John Lennon’s Imagine Essay, Research Paper
John Lennon s song Imagine is by all means a classic which will endure in the hearts of many, as long as it is still around. With that in mind, I believe that it should live on by being placed in the UTD time capsule. It has many aspects that make it the ideal song for such a project, from its musical quality, to its imperative message of peace.
Lennon s melodic style conveys a poignant innocence, which complements the theme of the song perfectly. The music stays simple and seems to grasp the lyrics without a seam. It is the type of song that will appeal to almost anyone who hears it because of its rythmic, almost hypnotic sound. I don t know what the music of the future will sound like, but I believe a song like this is one that can be enjoyed by all generations to come. It isn t the music of our generation today; not rock with heavy distortion, or rap with deafening bass, nor is it the synthesised R n B many of us choose to listen to. It is the type of song that touches a person s heart, the kind of music we listen to because we can feel it. This selection is a more instrumental rock that is set apart from all other genres, deserving of the reverance received in the decades past, and for those to come.
This song is trully a tribute to great music, and has been likened to the twentieth centuries answer to Beethoven s Moonlight Sonata and Bach s Fantasia . In that regard, this song is seen as one the greatest songs of our century, and isn t that the type of musical merit we should consider when selecting the one song to represent us in the capsule? The song itself is asking that we see the world consciously, and don t just coast by on what others have established as right. It wants you to invoke thought upon life as your own person to decide what it is you believe in. The idea of this song is one that could easily be thrown out as a contradictory if it weren t for the way Lennon portrays it. He wants you to imagine (hence the title) it as he does and infer from your own judgement what you believe. John explains: “My role in society, or any artist’s or poet’s role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all” (Thompson, 65).
Most music either tells a story or has no meaning behind it at all. This is where the genuine motive behind choosing this song comes into play. It has a message, something most songs lack. As I mentioned earlier, it is peace. Peace is the greatest factor of our world we live in. It is an inherent virtue of civilization. Without peace there is chaos, hatred, and eventually, nothing. Peace is the only quality that can unify us all, the one thing we can all have in common. It encompasses all values: without peace there is no love, without peace there is no friendship, without peace there is no life or will to live.
With that being said, it shouldn t be taken lightly that Lennon gradually became one of the greatest advocates of peace in his time. He has been compared to John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Gandhi as a figure for peace in the world (Beeston).
The main focus is the unification of people under common ideals (a.k.a. peace). John wants us to imagine that there are no countries to segregate us, no possessions to validate us, no greed to corrupt us, No hunger to anguish us. These all tie together as things people of today kill and die for, which is the biggest evil. He even brings up religion. This is more of an attack on institutions, and their power of isolation creating destruction. It s trying to get us to share all the world a brotherhood of man living as one , together. Imagine all the people living life in peace.
The ultimate testimony to the influence and spirit of this song can be seen in how it helped stop the Vietnam War says Paul McCartney (Thompson 63). This song was introduced in a time of great turmoil and had heavy influence over the situation.
From time immemorial, mankind has had a Dream: the Dream of living in peace, in peace with itself, with its neighbours, with nature, with the universe.
I think the dream is one we should all take heed of, being the future of society. It starts with us, and should be remembered long into the future, when those of us who saw the need for this answer may not be around. The time capsule is a perfect way to achieve the passing of this idea of amity. These personal and political issues are all ideals I feel would be fortunate to anyone at anytime, including a millenium into the future. Lennon s most popular composition Imagine says a lot for itself as a song. It was said noone would forget where they were on that day in December of 1980 when John was murdered because of his impact on the world. I see no reason why this work should not be remebered the same, a timeless masterpiece, by being included in the time capsule .
Works Cited
Beeston, Zac. Imagine. 1997 .
Thompson, Michael. John Lennon. Rolling Stone June 1971: 62-70.
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