This is perhaps the greatest song ever written, IMO, and like you, I've probably listed to thousands of songs. There's no denying there is an ideology in the lyric, and perhaps that puts people off if they do not view the world the same way Lennon did. But for me, it resonates very true and profoundly. This song has been analyzed to death, so I'll just say that it's remarkably simple in terms of chords and lyrics. I don't think there is a word more than 3 syllables, and there are 4, maybe 5 basic chords with a simple melody. But what I've not seen pointed out about this song is during the bridge there is a modulation to Emaj. This occurs right after the word "dreamer" and again after "not the only one." One day after repeated listens to this song, I suddenly realized what's happening and that the placement of that chord was intentional and it floored me. That key change is symbolic. It's the change that's possible even if you don't think it is, ie it's the dream becoming real. But you have to imagine it first. It makes me recall a line from a Peter Gabriel song.. I believe 'Mercy Street': "all of the buildings, all of the cars, were once just a dream in somebody's head."
At least there are literally records to document just how much society can shift throughout the years...its important for this kind of sentiment to be injected into the collective consciousness..
This is the authentic version and official one. Great reaction to a great song. Wish the world would take heed of the words. We need to stop thinking about flags and country and instead value humans.
This is John lennon and the original! I assume he toned down his voice to give it a more peaceful vibe. That was John lennon, He always gave the song what it needed for the occasion.
John was very self conscious about his voice , which is almost unbelievable but true, George Martin the Beatles producer, said he was asked all the time by John to use effects and tone techniques to change his voice, As a singer I know that feeling ,, Always amazed when others like the sound of my voice,
Imagine.....One simple word. Imagine if we stopped everything superficial and considered spirituality instead.......It will never happen because it is basic human nature that we are critical of others if they are not the same, or think the same................and by the way........have to add, it is Lennon. His voice is one of a kind.
This can be over analyzed. It's a very pure and simple pondering, just asking the listener to consider setting aside all the things that separate us as people. But, in an overly materialistic, theological and political world, some people see it as threatening or sacreligious or communist. Just my opinion.
Thank you so much for your beautiful and insightful reaction. This is one of the best reactions I’ve seen for this song. I agree 100%. For another thought provoking Tuesday I think Tool- Right In Two would be great.
Your not the only one John. Your light still shines. This song needs to be played all over the airwaves RIGHT NOW! Time to wake up people it's 2020, he said this 45 years ago. 45 years ago we had 3 TV channels, I know I was 5 at the time. Now anyone in the world can have their own Tv channel via YT or Pat. AND THERE IS STILL RACISIM IN AMERICA. WTF? Shit John forget about getting along with the entire world, we still can't get along with different skin color here.
@@patrickmorris8969 I don't think so Patrick. The juxtaposition of church-like music and the humanist message is one of the things that makes this song a timeless, classic work of art.
Please play Natalie Merchant songs To Down Moses, about Hurricane Katrina, and What's The Matter Here, about people standby and watch a child being abuse. She has many songs, but she will receive the John Lennon Award for her activism.
We are all one. We have been lied to for so long that we forgot where we came from. And that has all been the plan . Greedy psychopaths running the world. We are all one conciousness.
This song is not a naive position. He's just saying imagine these things. I And why not aim for the impossible when we fall short we still will have made a better world
The Communist Manifesto in song...No religion, No belief in any deity, No possessions, and No country. Communism painted so eloquently here by John Lennon... In theory it is a wonderful concept...In reality it has caused the deaths of countless millions throughout the world.
Thank you for that kind reply. Glad to see someone who is not blinded by the stealth of Lennon's words while he painted a perfect picture of a one world society under the umbrella of communism...@@thrummer1953
The reason it caused so much death was because of greed. If, like Lennon said, everyone was a good person who genuinely cared about others, a world like he imagined could possibly flourish. However, we know that that’s not the case, and that there are greedy, evil people in the world, hence the song’s name.
