“Imagine” by John Lennon, released in 1971, was one of the most influential, and important songs of the last 50 years. This track was viewed as his final statement on religion after many years of confusing mixed signals (WND). Lennon constantly calls upon the power of Imagery to appoint his ideas throughout the song, hence the title. Imagery is the formation of figures, ideas, and mental images through diction (Dictionary.com). Many of the ideas Lennon creates are supported, and even inspired by real life events. In John Lennon's “Imagine”, he uses the power of Imagery and applicable real life events to portray an idealistic Utopia.
The first verse of the track immediately calls upon Imagery, asking you to “imagine there's no heaven”. Many have interpreted the fact Lennon is even writing about religion as odd. He was a renowned Agnostic, or atheist. An Agnostic is someone who doesn't believe, or highly doubts the existence of a greater power (Dictionary.com). 1971 was the midst of Vietnam, and because of the many fatalities, left many only with their faith. This hints as to why Lennon would have written about religion. These lyrics greater express his agnosticism, and feelings toward religion. Furthermore, my opinion or interpretation of this verse is different. With this song, Lennon is attempting to create an image of a perfect Utopia. However, a Utopia is often referred to as “Heaven on Earth”. So with that said, some may believe Lennon was only asking you to imagine a world equal to Heaven, not dismiss its existence. Many ideas within this song are misinterpreted, including the next topic, Government.
The second stanza of the track is probably the most important. It begins once again by asking you to imagine. This time, Le...
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...f starvation (New York Times). This is most likely Lennon's motive for this line. In the final line of the track, Lennon sings “a brotherhood of man”. This line single handedly summarizes Lennon's entire motive for writing the song. A Utopia can be viewed as Heaven on Earth, with a brotherhood of all man. Where no one has any possessions, there is no starving people, and certainly no greed. If all of this happened, we wouldn't need religion, as there would be no sin. John Lennon's use of imagery throughout the song, supported by the events surrounding Vietnam, create an idealistic Utopia in which the listener can shortly live in until the song ends. The songs importance is unmatched by any of his others, as it birthed his assassins intellect as to why he should kill him. “Imagine” by John Lennon will forever be one of the worlds anthems in times of chaos.
	John Paul was born in the small fishing village of Arbigland, Scotland on July 6, 1747. To his parents John Paul and Jean MacDuff he was the fourth child. They had seven children but unfortunately all but two died in infancy. The family was originally from Fife but John Paul's father had taken the family and moved to Arbigland where William Craik, the owner of a large estate their had met him and hired him to be his gardener.
Kurt was an extremely happy child. He would wake up everyday so happy. He was
The album begins with the hard-rocker “Come Together”. The song is a perfect example of John Lennon’s rock influence in the Beatles. “Come Together” is a song that’s popularity has been revived due to its appearances in many commercials. Its trademark chorus, “Come together right now over me”, is known just about everywhere. Ringo’s heavy drums and John’s deep poetic lyrics drive the song, while Paul’s voice and George’s sharp guitar contribute to the body of this song. John Lennon was well known for his creative lyrics. His mind provided lyrics for such insightful songs such as “Across the Universe” and “A Day in the Life”.
Woodstock became a symbol for a whole generation by the coming together of the political environment, the pop culture, and the current events of the time. The ‘baby boomers’ were searching for ways to separate themselves from their parents’ generation and see themselves as a more loving, compassionate, tolerant group of people. Woodstock came at a time of the youths desperation for authority and gave them beliefs they could live with. They wanted to revolt against the political chaos that they had been enduring during this memorable decade, and Woodstock was a symbol of this for the youth.
