyrics.

Accolades

Personnel

• John Lennon: vocal, piano
• Klaus Voormann: bass
• Alan White: drums
• The Flux Fiddlers: strings

Charts

Peak positions

Certifications

Notes

1. ^ "3 - John Lennon, 'Imagine'". The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 March 2012. Lennon knew he had written something special. In one of his last interviews, he declared "Imagine" to be as good as anything he had written with the Beatles. We know it's better than that: an enduring hymn of solace and promise that has carried us through extreme grief, from the shock of Lennon's own death in 1980 to the unspeakable horror of September 11th. It is now impossible to imagine a world without "Imagine." And we need it, more than he ever dreamed.
2. "The Beatles Bible – John Lennon: Imagine (song)". Retrieved 8 October 2010.
3. Sheff, David. "Playboy Interview: John Lennon and Yoko Ono". Playboy. Retrieved 3 December 2006.
4. Gilmore, Mikal (5 December 2005). "Lennon Lives Forever: John Lennon". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 December 2006.
5. ^ "Top Singles - Volume 16, No. 15, November 27 1971". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
6. "Top Singles - Volume 16, No. 16, December 4, 1971". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
7. "George Michael buys Lennon's piano". BBC News. 18 October 2000.
8. http://antiquesandthearts.com/AW0-10-31-2000-15-17-05
9. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2002/mar/04/advertising
10. The UK's Best Selling Singles UK Charts. Retrieved 4 June 2011
11. Queen rock on in poll BBC News. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
12. Queen hit named Britain's best Daily Mail. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
13. http://www.last.fm/user/SideFlower/journal/2005/12/31/drj_virgin_radio_all_time_top_500_songs
14. "Hottest 100 Of All Time".
15. Elliott, Debbie (5 November 2006). "Carter helps monitor Nicaragua presidential election". All Things Considered. Retrieved 3 December 2006.
16. "Pleasant Grove City, Utah v. Summum" (PDF). U.S. Supreme Court. 25 February 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
17. "Peace monument unveiled in Liverpool for John Lennon's 70th". Liverpool Daily Post. 9 October 2010. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
18. "Imagine... if he was still alive: Sculpture of Peace unveiled to mark John Lennon's life on his 70th Birthday". London: Daily Mail. 10 October 2010.
19. "Imagine! John Lennon meets Forrest Gump". SpeakingGump.com. 19 April 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
20. http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/elton-john/1980/central-park-new-york-ny-7bd1da28.html
21. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh5HaSrn22w
22. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/olympics/daily/aug/05/close5.htm
23. "John Lennon and Neil Young: Jammin' with Neil". ThrashersWheat.org - A Neil Young Archives. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
24. http://www.worldofgenesis.com/NEWS-Feb06.htm
25. http://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/04/23/david-archuleta-best-american-idol-performance/
26. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/12/john-lennon-closing-ceremony-imagine-olympics_n_1770882.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular
27. Cooper, Gael Fashingbauer (1 January 2012). "Fans angry that Cee Lo changed 'Imagine' lyrics". msnbc.com. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
28. Golgowski, Nina. "Cee Lo Green changes lyrics to Lennon's Imagine to include pro-religion message enraging fans". London: The Daily Mail. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
29. "Second Hand Songs – Song: Imagine". Second Hand Songs project. Retrieved 6 December 2010.; "A Perfect Circle cover of John Lennon's Imagine – WhoSampled". WhoSampled.com Limited. Retrieved 6 December 2010.; "Imagine a World With Only Good Covers". UpVenue. 20 February 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
30. "The Imagine Project". All About Jazz. 21 June 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
31. How John Lennon helped to bring down Communism, The Telegraph, 8 December 2010
32. "John Lennon – Imagine". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
33. "John Lennon – Imagine" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
34. "John Lennon – Imagine" (in French). Les classement single.
35. "Chart Track: Week 1, 2000". Irish Singles Chart.
36. "Singoli - I numeri uno (1959-1950) - parte 2: 1970-1980" (in Italian). It-Charts.150m.com. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
37. "John Lennon – Imagine". Top Digital Download.
38. "Chart Search Results - Japan Hot 100 Singles 2010-10-23". Billboard.biz. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
39. "John Lennon – Imagine" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
40. "John Lennon – Imagine". Top 40 Singles.
41. "John Lennon – Imagine". VG-lista.
42. "John Lennon – Imagine" Canciones Top 50.
43. "John Lennon – Imagine". Singles Top 100.
44. "John Lennon – Imagine". Swiss Singles Chart.
45. "John Lennon: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
46. "John Lennon Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
47. "Chart Search Results - Adult Contemporary 1971-11-06". Billboard.biz. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
48. id MUST BE PROVIDED for UK CERTIFICATION.

• Cite certification used for United Kingdom without ID
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• John Lennon songs
• Songs written by John Lennon
• Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients
• UK Singles Chart number-one singles
• Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
• RPM Top Singles number-one singles
• Number-one singles in Australia
• Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
• 1971 singles
• 1975 singles
• 1980 singles
• Apple Records singles
• Songs produced by Phil Spector
• Songs produced by John Lennon
• Songs produced by Yoko Ono
• English-language songs
• Anti-war songs
• Songs critical of religion
• Peace symbols
• Rock ballads
• Blues Traveler songs
• Joan Baez songs
• A Perfect Circle songs