Breakdown of Imagine: John Lennon's Communist Manifesto

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

            Despite the fact that we analyzed a rap song in class I chose to pick a set of lyrics that fit my genre of music a bit better.  I’m sure at first glance most, if not all of you know who sang these lyrics. Despite these being lyrics from the song Imagine by timeless artist John Lennon, many people don’t actually know what they mean. Imagine is one of John Lennon’s most well known songs. But what is he actually trying to say? I chose this particular verse to start with because I think the first line gives the listener a powerful clue. “Imagine there’s no countries” is the most basic ideology of communism. Once that word, “communism” is in your head the whole song seems to unravel and find meaning. The song is basically a clear description of the communist ideology.

            Communism is a highly unrealistic and theoretical ideology. The idea that there can be no countries, no religion and pure equality across the entire world seems a bit foolish. Granted I recognize that this is my opinion and there are people who would disagree with me, especially in the 1970s when this song was written. John Lennon was known for his “hippie” beliefs. He wanted equality and an end to conflict. This song was an anthem for all of those that believed the same. At a time where America was fighting a far off war in Vietnam to try and preserve democracy and stop the spread of communism, this song shot to popularity with the exact opposite intention.

This was arguably the most popular song of his career, but did Americans really understand what they were listening? And more importantly did they agree with his argument? Now I was not alive in the early 1970s, so I really cannot answer that but I can tell you that when I have asked most people if they know what this song means, they actually don’t know. I asked both of my parents, who were very much alive during this time period and regularly listened to this song, and neither of them mentioned communism to me in their description of the song. I guess that just means that everyone has a different interpretation of what they hear, but John Lennon has admitted that his intention was to convince listeners to accept the idea of a world in peace, with no attachment to material possessions, and no religion. Once I told my parents that they immediately started talking about communism. I wonder now if I changed their attachment to one of their favorite songs of all time. Their beliefs are basically the opposite of communism, instead focusing on the free market and democracy. But does this mean they won’t enjoy the song anymore? I hope not. My intention with breaking down these lyrics has never been to deter people from listening to it, rather I just find it fascinating that most people have heard the songs hundreds of time and have no idea what the artist is talking about.