@@bmxmyth166 Not everybody genuinely cares about other people though. I like this song but it's unrealistic and you'd be downright naive to think something like this could really happen.
This song gives me the same feeling as Savio's had to the song Porcelain by that stooge Moby. And especially considering how this song is and always has been an anthem for a type of government that killed over 100 million people (very low ball estimate) in the last century, I can't morally support it. John, like Moby, was also known for his very vocal political stances. Let's take a "quick" glance at the lyrics...and separate John's message from the flowery perfumed words that try to pretty it up and trick everyone into thinking is such an amazing song. "Imagine there's no heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky" Well that's a terrifying thought. As you'll see in a moment, this isn't simply an anti-Christianity message, but a dismissal of all religions and beliefs of all people. No Hell below us. No Heaven above. We'll come back to this in a moment.... "Imagine all the people Living for today (ah ah ah)" Living for today, huh? Yeah...screw tomorrow. Screw the next generation. Just focus on right now. I'm sure your ancestors, your parents and grandparents, who sacrificed and went without so that you could "live for today" appreciate the spit in their face. Then again, we shouldn't expect much more than this from someone who's melted away half their brain by this point in their career...seems a bit short sighted. Hmm, I wonder if that factors into why we have so many problems in the world, but let's move on... "Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion, too" So, no countries. No borders, huh? So a man from India can't be proud of the accomplishments of his people, because he no longer has a people. There is no India. The Englishman can''t be proud of the accomplishments of his people, because he also no longer has a people. There's no England. There's also no more legacy to hand down to your children...no more pride in your people. No more competition. No more drive. We...are all....the same... (didn't Pink Floyd specifically warn us about this?). So much for celebrating your culture. So much for diversity in the world. And I told you we'd come back. So there it is. "No religion, too." So basically, if you serve any faith, or have any personal beliefs about what is to come....well in his imagined world, you aren't allowed to have those anymore. Remember now, no "hell" below us...and "above us only sky". Oh, I get it, John. Atheism only, in your lay-about world. So far, to make his perfect world, we are at 1) get rid of the all the world's spiritual beliefs, and 2) no individual countries being allowed to make their own rules for what works best for them....and that'll also end all murder forever. Got it. "Imagine all the people Living life in peace You may say that 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" I'm having a hard time imagining it, John, if I'm being honest. So far, when I check the ol' history book of the world, everywhere I see atheism forcing out religion, I don't see it being done very peacefully. Think I'll pass on the offer to join this "us" you're talking about (Damn, I could have sworn Pink Floyd ALSO warned us about this too). It sounds like it'll most likely be a violent group who justifies it's actions with whatever convenient excuse strikes everyone's fancy in the moment, like all the others before it that have waved this same banner. "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 that 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" So you've taken our God(s), stripped away the legacy of our cultural forefathers, denied individual cultures/countries the right to create their own systems that promote the growth and meet the specific needs of those people, created an Us vs. Them scenario (while at the same time proclaiming the world will be as one), and now....and now you imagine no possessions either. And who get's to decide what counts as greed now? Did you give up your possessions, or did you just "imagine" that you did? So, everything I have worked for, everything that each of us has worked for...now, according to John, you don't possess that anymore. You don't own the fruits of your labor. The fruit of your family's labor. Those now get shared, just like we all will be "sharing the world". Bust your butt while someone else lays about, and in the end, we are all equal. Oh, I know this one....it whispers the name Marx. This is the message that is being sung to everyone, as they dream too. And while dreaming, miss what's being promoted. It disgusts me. Many of us have either been directly impacted, or had recent family impacted, by the heinous results of this "dreamy" ideology that always, without fail, collapses with dire results. So many wasted lives, and even still to this day. What a foolish people we are, collectively. This is the message of the privileged, just as John was, preached down to the poor. We don't need you to save us, John. We just need you and those like you to leave us alone and stop stirring the pot. So in closing, don't worship at the feet of these false idols and prophets. Heck, he wasn't even the best, or most important, part of The Beatles. There's much better music out there to spend your time on. Delete this one, right alongside Moby. Absolute trash. God bless.