They were physically attacked in Japan and their records were burnt in the Bible Belt after John Lennon made a passing comment, that “Christianity was in decline and the Beatles were ‘more popular than Jesus’”. The Beatles ' lack of interest in public live performances resulted in them being focused on studio recordings and cease all touring. “With a little help from my friends” is from Beatles’ counterculture album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which was released in June 1967. Now a studio only band, the Beatles were free to experiment with sounds, ideas, instruments, and style. This album was a game changer- the counter culture album was a precursor to psychedelic rock. Drug references, Indian music, and layered studio effects contributed to the different nature of the album. The album was a concept album that set up the idea of community- the opening song was Sargent pepper acknowledging the listener to come take a part of this experience. The album was conceived as a performance, even though the Beatles did not intend to play live again. The sound experimentalism had no rules of melody or harmony and used sounds of nature, instruments, and voices on the tracks. The song itself was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney specifically for Ringo Starr to sing. Due to Starr’s nasally limited vocal range, the song is a simple tune with a limited range. John Lennon and
Imagine a place where everything is perfect. There is a place where there is no warfare, where all. All politics, laws, customs, and traditions are respected. A place where there is sameness among all the citizens and everyone is content and happy. This place would be considered a utopia.
To understand Lennon’s attempt at displaying his raw emotions through this song, one must also understand the influence behind Lennon’s decision. Bob Dylan influenced all of the Beatles in a significant way in their early Beatlemania years: Dylan introduced the Beatles to marijuana, mistaking “I can’t hide” for “I get high” in “She Loves You”. While the Beatles experimented with several energy drugs, they had not yet used marijuana, and they soon discovered that it bestowed the group with the ability to relax and escape from the stress of dealing with Beatlemania. After ...
He died 26 years ago this week in a London hotel room, with a girlfriend who couldn't make up her mind to call an ambulance. James Marshall Hendrix had ingested nine German sleeping pills, some wine, and a meal of brown rice. He was 27 years old.
Bob marley was born February 6th 1945. He was a Jamaican singer, guitarist, and songwriter, a pioneer of Jamaican reggae music. Probaly Considered one of the greatest artists of the genre, he was the first Jamaican reggae performer to achieve significant international stardom. He was born in Rhoden Hall, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica . Marley was learning the welding trade in Kingston when he formed his first band group, the Rudeboys, in 1961. The group later became known as the Wailers. The Wailers included vocalists Bunny Livingston and Peter Tosh, both went solo and was successful at there new careers. The group's early recordings were in a style called ska, a hybrid of New Orleans rhythm and blues and Jamaican mento. A Mento was the first of the reggae styles. The term reggae is commonly used as a collective designation for a number of successive forms of Jamaican pop music—ska. By the late 1960s, influences from United States rhythm and blues, Jamaican folk rhythm, and rhythmic, improvised verses were. synthesized into the rock steady and poppa-top styles. and Marley emerged as a rising talent in this new genre of Jamaican music. In 1967 he converted from Christianity to Rastafarianism, a
The 1960s was the era of rebellion. It was a time when views of many people started to change dramatically as unexpected things were happening from the Cold War to the assassinations of nation’s leaders. So within this disturbed era, many citizens started to rebel and question the authorities saying that they were ruining the country. The younger generation, especially, stood firmly in front to lead the action to change the ideas of the older generation. One of the main methods they used to speak their opinions was through music and we can see the power it had on the people through one of the main protest anthems called “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1969. The song speaks out to the elite controlled America and becomes one of many instances of the younger generation questioning and rebelling against the authority in the late 1960s. They send people a message that the citizens of United States do not live in a fair world and the authorities are not doing their jobs. By creating images through the comparative and descriptive lyrics such as who “waves the flag” , and “some folks are born with silver spoons in hand”, its repetition of the chorus “it ain’t me” and the instrumentation of the song which sounds like the cry of the working class to signify that the Vietnam War is a rich man’s war and a poor man’s fight, this song by the Creedence Clearwater Revival shouts to the world that the elite-controlled America is unfair as it can get; and becomes a big part of the counterculture movement. However, contrary to the message of the song, challenges to authority and privilege did not come exclusively from the working class. Rather, members of the upper class were also involved in opposition movements, for instance vi...
