John Lennon, singer/songwriter, “Imagine there’s no countries. It isn’t hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for”
Written during the Vietnam War and based on a poem by Yoko Ono, ‘Imagine’ became a powerful anthem for peace and his “greatest musical gift to the world.”
Every year at the Times Square New Year’s ceremony in New York City, and at many celebrations around the world, you will hear ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon and Yoko Ono played. But the song isn’t just reserved for that occasion. It has become a go-to masterpiece of music for any time the world is in a moment of need.
Written and released in 1971 during the Vietnam War, it quickly became a powerful anthem for peace and was praised by Rolling Stone as his “greatest musical gift to the world.” The former Beatle described ‘Imagine’ as “an ad campaign for peace.”
‘Imagine’, John Lennon’s “ad campaign for peace”
Lennon shared that the inspiration for ‘Imagine’ came “straight out of ‘Grapefruit’,” a book of poetry Ono published in 1964. In particular the poem ‘Cloud Piece’, in which she wrote: “Imagine the clouds dripping, dig a hole in your garden to put them in.”
The singer-songwriter described the song as “an ad campaign for peace,” which one could be seen as an extension of his and Ono’s work together on projects to promote peace efforts since becoming a couple in 1968. “He wrote the song, but ‘Imagine’ was a manifesto for both of us,” she told Rolling Stone in 2001 just a few months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Lennon himself considered the song to be “virtually the Communist Manifesto” despite stating that he was “not particularly a Communist” and didn’t “belong to any movement.”
The author of the John Lennon biography ‘Lennon in America’, Geoffrey Giuliano, quoted the artist having said that the song was “anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, and anti-capitalistic but because it is sugarcoated it is accepted… Now I understand what you have to do. Put your political message across with a little honey.”
Songwriter Jimmy Webb said that ‘Imagine’ was a “clairvoyant” song when he spoke to Rolling Stone as people round the world were still wrapping their heads around the 2001 World Trade Center terrorist attack. “It’s extraordinary that Lennon was able, out of a clear blue sky, to construct this elegant appeal for a saner universe,” he said.
“God doesn’t want us to do this stuff to each other. The most important thing Lennon said in that song was this: Anything that divides us, that causes us to be violent toward one another, doesn’t come from God,” he reflected.
Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that on this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.
And there’s more: check out our TikTok and Instagram reels for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.