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"Imagine"
Song
B-side"It's So Hard" (US)
'"Working Class Hero" (UK)

"Imagine" is a song written and performed by English musician John Lennon. The best-selling single of his solo career, its lyrical statement is one of collectivist positivism. It challenges the listener to imagine a world at peace, without the divisiveness and barriers of religious denominations and nationalities, and to consider the possibility that the focus of humanity should be living a life less attached to material possessions.[nb 1]

Lennon and Yoko Ono co-produced the song and album of the same name with Phil Spector. Recording began at Lennon's home studio at Tittenhurst Park, England, in May 1971, with final overdubs taking place at the Record Plant, in New York City, during July. One month after the September release of the LP, Lennon released "Imagine" as a single in the United States; the song peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the LP reached number one on the UK chart in November, later becoming the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed album of Lennon's solo career. In 1975, Lennon released "Imagine" as a single in the United Kingdom, in conjunction with his compilation album Shaved Fish, and it topped the UK chart that year. The song has since sold more than 1.6 million copies in the UK.[2]

BMI named "Imagine" one of the top 100 most-performed songs of the 20th century. It earned a Grammy Hall of Fame Award and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. A UK survey conducted by the Guinness World Records British Hit Singles Book named it the second best single of all time, and Rolling Stone ranked it number 3 in their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Since 2005, event organisers have played it just before the New Year's Times Square Ball drops in New York City. Dozens of artists have performed or recorded versions of "Imagine", including Elton John, Madonna, Stevie Wonder and Neil Young.

Inspiration and lyrics

Several poems from Yoko Ono's 1964 book Grapefruit inspired Lennon to write the lyrics for "Imagine"[3]—in particular, one Capitol Records reproduced on the back cover of the original Imagine LP titled "Cloud Piece", which reads, "Imagine the clouds dripping, dig a hole in your garden to put them in."[4] Lennon later said that "Imagine" "...should be credited as a Lennon/Ono song. A lot of it – the lyric and the concept – came from Yoko, but in those days I was a bit more selfish, a bit more macho, and I sort of omitted her contribution, but it was right out of Grapefruit."[5] When asked about the song's meaning during a December 1980 interview with David Sheff for Playboy magazine, Lennon told Sheff that Dick Gregory had given him and Ono a Christian prayer book, which helped inspire what Lennon described as:

The concept of positive prayer ... If you can imagine a world at peace, with no denominations of religion—not without religion but without this my God-is-bigger-than-your-God thing—then it can be true ... the World Church called me once and asked, "Can we use the lyrics to 'Imagine' and just change it to 'Imagine one religion'? That showed [me] they didn't understand it at all. It would defeat the whole purpose of the song, the whole idea."[3]

With the combined influence of "Cloud Piece" and the prayer book given to him by Gregory, Lennon wrote what author John Blaney described as "a humanistic paean for the people."[5] Blaney wrote, "Lennon contends that global harmony is within our reach, but only if we reject the mechanisms of social control that restrict human potential."[6] With "Imagine", Lennon attempted to raise self-awareness in relation to the way that individuals viewed their interaction with the institutions that affect their lives. Inspired by the anxiety caused by what he perceived as civilisation's inability to maintain a belief among its citizenry in the civilisation's goals, its lyrics ask the listener to abandon three of life's most meaningful concepts: religion, nationhood, and possessions.[5] However, Lennon's lyrics describe hypothetical possibilities, offering no practical solutions, lyrics that at times seem contradictory, asking the listener to abandon systems while encouraging a system similar to Communism.[6] Critics have indicated the hypocrisy in his encouragement of listeners to imagine living their lives without possessions: Lennon, the millionaire rock star living in a mansion. Others argue that Lennon intended the song's lyrics to inspire listeners to imagine if the world could live without possessions, not as an explicit call to give them up.[7] In 1981, former Beatle Ringo Starr defended the song's lyrics during an interview with Barbara Walters, stating: "[Lennon] said 'imagine', that's all. Just imagine it."[8]

