One of the American "Idols" sang "Imagine" last night. Witness the caterwauling:

[Bluebear]

He gave a sweet performance of the classic tune, too...but his fans "just can't get by the lyrics!" I suppose the lyrics must be dated. After all, who can compete for relevance with today's "Smack My Bitch Up"? ;) . . .

===

I really don't find that an inspiring song. It's rather downright depressing to me. Just listen to the lyrics. Ugh....

I HATE that song. Even my 8 year old daughter (who is a huge Blake fan) recognized the words as "not being good."...

John Lennon was probably pretty drugged out when he wrote Imagine...

I actually like the lyrics in "Imagine". It's a song about a dream of people living as one without any differences or boundaries. Just a longing for us to understand that deep down, stripped down, we are all THE SAME. Love it!...

It has a good melody but I just don't agree with the message....

What is it about the lyrics that people do not like? The fact that he talks about having no religion? He is listing some of the major causes of conflict, with religion probably being number one. This song is more about spiritualism, implying that if people were more spiritual rather than religion based then there would be less fighting...

Nothing to Live or die for = Lame life
I want more!...

If there was no heaven, then there probably would be no God. There would be no hope for life beyond this world. No hope for the suffering. People just living for today. This doesn't sound too wonderful to me. It is God who creates goodness here on Earth. It is God who gives us hope beyond this life.
Would you like to live in just one big world with no countries? No individuality? No Italy? No Mexico? No France? No USA?

I agree, this is not a perfect world we live in. But, I don't believe if we were all here with no God and no hope of heaven that we'd be all that happy. People are generally selfish at heart.
The "dream" would never happen....

The song describes a world that would more likely end in anarchy than in peace...

He also says to imagine that there's no heaven and hell. My "spiritualism" kind of depends on the fact that there is. Yes, lots of wars are fought over religion but if you don't have any absolutes than anything goes and we have complete chaos. A lot of good has also been done in the name of "religion." I don't really care for the term "religion" because I consider my faith more of a relationship than just a list of do's and don'ts.

I think the people we need to fear are the ones who want to do away with religion altogether. We have freedom of religion in the county and I hope we always will...

What if there was no Ten Commandments? Would we all just know how to "be good" to each other? I really don't think so. I can in some way understand what John Lennon was trying to get at. I just think he is wrong. In truth, I think the 60's (hippie, drug culture) were wrong...

Imagine is one of the suckiest songs ever written. Words are ridiculous and the melody could have been written by a 1st gradere...

I think what the 8-year-old took exception with was the notion that Communism is a good idea. Since it worked out so well for the Eastern Bloc. Look, I'm all for peace, love, and understanding but I just find the utopian view of this song a little schmaltzy and naive.


http://myidol.americanidol.com/boards/topic.aspx?topic_id=731384&page_no=1

[RedStateShame]

1. It's official: Our children isn't learning...

[Nickster]

2. Wow, I must be dated as well, because I can't imagine anyone giving feedback like that. Hell,

Imagine even still makes me a little tear-y eyed when I hear it. Let's not even get into "Give Peace a Chance".

[annabanana]

3. I knew that was going to happen.

I expect that there is some (bowel) movement to get him voted off because of it.

[Bluebear]

4. "He wants no religion! This is a Christian country!"

:eyes:

[SteelPenguin]

5. People are idiots

John Lennon wasn't an athiest. That's not the point of the song, and to miss it, you're just not listening.
Here's what he was saying..

Take away your conceptions about the afterlife, you knowledge of people's past actions, your nationality, your religion, your possesions, your need for survival, and do the same for everyone else. Then conceive of why you would ever want to hurt that other person. Then bring all that stuff back and keep that feeling of everyone belonging to the brotherhood of man...we're all the same. Quit killing each other.

How hard is that?

[Bluebear]

You said it and welcome to DU, SP! nt

[Maine-ah]

19. I'd like to add to that if you don't mind

IF the melody was complicated, you'd miss the lyric's meaning. It would "take away" from the beauty of the song.

:hi:

[chaska]

6. Isn't the line "Nothing to KILL or die for"?

[slowry]

12. Yep. Ohhhh the horror of a world without war... what would we all do?!?! n/t

[donco6]

13. Yes. The dumbass doesn't even have the words right. n/t

[undeterred]

7. So now Democratic Underground is critiquing children and teens?

Give me a break.

[Bluebear]

8. Sorry we're not as sophisticated as you. Someone referred to their 8 year old child.

Do you think only children watch this show?

[undeterred]

11. ITS ABOUT THE VOCALS.

[Bluebear]

15. ALRIGHT!!!

:hide:

[ends_dont_justify]

27. If you're so sophisticated...the way you used "it's" has an apostrophe

Because you want it to resemble 'it is', and 'it's' is a contraction that turns it into an appropriate slang. Now, unless you meant it that way, are you saying that someone's about had something to do with the 8 year old? By all means I'm very curious now.

[undeterred]

29. Why are you using this political forum to attack people

for watching a television show? It doesn't get much pettier than that.

[donco6]

14. We do all the time. Why is this different? n/t

[Bluebear]

31. (Why does this poster think we're "attacking" people who watch Idol?) nt

[CBGLuthier]

9. as if people who watch american idol are fit to judge

anything related to music.

[RedStateShame]

10. Point made. End of discussion.

:applause:

[donco6]

16. Hey! I watch. Sometimes.

But only for Simon's scathing critique. Without him the show would be dull dull dull.

[Bluebear]

17. I watch it too.

Melinda Doolittle (this season) is sublime. And yes, I am a musician.

I can't watch NOVA and CSPAN 24/7, I just can't. :)

[donco6]

25. She's far and away the most talented.

And she's likeable. I hope she wins. But even if she doesn't, I think her career is going to take off.

[undeterred]

18. that's right

we are not even fit to listen to the am radio in the car :banghead:

edit: and I love the way the nasty comments are made by people who know all about the show but claim never to have watched it... that makes a lot of sense

[BlooInBloo]

20. Aaahh.... bigoted pessimistic authoritarians... The true heart of republicans....

[BlooInBloo]

21. Personally I like GW's cover of it the best...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TizK6Boxdo4

[Xithras]

22. For any who didn't see it..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zh_gL5hmKU

I thought he did a reasonable job of it, considering the vocal range required to sing the song correctly.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

23. The line the media can abide the least is, "imagine no possessions"

[mnhtnbb]

24. Blake sang himself off the competition last night.

[GreenPartyVoter]

26. Yah. Either Blake or Phil, I think.

[ends_dont_justify]

28. "and the melody could have been written by a 1st gradere"

Look ma, no brains! You don't 'write' melodies, you compose them. What the hell is a gradere?

[kwolf68]

30. I love Imagine

My interpretation is a bit different than some outline above, but I do see that Lennon was asking to throw off the shackles and artifice of religion, or maybe even to usher in a new religion that actually brings peace to the earth, because god knows Christianity hasn’t been able to do that.