John Lennon, the legendary singer of the Beatles, was struck down in his prime by a crazed gunman in New York City. Lennon was only 40 years old. A song he recorded after he left the Beatles began to symbolize Lennon’s life and took on special significance after his death. Furthermore, the song’s timing was perfect as the world entered one of its most troubling periods in human history. As human beings struggle for acceptance and equality, Lennon’s song “Imagine” represents a beautiful world that could exist if only we could overcome the obstacles in our paths. When you think of John Lennon, “Imagine” is probably the first song to come to mind. Lennon was a peace activist, and he lived his life, particularly his later years, genuinely believing what he wrote in the song, which was co-written by his wife, Yoko Ono.
“Imagine” was the best-selling song of John Lennon’s solo career. The lyrics encourage everyone who listens to imagine a world of love and peace that could exist if only we could eliminate the borders that separate us as people. These are human-made barriers and could easily be broken down if everyone bought into Lennon’s ideals. In addition to peace, “Imagine” encourages people to try to live without material possessions. “Imagine no possessions….it’s easy if you try.”
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When “Imagine” was initially released, it hit number three on the Billboard Top 100 Chart. However, when John Lennon was gunned down in 1980, “Imagine” soared to number one in the U.K. and the U.S. BMI listed “Imagine” as one of the most performed songs from the 20th century. Notably, the song also earned a Grammy Award and was eventually inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The U.K. Guinness Book of World Records survey showed “Imagine” rated at number two of the best songs of all time. The song has appeared numerous times on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” lists. On New Year’s Eve every year since 2005, “Imagine” has been played as the Times Square Ball is dropped in New York City.
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Many artists have covered “Imagine,” and it was recently covered by the a capella group Pentatonix. In their video, they do a visual display that will hit home with lots of people. Each of the singers holds up signs that have words that symbolize the demographic they identify with. The signs say Jewish American, LGBTQ+, Man, Black, Christian, Woman, and Latina. Then, as the song comes to a close, each of the five singers holds up one letter of the word HUMAN. Watch their moving video below.