Lennon commented: "'Imagine', which says: 'Imagine that there was no more religion, no more country, no more politics,' is virtually the Communist manifesto, even though I'm not particularly a Communist and I do not belong to any movement."[6] He told NME: "There is no real Communist state in the world; you must realize that. The Socialism I speak about ... [is] not the way some daft Russian might do it, or the Chinese might do it. That might suit them. Us, we should have a nice ...British Socialism."[6] Ono described the lyrical statement of "Imagine" as "just what John believed: that we are all one country, one world, one people."[9] Rolling Stone described its lyrics as "22 lines of graceful, plain-spoken faith in the power of a world, united in purpose, to repair and change itself."[9][nb 2]

Composition and music

Lennon composed "Imagine" one morning in early 1971, on a Steinway grand piano, in a bedroom at his Tittenhurst Park estate in Ascot, England. Ono watched as he composed the melody, chord structure and almost all the lyrics, nearly completing the song in one brief writing session.[9] Authors Ben Urish and Ken Bielen criticised the song's instrumental music as overly "sentimental" and "melodramatic", comparing it to the music of the prerock era and describing the vocal melody as "understated".[8]

Lennon wrote "Imagine" in the key of C major. Its 4-bar piano introduction begins with a C chord then moves to Cmaj7 before changing to F; the 12-bar verses also follow this chord progression, with their last 4 bars moving from Am/E to Dm and Dm/C, finishing with G, G11 then G7, before resolving back to C. The 8-bar choruses progress from F to G to C, then Cmaj7 and E before ending on E7, a C chord substituted for E7 in the final bar. The 4-bar outro begins with F, then G, before resolving on C. With a duration of 3 minutes and 3 seconds and a time signature of 4/4, the song's tempo falls around 75 beats per minute.[11]

Recording and commercial reception

A black and white photo of Lennon sitting at a white parlour grand piano. He is wearing headphones and a dark shirt.
A 1971 Billboard advertisement for "Imagine"

Lennon and Ono co-produced the song and album with Phil Spector, who commented on the track: "We knew what we were going to do ... It was going to be John making a political statement, but a very commercial one as well ... I always thought that "Imagine" was like the national anthem."[12] Lennon described his working arrangement with Ono and Spector: "Phil doesn't arrange or anything like that—[Ono] and Phil will just sit in the other room and shout comments like, 'Why don't you try this sound' or 'You're not playing the piano too well' ... I'll get the initial idea and ... we'll just find a sound from [there]."[13]

Recording began at Ascot Sound Studios, Lennon's newly built home studio at Tittenhurst Park, England, in May 1971, with final overdubs taking place at the Record Plant, in New York City, during July.[13] Relaxed and patient, the sessions began during the late morning, running to just before dinner, in the early evening, with breaks for lunch in the early afternoon. Lennon taught the musicians the chord progression and a working arrangement for "Imagine", before rehearsing the song until he deemed them ready to record.[5] Some early takes of the recording featured Lennon and Nicky Hopkins playing the same piano, and Spector initially attempted to record the piano part with Lennon playing the white baby grand in the couple's all white room. However, after having deemed the room's acoustics unsuitable, he abandoned the idea in favour of the superior environment of Lennon's home studio.[6] They completed the session in minutes, recording three takes, choosing the second one for release.[14] The finished recording featured Lennon on piano and vocal, Klaus Voormann, bass guitar, Alan White, drums and the Flux Fiddlers, strings.[15]

Issued in the United States in October 1971, "Imagine" peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.[16] It reached number 1 in Canada on the RPM national singles chart, remaining there for two weeks, and spent five weeks on top of Australian number one singles chart, Lennon's only solo Australia number 1.[17] When asked about the song during one of his final interviews, Lennon said he considered it to be as strong a composition as any he had written with the Beatles.[9] He described the song's meaning and explicated its commercial appeal: "Anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, 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."[18] Lennon once told Paul McCartney that "Imagine" was "'Working Class Hero' with sugar on it for conservatives like yourself".[19] On 30 November 1971, the Imagine LP reached number one on the UK chart.[20] It became the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed album of Lennon's solo career.[21]

Film and re-releases

An image of a medium sized brown upright piano in a glass case. The piano keys are exposed.
Lennon's Steinway piano on which he composed "Imagine"[22]