Each person has their own vision of utopia. Utopia means an ideal state, a paradise, a land of enchantment. It has been a central part of the history of ideas in Western Civilization. Philosophers and writers continue to imagine and conceive plans for an ideal state even today. They use models of ideal government to express their ideas on contemporary issues and political conditions. Man has never of comparing the real and ideal, actuality and dream, and the stark facts of human condition and hypothetical versions of optimum life and government.
It all started in Liverpool. On July 7, 1940 Ringo Starr was born as Richard Starkey. Not much later, on October 9, 1940 John Lennon was born as John Winston Lennon. Two years later, Paul McCartney was born as James Paul McCartney on June 18. Then on February 25, 1943 George Harrison was born. The early days of the Beatles were as a small group called the Quarry Men. John formed the group with his school friend Pete Shotton in March 1957; a few months later Paul joined (Spencer 12). In February 1958, George meets John and Paul and is invited to join the band.In late 1961, during a trip to Paris, John and Paul get a new hairstyle, the Beatles trademark – the ‘mop top.’ Then, in early 1962, the Beatles sign a management contract with Brian Epstein.
John Lennon was born on October 9th 1940 in Liverpool, England 1. His father left the family to sail the seas before Lennon’s earliest childhood memory and his mother was taken away by a car accident when he was 18 2. A year after his mother’s death, the Vietnam War took place, which is The United State’s longest military dispute ever. The world famous band, The Beatles, debut on 1961 not long after the start of the war and through this band, Lennon was able to demonstrate his feelings to the people across the world. "Revolution," performed by The Beatles, was created in 1968, when the anti-war demonstration was on the move. After the separation of The Beatles in 1969, Lennon composed the song "Imagine" (1971) 3. This song proves that Lennon is a Peace-Loving-Atheist and a "Voluntarist" 4 that believes in the scheme that people’s ideas can change social reality; however simultaneously admits that there are constantly wars going on in the world. As a result, he could be a mixture of all four, Realist, Liberal, Marxist and Constructivist. On December 8th 1980, approximately five years after the end of the Vietnam War, Lennon was assassinated by Mark Chapman 5. It is not for certain that the word assassination could be used on a singer, song writer who also published books. However there is no doubt about the fact that Lennon touched many people’s hearts around the world and maybe was even praised as an almighty figure.
“Bob walked on to the stage in what I would later recognize as his inimitable saunter. It was awesome to watch him immediately memorize the crowd with his presence. His guitar slung over his shoulder, his Rasta locks flowing in unrestricted freedom, he generated a raw power of personality that overwhelmed his worshipers. Sounding his opening refrain “Hail Jah Rastafari!” and without another word he immediately launched into his opening song, “Concrete Jungle,” which immediately brought the crowd to its feet.”
"I hope some day you will join us, and the world will live as one" Simplicity combines with deep meaning when John Lennon expresses his thoughts in his song "Imagine." This song was a huge hit in the 70’s, the time in which the Vietnam War was occurring. John Lennon’s “Imagine”, was a protest song that questions the morality of war, shows anti-war statements and emphasizes the importance of world peace. In America, every civilian has the Freedom of Speech. For this, artists have every right to compose a protest song. Even if the government is not fond of it, anyone could potentially write a song going against his or her beliefs, which is exactly what Lennon did with "Imagine," in a peaceful way. At the time Lennon’s song went against most beliefs, for people believed that violence in war was the answer to everything. Amongst passive resistance, the refusal to cooperate with legal requirements, strikes and angry mobs, Lennon chose the much calmer approach and simply composed a protest song. A protest song is simply a song that argues a point and tries to encourage one thing against another. In his song "Imagine", Lennon protest that the World should live in peace; keep in mind the Vietnam War was occurring at the time. It was then that protest songs were created to try and make points across, without the actual violence of rioting in protest.