I get the whole sentiment of this song but I think if it really was true then the world would be super boring, no different cultures to experience. Living through the 60's seemed to cause an overreaction from some people. Only seeing the negative point of view.
That Lennon was one great song writer can not be disputed. However, if McCartney had written this, phoney, syrupy, sentimental, sacarine of a song, Lennon sycophants would have, quite rightly, trashed it! Yoko took away Lennon's humor and gave him her weird world views and her simpletons undergrad political mentally in return. R.I.P. John
This has to be one of the all time classics ever recorded. Nothing short of a masterpiece.
My favorite song by John Lennon. And yes this is the original version and a beautiful song.
Jealous guy
It's John. We should all IMAGINE ❤
This song is very very iconic! It’s one of the greatest songs ever written. It has become a national anthem for peace.
....And freedom!
Yes this is John Lennon . Not a cover
Yesterday Imagine Something .... May be the Three most Beautiful Songs Ever Written! .... And they were Written by Three Friends!
And Octopus's Garden
@@cbseE9212 there are more beautiful songs than octopus's garden like here comes the sun and while my guitar gently weeps... Those are pure art.
@@ale16_69 Absolutely, I just like Ringo's songs more. His songs make me happy :)
I'm glad to be on this 🌏 with you two. Your very special people.
That's our John
watch the women from 1:10 to 2:35. You see humaity in her eyes as she listens ad reads the lyrics. Beautiful
This song is huge ,thanks for your reaction,love to you both .
No that's John Lennon version. His signature solo career song. I like the song and piano blending the reflective nature of the tune.
This is perhaps the greatest song ever written, IMO, and like you, I've probably listed to thousands of songs. There's no denying there is an ideology in the lyric, and perhaps that puts people off if they do not view the world the same way Lennon did. But for me, it resonates very true and profoundly. This song has been analyzed to death, so I'll just say that it's remarkably simple in terms of chords and lyrics. I don't think there is a word more than 3 syllables, and there are 4, maybe 5 basic chords with a simple melody. But what I've not seen pointed out about this song is during the bridge there is a modulation to Emaj. This occurs right after the word "dreamer" and again after "not the only one." One day after repeated listens to this song, I suddenly realized what's happening and that the placement of that chord was intentional and it floored me. That key change is symbolic. It's the change that's possible even if you don't think it is, ie it's the dream becoming real. But you have to imagine it first. It makes me recall a line from a Peter Gabriel song.. I believe 'Mercy Street': "all of the buildings, all of the cars, were once just a dream in somebody's head."
Thank you Enoma for this reáction ánd thánk you John Lennon for this great Song......
At least there are literally records to document just how much society can shift throughout the years...its important for this kind of sentiment to be injected into the collective consciousness..
This is the authentic version and official one. Great reaction to a great song. Wish the world would take heed of the words. We need to stop thinking about flags and country and instead value humans.
This is John lennon and the original! I assume he toned down his voice to give it a more peaceful vibe. That was John lennon, He always gave the song what it needed for the occasion.
John 'the legend' Lennon. Music doesn't get better than him.
John was very self conscious about his voice , which is almost unbelievable but true, George Martin the Beatles producer, said he was asked all the time by John to use effects and tone techniques to change his voice, As a singer I know that feeling ,, Always amazed when others like the sound of my voice,
Imagine.....One simple word. Imagine if we stopped everything superficial and considered spirituality instead.......It will never happen because it is basic human nature that we are critical of others if they are not the same, or think the same................and by the way........have to add, it is Lennon. His voice is one of a kind.
This song says everything i wish it was like this
This can be over analyzed. It's a very pure and simple pondering, just asking the listener to consider setting aside all the things that separate us as people. But, in an overly materialistic, theological and political world, some people see it as threatening or sacreligious or communist. Just my opinion.