In 1972, Lennon and Ono released an 81-minute film to accompany the Imagine album which featured footage of the couple in their home, garden and the recording studio of their Berkshire property at Tittenhurst Park as well as in New York City.[23] A full-length documentary rock video, the film's first scene features a shot of Lennon and Ono walking through a thick fog, arriving at their house as the song "Imagine" begins. Above the front door to their house is a sign that reads: "This Is Not Here", the title of Ono's then New York art show. The next scene shows Lennon sitting at a white grand piano in a dimly lit, all-white room. Ono gradually walks around opening curtains that allow in light, making the room brighter with the song's progression.[24] At the song's conclusion, Ono sits beside Lennon at the piano, and they share a quaint gaze, then a brief kiss.[25]

Included in the film is a scene during which Lennon talked with an American homeless man whom had been living on their property. The man viewed Lennon as his messiah figure, to which Lennon responded: "I'm just a guy ... that writes songs ... [I] take words and stick them together and see if they have any meaning".[26] Lennon's vexation quickly turned to charity, and he asked the man: "Are you hungry?"[26] The man concurred, and Lennon replied: "OK, let's give him something to eat."[26] Several celebrities appeared in the film, including Andy Warhol, Fred Astaire, Jack Palance, Dick Cavett and George Harrison. Derided by critics as "the most expensive home movie of all time", it premiered to an American audience in 1972.[23] In 1986, Zbigniew Rybczyński made a music video for the song, and in 1987, it won both the "Silver Lion" award for Best Clip at Cannes and the Festival Award at the Rio International Film Festival.[27]

Re-released in conjunction with the album Shaved Fish (1975), "Imagine" topped the UK chart and became Lennon's best-selling single with more than 1,400,000 copies sold in England.[28] Re-released as a single in the UK in 1988, it peaked at number 45, and in 1999, it reached number 3.[28] In 1999, on National Poetry Day in the United Kingdom, the BBC announced that listeners had voted "Imagine" Britain's favourite song lyric.[29] In 2003, it reached number 33 as the B-side to a re-release of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)".[28] In 2010, to commemorate what would have been his 70th year, EMI released remastered versions of eight of Lennon's solo albums, including Imagine.[30]

Legacy and recognition

A colour photograph of a large metal monument with a conical base supporting a globe that is wrapped in contorted musical instruments. In the background is a blue sky.
The John Lennon Peace Monument, Liverpool, England

Rolling Stone described "Imagine" as Lennon's "greatest musical gift to the world", praising "the serene melody; the pillowy chord progression; [and] that beckoning, four-note [piano] figure".[9] Included in several song polls, in 1999, BMI named it one of the top 100 most-performed songs of the 20th century.[31] Also that year, it received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.[32] Triple J ranked it number 11 on its Hottest 100 of All Time list.[33] "Imagine" ranks number 23 in the year-2000 list of best-selling singles of all time in the UK.[34] In 2002, a UK survey conducted by the Guinness World Records British Hit Singles Book ranked it the second best single of all time behind Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody".[35] Gold Radio ranked the song number 3 on its "Gold's greatest 1000 hits" list.[36]

In 2004, "Imagine" ranked number 3 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, described as "an enduring hymn of solace and promise that has carried us through extreme grief, from the shock of Lennon's own death in 1980 to the unspeakable horror of September 11th. It is now impossible to imagine a world without 'Imagine', and we need it more than he ever dreamed."[9] Despite that sentiment, Clear Channel Communications included the song on its post-9/11 "do not play" list.[37] On 1 January 2005, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation named "Imagine" the greatest song in the past 100 years as voted by listeners on the show 50 Tracks.[38] The song ranked number 30 on the Recording Industry Association of America's list of the 365 Songs of the Century bearing the most historical significance.[38] Virgin Radio conducted a UK favourite song survey in December 2005, and listeners voted "Imagine" number 1.[39] Australians selected it the greatest song of all time on the Nine Network's 20 to 1 countdown show on 12 September 2006. They voted it eleventh in the youth network Triple J's Hottest 100 Of All Time on 11 July 2009.[40]

In 2006, Jimmy Carter said, "in many countries around the world—my wife and I have visited about 125 countries—you hear John Lennon's song 'Imagine' used almost equally with national anthems."[41] Ono dedicated the Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland, in 2007.[42] On 25 February 2009, the Supreme Court of the United States quoted the lyrics to the song in footnote 2 of Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, a case dealing with the messages of monuments:

What, for example, is "the message" of the Greco-Roman mosaic of the word "Imagine" that was donated to New York City's Central Park in memory of John Lennon? ... Some observers may "imagine" the musical contributions that John Lennon would have made if he had not been killed. Others may think of the lyrics of the Lennon song that obviously inspired the mosaic and may "imagine" a world without religion, countries, possessions, greed, or hunger.[43]

On 9 October 2010, which would have been Lennon's 70th birthday, the Liverpool Signing Choir performed "Imagine" along with other Lennon songs at the unveiling of the John Lennon Peace Monument in Chavasse Park, Liverpool England.[44][45] The slogan of Liverpool John Lennon Airport is "Above Us Only Sky", a line from the song. Beatles producer George Martin praised Lennon's solo work, singling out the composition: "My favourite song of all was 'Imagine'".[46] Music critic Paul Du Noyer described "Imagine" as Lennon's "most revered" post-Beatles song.[47] Urish and Bielen commented: "'Imagine' may be the most subversive pop song recorded to achieve classic status."[8]

Notable performances and cover versions

A colour photograph of a corner building on a busy corner in London.
In 2002, Ono purchased advertising space in London's Piccadilly Circus for the lyrics "Imagine all the people, living life in peace". (top right)[48]

In December 1971, Lennon and Ono appeared at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Lennon performed "Imagine" with an acoustic guitar, yielding the earliest known live recording of the song, later included on the John Lennon Anthology (1998).[49] In 1975, he sang "Imagine" during his final public performance, a birthday celebration for Lew Grade.[8]

  • On 9 October 1990, more than one billion people listened to a broadcast of the song on what would have been Lennon's 50th birthday.[52]
  • Since 2005, event organisers have played it just before the New Year's Times Square Ball drop in New York City.[56]
  • In 2008 on American Idol, David Archuleta famously covered the song, earning rave reviews from the judges. Archuleta went on to make it to the Idol finale where he reprised "Imagine". This is thought of as one of the best performances in American Idol history.[58]
  • In 2011, singer Cee Lo Green performed the song live on New Year's Eve, but changed the lyric "and no religion too" to "and all religion's true".[59] There was an immediate backlash from fans who believed that he had disrespected the legacy of Lennon by changing the lyrics of his most iconic song. Green defended the change by saying it meant to represent "a world [where you] could believe what [you] wanted".[59]
  • In 2012, the song was used as part of the London Olympic closing ceremony. It was performed by the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir and the Liverpool Signing Choir. The choirs performed the first verse, and accompanied Lennon's original vocals for the rest of the song. Lennon also appeared in video. This version was the first adaptation of the original 8-track recording of "Imagine".[60]

More than 140 artists have recorded "Imagine".[61]

Charts and certifications

Notes

  1. ^ Composed in 1971, Lennon wrote "Imagine" in the key of C major, its 4-bar piano intro precedes two 12-bar verses, an 8-bar chorus, a 12-bar verse, an 8-bar chorus, ending with a 4-bar outro. With a duration of 3 minutes and 3 seconds and a time signature of 4/4, the song's tempo falls around 75 beats per minute.[1]
  2. ^ The lyrical content of "Imagine" relates to Lennon's concept of Nutopia: The Country of Peace, which he invented in 1973. Lennon included a symbolically mute anthem to this country on his album Mind Games released later that year.[10]

