I mean, it is and that’s not lost on me.
I guess what always struck me was that sense that, despite his obviously massive ego, he could still see things through a remarkably empathetic lens and was willing to change because of it. It’s much easier to forgive someone’s flaws when they own them and ask for forgiveness, it’s basically impossible for me to do so when their criticism is always leveled at others without any sense of self-awareness.
I could have sworn I read that the lyrics for “Imagine” were based on a poem Yoko One wrote in her book “Grapefruit.” John just came up with the musical part and the melody.
The reference to having a gun are a little chilling now, given Lennon’s assassination
Art Pepper…
Disappointing. To pick on “imagine no possessions” is to miss the entire point of the song.
Imagine calls out 3 different things that cause pain - religion, nationalism, and materialism. To listen to “imagine no possessions” and not listen to the rest of the verse “… no need for greed or hunger - a brotherhood of man. Imagine all the people sharing all the world” inverts the meaning. It’s disingenuous to cherry-pick a single line and ignore the context.
He’s not saying anyone should have nothing - he’s saying nothing should be possessed. Share. And yes - he’s directly suggesting his own lifestyle was undesirable for society.
I don’t know that I agree with that. Some certainly are, and it kind of makes sense. To put yourself out there as a performer seems to take a certain level of narcissism and egotism. It’s hard enough to make a career out of being a musician without making yourself the center of attention. That often seems to matter more than talent. That being said, I’ve met and known plenty of successful musicians who are also lovely and humble people.
John Lennon was a legendary talent, but he was a pretty awful person by many accounts. It’s also easy to forget how just young he was when the Beatles became a worldwide phenomenon, and how young he was when he was murdered. I like to imagine (no pun intended) that had he lived he would have matured and improved as a person. He seemed to be going that direction in the early 1980s, but we’ll never know what could have happened.
You’ve listed 3 British musicians from different musical genres. What does that have to do with ‘redneck American rock musicians’?
Steely Dan wholeheartedly endorses the corporate pavilion World’s Fair version of a better world
My take on this song has always been that, in typical Dan fashion, it was not to be taken literally. Rather than being critical of Lennon’s ideals, they were pointing out the cynicism of those who thought that human betterment is unattainable. Only a fool would say that, indeed.
And regarding the post about Fagen endorsing the pro-corporate mid-60’s sentiment in IGY, it is simply a song about the unbridled optimism of that time. Again, I always took it to mean the opposite of what the lyrics project, that is - look how few of the ambitious predictions from that time actually manifested.
But, that’s just my take…
Welcome rcwkaw!
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