Yes, people have been brainwashed into worshipping false idols that harm them, but benefit the few.
@@jeffmurray1681 like John Lennon?
@@hytak18 like the rich. like the celebrities. like TRUMP
beautiful song
Thank you so much for your beautiful and insightful reaction. This is one of the best reactions I’ve seen for this song. I agree 100%. For another thought provoking Tuesday I think Tool- Right In Two would be great.
It was John Lennon. His voice is indistinguishable
R.I.P. John. 😥 Y.N.W.A.
Your not the only one John. Your light still shines. This song needs to be played all over the airwaves RIGHT NOW! Time to wake up people it's 2020, he said this 45 years ago. 45 years ago we had 3 TV channels, I know I was 5 at the time. Now anyone in the world can have their own Tv channel via YT or Pat. AND THERE IS STILL RACISIM IN AMERICA. WTF? Shit John forget about getting along with the entire world, we still can't get along with different skin color here.
Nice video....Greetings from Manchester, Great Britain.
I like your Reviews of Imagine and Working Class Hero.
these lyrics are too much for the general public. imagine there's no religion...
John ❤️✌️🎼
It's just genius that John set these words to music that sounds like a church hymn.
A world without religion and you bring church into this looks like you missed the message of the song
@@patrickmorris8969 I don't think so Patrick. The juxtaposition of church-like music and the humanist message is one of the things that makes this song a timeless, classic work of art.
@@ThePrion23 All the people living in harmony is a contradiction in religion as you can't have peace with different religion
oy va lolol That WAS John Lennon............and Imagine is a Great great song........
100% John Winston Lennon.
No Religion, No Hope!!!!
Please play Natalie Merchant songs To Down Moses, about Hurricane Katrina, and What's The Matter Here, about people standby and watch a child being abuse. She has many songs, but she will receive the John Lennon Award for her activism.
Try John Lennon via the Beatles and All you need is Love and Give Peace a Chance. You can really start to see why he was murdered.
We are all one. We have been lied to for so long that we forgot where we came from. And that has all been the plan . Greedy psychopaths running the world. We are all one conciousness.
Try something obscure like: Melancholy Man, by The Moody Blues....
Talented and gone too soon.
It was John Lennon.
A beautiful song, a beautiful dream - but a naive one.
This song is not a naive position. He's just saying imagine these things. I
And why not aim for the impossible when we fall short we still will have made a better world
The Communist Manifesto in song...No religion, No belief in any deity, No possessions, and No country. Communism painted so eloquently here by John Lennon... In theory it is a wonderful concept...In reality it has caused the deaths of countless millions throughout the world.
Correct
Thank you for that kind reply. Glad to see someone who is not blinded by the stealth of Lennon's words while he painted a perfect picture of a one world society under the umbrella of communism...@@thrummer1953
The reason it caused so much death was because of greed. If, like Lennon said, everyone was a good person who genuinely cared about others, a world like he imagined could possibly flourish. However, we know that that’s not the case, and that there are greedy, evil people in the world, hence the song’s name.
@@bmxmyth166 Not everybody genuinely cares about other people though. I like this song but it's unrealistic and you'd be downright naive to think something like this could really happen.
This song gives me the same feeling as Savio's had to the song Porcelain by that stooge Moby. And especially considering how this song is and always has been an anthem for a type of government that killed over 100 million people (very low ball estimate) in the last century, I can't morally support it. John, like Moby, was also known for his very vocal political stances. Let's take a "quick" glance at the lyrics...and separate John's message from the flowery perfumed words that try to pretty it up and trick everyone into thinking is such an amazing song.
"Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky"
Well that's a terrifying thought. As you'll see in a moment, this isn't simply an anti-Christianity message, but a dismissal of all religions and beliefs of all people. No Hell below us. No Heaven above. We'll come back to this in a moment....