Citations

  1. ^ Lennon 1983, pp. 5–9.
  2. ^ a b Ami Sedghi (4 November 2012). "UK's million-selling singles: the full list". Guardian. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  3. ^ a b Sheff 1981, pp. 212–213.
  4. ^ Spizer 2005, p. 54.
  5. ^ a b c d Blaney 2007, p. 51.
  6. ^ a b c d e Blaney 2007, p. 52.
  7. ^ Ingham 2009, p. 99.
  8. ^ a b c d Urish & Bielen 2007, p. 27.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Wenner 2010, p. 13.
  10. ^ Blaney 2007, p. 82.
  11. ^ For the musical notation to "Imagine" see: Lennon 1983, pp. 5–9; For the piano on which Lennon composed "Imagine" see: "George Michael buys Lennon's piano". BBC News. 18 October 2000. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  12. ^ For Spector co-producing with Lennon and Ono see: Du Noyer 1971, pp. 1–14; For "I always thought that song was like the national anthem" see: Levy 2005, p. 87.
  13. ^ a b Blaney 2007, pp. 50–51.
  14. ^ Fricke 2012, p. 58.
  15. ^ Blaney 2007, p. 53.
  16. ^ Blaney 2007, p. 57.
  17. ^ a b For "Imagine" at number 1 in Canada on 27 November 1971 see: "Top Singles – Volume 16, No. 15, November 27, 1971". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 September 2012.; For "Imagine" at number 1 in Canada on 4 December 1971 see: "Top Singles – Volume 16, No. 16, December 4, 1971". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  18. ^ Levy 2005, p. 87.
  19. ^ Doggett 2009, p. 179.
  20. ^ Badman 1999, p. 55.
  21. ^ Goldman 1988, p. 397.
  22. ^ "George Michael buys Lennon's piano". BBC News. 18 October 2000. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  23. ^ a b Harry 2000b, p. 378.
  24. ^ For a description of the room and Ono opening shutters see: Edmondson, Jacqueline (2010). John Lennon: A Biography. Greenwood. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-313-37938-3.; For the title of Ono's then New York art show see: Harry 2000b, pp. 907–908.
  25. ^ Norman 2008, p. 763.
  26. ^ a b c Norman 2008, p. 674.
  27. ^ "Artist/VIP gallery: Zbigniew Rybczynski". Polish American Film Society. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  28. ^ a b c Roberts 2005, p. 292.
  29. ^ Harry 2000b, p. 382.
  30. ^ "John Lennon albums remastered". EMI. 29 June 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2012..
  31. ^ "BMI Announces Top 100 Songs of the Century". BMI. 13 December 1999. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  32. ^ For the "Grammy Hall of Fame Award" see: "Grammy Hall Of Fame: Past Recipients". Grammy.org. Retrieved 11 October 2012.; For the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll" see: "Songs that shaped Rock and Roll: "Imagine"". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 1999. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  33. ^ "Hottest 100 of All Time". Triple J. 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  34. ^ The UK's Best Selling Singles UK Charts. Retrieved 4 June 2011
  35. ^ "Queen rock on in poll". BBC News. 8 May 2002. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  36. ^ "Gold's Top 1000". Gold's. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  37. ^ Morello, Tom (November 2001). "The New Blacklist: The nation's largest radio network's list of 'questionable' songs". FAIR.org. Retrieved 11 October 2012..
  38. ^ a b Jackson, Andrew Grant (2012). Still the Greatest: The Essential Songs of the Beatles' Solo Careers. Scarecrow Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-8108-8222-5..
  39. ^ "SideFlower's Journal – Virgin Radio All Time Top 500 Songs –". Last.fm.
  40. ^ "Hottest 100 Of All Time".
  41. ^ Elliott, Debbie (5 November 2006). "Carter helps monitor Nicaragua presidential election". NPR. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  42. ^ Marter, Joan (2011). The Grove Encyclopedia of American Art, Volume 1. Oxford University Press. p. 596. ISBN 978-0-19-533579-8..
  43. ^ "Pleasant Grove City, Utah v. Summum" (PDF). U.S. Supreme Court. 25 February 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  44. ^ "Peace monument unveiled in Liverpool for John Lennon's 70th". Liverpool Daily Post. 9 October 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  45. ^ "Imagine ... if he was still alive: Sculpture of Peace unveiled to mark John Lennon's life on his 70th Birthday". Daily Mail. 10 October 2010.
  46. ^ Coleman 1992, p. 370.
  47. ^ Du Noyer 1971, p. 1.
  48. ^ Ray, Alastair (4 March 2002). "Yoko Ono books prime ad spot in Piccadilly Circus". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  49. ^ Blaney 2007, p. 56.
  50. ^ "Elton John Concert Setlist at Central Park, New York on September 13, 1980". setlist.fm.
  51. ^ "14. Imagine (Queen-Live At Wembley Arena: 12/9/1980)". YouTube.
  52. ^ "Today in Music History: A look at events from past Oct. 9ths". The Provinence. The Canadian Press. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2012..
