Yoko’s net worth is $700 million (most of it John’s). That building, in Manhattan’s exclusive Upper West Side, is regarded as one of the city’s most prestigious and luxurious, with apartments selling for as much as $20 million. She must have missed those lyrics in “Imagine” that rejected the existence of heaven and hell, and longed for the elimination of all the world’s religions, including hers.īy the way, the aforementioned Yoko Ono, is alive and well in New York City, residing at The Dakota, where Lennon was assassinated in 1980. Ironically, the woman described herself as a devout Christian whose “aspirations” apparently don’t include renouncing her faith. That’s a formula for wasted effort, failure and frustration. But I don’t believe in setting your sights on things that are impossible to achieve or counterproductive. I responded that as an ambitious goal-setter myself, I’ve aspired to many things in my life and proudly accomplished some of them. Years ago, when I discussed this on my radio show, a sweet, well-meaning, idealistic woman called in and defended Lennon’s message as “aspirational,” which she described as a lofty and hopeful goal. Where’s Mister Hold Button when I really need him? End of song. By comparison, have you ever seen graffiti on the walls of a bathroom in someone’s private home? Think of the graffiti on the walls of public-property like a New York City subway station men’s room. Who’s going to harvest the crops while the “dreamers” are smoking dope and flashing peace signs with those spaced-out grins on their faces? Just like in those so-called ‘communes” of the 1960s. Moochers living off a dwindling pool of hard workers. No possessions? You mean no property rights? That means no rewards, no incentives, no creativity and very little production. Good heavens, no! That’s right out of The Communist Manifesto. Imagine no possessions/I wonder if you can/No need for greed or hunger/A brotherhood of man/Imagine all the people/Sharing all the world The only way the world would be as one is under the guns of a militaristic, totalitarian regime. You may say that 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 And, again, there’s Lennon’s scorn for religion. Nothing to kill or die for? How about the American Revolutionary War or risking your life to defend your home and family from human predators. They band together, linked by common cultures, superstitions, beliefs, values and preferred systems of government and economy. People are inherently familial, tribal, patriotic and nationalistic. It’s anti-historical and contrary to human nature. 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 Think of the parable of the Grasshopper and the Ant. In another sense, just “living for today,” can encourage short-sightedness and irresponsibility by those who fail to save for a rainy day and retirement. That won’t appeal to most people in this world who believe in rewards for good behavior and fear punishment for sins in the hereafter. Lennon seems to hope there’s only oblivion after death, as echoed in the song’s later desire for the elimination of religion. Imagine there’s no heaven/It’s easy if you try/No hell below us/Above us only sky/Imagine all the people/Living for today The two had been wed in 1969 and consummated their marriage with a week-long honeymoon “bed-in for peace” in Amsterdam.īaby boomer romantic nostalgia notwithstanding, the puerile lyrics of that tune sound like a collaboration of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Bernie Sanders and AOC. In response to that, some folks familiar with my work, requested I revisit one of my earlier song deconstructions: John Lennon’s utopian ode “Imagine.” The song was written and recorded by Lennon in 1971, after The Beatles breakup, during his Yoko Ono period. In a recent column, I critically deconstructed the lyrics of “Universal Soldier,” a popular folk song of the 1960s with an anti-war theme and a pacifist plea.
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