"Imagine all the people
Living for today (ah ah ah)"
Living for today, huh? Yeah...screw tomorrow. Screw the next generation. Just focus on right now. I'm sure your ancestors, your parents and grandparents, who sacrificed and went without so that you could "live for today" appreciate the spit in their face. Then again, we shouldn't expect much more than this from someone who's melted away half their brain by this point in their career...seems a bit short sighted. Hmm, I wonder if that factors into why we have so many problems in the world, but let's move on...
"Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too"
So, no countries. No borders, huh? So a man from India can't be proud of the accomplishments of his people, because he no longer has a people. There is no India. The Englishman can''t be proud of the accomplishments of his people, because he also no longer has a people. There's no England. There's also no more legacy to hand down to your children...no more pride in your people. No more competition. No more drive. We...are all....the same... (didn't Pink Floyd specifically warn us about this?). So much for celebrating your culture. So much for diversity in the world.
And I told you we'd come back. So there it is. "No religion, too." So basically, if you serve any faith, or have any personal beliefs about what is to come....well in his imagined world, you aren't allowed to have those anymore. Remember now, no "hell" below us...and "above us only sky". Oh, I get it, John. Atheism only, in your lay-about world.
So far, to make his perfect world, we are at 1) get rid of the all the world's spiritual beliefs, and 2) no individual countries being allowed to make their own rules for what works best for them....and that'll also end all murder forever. Got it.
"Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that 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"
I'm having a hard time imagining it, John, if I'm being honest. So far, when I check the ol' history book of the world, everywhere I see atheism forcing out religion, I don't see it being done very peacefully. Think I'll pass on the offer to join this "us" you're talking about (Damn, I could have sworn Pink Floyd ALSO warned us about this too). It sounds like it'll most likely be a violent group who justifies it's actions with whatever convenient excuse strikes everyone's fancy in the moment, like all the others before it that have waved this same banner.
"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 that 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"
So you've taken our God(s), stripped away the legacy of our cultural forefathers, denied individual cultures/countries the right to create their own systems that promote the growth and meet the specific needs of those people, created an Us vs. Them scenario (while at the same time proclaiming the world will be as one), and now....and now you imagine no possessions either. And who get's to decide what counts as greed now? Did you give up your possessions, or did you just "imagine" that you did? So, everything I have worked for, everything that each of us has worked for...now, according to John, you don't possess that anymore. You don't own the fruits of your labor. The fruit of your family's labor. Those now get shared, just like we all will be "sharing the world". Bust your butt while someone else lays about, and in the end, we are all equal. Oh, I know this one....it whispers the name Marx.
This is the message that is being sung to everyone, as they dream too. And while dreaming, miss what's being promoted. It disgusts me. Many of us have either been directly impacted, or had recent family impacted, by the heinous results of this "dreamy" ideology that always, without fail, collapses with dire results. So many wasted lives, and even still to this day. What a foolish people we are, collectively.
This is the message of the privileged, just as John was, preached down to the poor. We don't need you to save us, John. We just need you and those like you to leave us alone and stop stirring the pot.
So in closing, don't worship at the feet of these false idols and prophets. Heck, he wasn't even the best, or most important, part of The Beatles. There's much better music out there to spend your time on. Delete this one, right alongside Moby. Absolute trash.
God bless.
And just how "peacefully" has religion been imposed on the people throughout history? Read your history before you answer
I get the whole sentiment of this song but I think if it really was true then the world would be super boring, no different cultures to experience. Living through the 60's seemed to cause an overreaction from some people. Only seeing the negative point of view.
Lennon didnt say there should be no culture. You can still have culture without the baggage
That Lennon was one great song writer can not be disputed. However, if McCartney had written this, phoney, syrupy, sentimental, sacarine of a song, Lennon sycophants would have, quite rightly, trashed it!
Yoko took away Lennon's humor and gave him her weird world views and her simpletons undergrad political mentally in return. R.I.P. John
commie song