‘Imagine’ – John Lennon
While John Lennon’s classic ballad “Imagine” could be interpreted as a simple plea for world peace, the former Beatle – and his wife Yoko Ono, whom Lennon later acknowledged contributed far more to the song than the solo credit indicates – were addressing more specific issues rather than a general call for peace. In a 1980 interview with Playboy, Lennon addressed the song’s religious overtones. “The idea of positive prayer… If you can envisage a world at peace, with no religious groups – not without religion, but without this my God is bigger than your God thing – then it is possible… The World Church once contacted and requested, “Can we use the lyrics to ‘Imagine’ and just change it to ‘Imagine one religion’?” That demonstrated to [me] that they had no idea what I was talking about. It would contradict the entire meaning of the song, the entire concept.”
‘Imagine’ John Lennon