  53. ^ Frey, Jennifer (5 August 1996). "A Curtain Call in Atlanta". The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 September 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  54. ^ "John Lennon and Neil Young: Jammin' with Neil". ThrashersWheat.org – A Neil Young Archives. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  55. ^ For the inclusion of "Imagine" in the set-list for the Re-Invention World Tour, see: Timmerman, Dirk (2007). Madonna Live! Secret Re-inventions and Confessions on Tour. Maklu. p. 27. ISBN 978-90-8595-002-8.; For the inclusion of "Imagine" in the DVD documentary I'm Going to Tell You a Secret, see: "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret - Madonna". Billboard.com. 7 July 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  56. ^ For "Imagine" being played in 2005's New Year's Eve celebration in New York see: "John Lennon's "Imagine" meets the DSM". Chestnut Hill Local. 17 May 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); For "Imagine" being played "in its customary spot leading up to midnight" during 2010's New Year's Eve celebration in New York see: "Hello 2010:Huge, Wet Crowd Rings In New Year In Times Square". NY1. 1 January 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2012.; For "Imagine" being played in 2011's New Year's Eve celebration in New York see:Golgowski, Nina. "Cee Lo Green changes lyrics to Lennon's Imagine to include pro-religion message enraging fans". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 19 October 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  57. ^ "News In The World Of Genesis". Worldofgenesis.com.
  58. ^ "David Archuleta's 'Imagine' Tops The 'American Idol' Performance Poll". Newsroom.mtv.com. 23 April 2010.
  59. ^ a b Cooper, Gael Fashingbauer (1 January 2012). "Fans angry that Cee Lo changed 'Imagine' lyrics". NBC News. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  60. ^ Makarechi, Kia (12 August 2012). "John Lennon & Closing Ceremony: Video Of Late Beatle Singing 'Imagine' Wows At London Olympics". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  61. ^ "Second Hand Songs – Song: Imagine". Second Hand Songs project. Retrieved 6 December 2010.; "Imagine a World With Only Good Covers". UpVenue. 20 February 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  62. ^ "Discography: Come From the Shadows". joanbaez.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |saccessdate= ignored (help).
  63. ^ "Records". The Michigan Daily. 1 November 1995. Retrieved 18 October 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help).
  64. ^ "A Perfect Circle cover of John Lennon's Imagine – WhoSampled". WhoSampled.com Limited. Retrieved 6 December 2010..
  65. ^ "The Imagine Project". All About Jazz. 21 June 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
  66. ^ "Past Winners Search". Grammy.com. Retrieved 18 October 2012..
  67. ^ "Songbook: Chris Cornell". Rhapsopdy. Retrieved 18 October 2012..
  68. ^ Holden, Steve (15 August 2012). "Olympics closing ceremony sales boost for music artist". BBC Radio. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  69. ^ Szalai, Georg (20 August 2012). "Jessie J, Emeli Sande, the Spice Girls and Fatboy Slim see some of their songs re-enter the list of the top 200 singles or make big jumps". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
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  71. ^ "John Lennon – Imagine" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  72. ^ "John Lennon – Imagine" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  73. ^ "John Lennon – Imagine" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  74. ^ "Chart Track: Week 1, 2000". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  75. ^ "Singoli – I numeri uno (1959–1950) – parte 2: 1970–1980" (in Italian). It-Charts.150m.com. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
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  82. ^ "John Lennon – Imagine". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  83. ^ "John Lennon – Imagine". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  84. ^ "John Lennon: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
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  86. ^ "Chart Search Results – Adult Contemporary 1971-11-06". Billboard.biz. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  87. ^ "British single certifications – John Lennon – single". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 October 2012. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type single in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.

Sources

Further reading

Documentaries
  • Yoko Ono, Phil Spector (Producers) (2000). Gimme Some Truth - The Making of John Lennon's "Imagine" (DVD) (in English and Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround). Capitol. ASIN B000AYELY2. {{cite AV media}}: |format= requires |url= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  • Andrew Solt (Director) (2005). Imagine: John Lennon (DVD) (in English and Dolby Digital 5.1). Warner Home Video. ASIN 6305847118. {{cite AV media}}: |format= requires |url= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
Preceded by Canadian RPM number one single
27 November – 4 December 1971 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by UK number one single
10 January 1981 – 31 January 1981 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Imagine_(song)&oldid=521674198"