The best-selling single of his solo career, its lyrics encourage listeners to imagine a world at peace without the barriers of borders or the divisions of religion and nationality and to consider the possibility that the whole of humanity would live unattached to material possessions. Shortly before his death, Lennon said that much of the song's lyric and content came from his wife Yoko Ono , and in , she wished to receive a co-writing credit with him. Lennon and Ono co-produced the song with Phil Spector. The song was first issued as a single in Britain in , to promote the compilation Shaved Fish , and reached number six on the UK Singles Chart that year. It later topped the chart following Lennon's murder in BMI named "Imagine" one of the most-performed songs of the 20th century. By , "Imagine" had sold over 1. In March , in response to the unfolding coronavirus crisis, the actress Gal Gadot posted an informal but star-studded cover version of "Imagine" on Instagram. Several poems from Yoko Ono 's book Grapefruit inspired Lennon to write the lyrics for "Imagine" [6] — in particular, one which Capitol Records reproduced on the back cover of the original Imagine LP titled "Cloud Piece", reads: "Imagine the clouds dripping, dig a hole in your garden to put them in. 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.


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Lennon began writing the song while still a member of the Beatles, at a time when the band had achieved unprecedented popularity but struggled to cope with their new reality. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! By , year-old Bruce Springsteen had two heavily promoted major-label albums behind him, but nothing approaching a popular hit. In summoning the ecumenical council—a general meeting of the bishops of the church—the pope hoped to bring spiritual rebirth to Catholicism and cultivate greater unity with the The Boers, also known as Afrikaners, were the descendants of the original Dutch settlers of southern Africa. Britain took possession of the Dutch Cape colony in Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission, is launched with astronauts Walter M. Schirra, Jr. Eisele; and Walter Cunningham aboard. Under the command of Schirra, the crew of Apollo 7 conducted an day orbit of Earth, during which the crew transmitted the first live
Bruce Springsteen scores his first pop hit with “Born to Run”
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Forty-nine years ago this month, John Lennon began piecing together the musical collection that would become his second solo studio album. The album was titled after a song that he suspected was too fanciful to become popular Yoko Ono had to convince John that he had a hit on his hands. The honors earned by this simple three-minute tune are too many to list in this space; as is the catalogue of other performers, stars to street buskers, who have covered the song. It invites us conceptualize a future that is appreciably better than the present. Besides, what person of conscience, of even the slightest ethical sense, does not hope for a world where there is less division and more unity; less hate and more peace; less injustice and more equality - a better world for our children and grandchildren. If one fails to dream of a more compassionate future, that is not a problem of the imagination. It is a problem of the soul, a soul turned cynical. Ronnie McBrayer is a syndicated columnist, blogger, speaker, and author of multiple books. Visit his website at www.