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AIBU?

to think the song Imagine is not only a dreadful dirge, but is also complete and unworkable twaddle

130 replies

MardyBra · 13/11/2012 16:06

Just heard it on the radio. I don't know why so many people like this song, and go on and on about its sentiments. But there is no tune to speak of, and the lyrics are shite.

^"Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky"^

Well I don't need to imagine that. There's no evidence that there's a heaven above us and a hell lurking under our feet, as far as I'm concerned. Even a lot of Christians don't believe heaven and hell are literally and physically above and below us.

"Imagine all the people living for today"

So nobody bothers to work, save, make plans for the future, provisions for old age, build anything over the long term, even preserve food for the winter. Just get up and do whatever you fancy for the day? Hmm

"^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^"

OK, so if we're going to abolish countries, what are we going to replace them with. There needs to be some sort of political and administrative framework, otherwise we'll live in total anarchy with no taxes, no education, no welfare state, no police - a bit like that telly programme Survivors, where they're all running round the country brandishing guns and nicking stuff off each other. Religion, I know, has been "done to death" on MN. Personally I think everyone can believe what they like, and religion can be a comfort to many, as long as it doesn't impact on others. Anyway, how can you ban religion? You can't change the way people think. It's a bit 1984.

Yes, I can see that national identity and religions can cause wars, but abolishing them is not practical.

"^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^"

So how are we going to manage this no possessions business? Does that mean that anyone can just help themselves to anything they fancy. Someone can just help themselves to food I've grown in my garden, rip the clothes off my back and wear them because they don't "belong" to me or just decide to move into my house because they don't fancy their own place any more. If there are no rights of possession then everyone might end up squabbling over stuff and then we'll all go hungry.
Hopefully if he's talking about a "brotherhood of man", most of this won't apply to women.

"^You, you may say
I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one^"

Really? There are other people who actually think this.

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MardyBra · 13/11/2012 16:06

Apologies for italics fail. Should have previewed.

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bellabelly · 13/11/2012 16:07
Grin
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CwtchesAndCuddles · 13/11/2012 16:07

Do you get so het up about all song lyrics, most make no sense at all!!

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kiwigirl42 · 13/11/2012 16:11

I think your title would cover all the Beatles tracks actually. I appreciate they were unique in time and place but fecking hell. If I see Paul McCartneys smug wrinkles once again I'll puke too.

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mamamibbo · 13/11/2012 16:14

i think you've thought about it a bit too much

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MardyBra · 13/11/2012 16:15

"i think you've thought about it a bit too much"

Blush Maybe. But this song has bugged me ever since I first heard it.

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MardyBra · 13/11/2012 16:17

"I think your title would cover all the Beatles tracks actually."

The DC were most bemused when I recently broke into:

"I am the eggman, they are the eggmen.
I am the walrus, coo coo ca choo"

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HipHopOpotomus · 13/11/2012 16:17

"Everything I do, I do for you"

Really?? Everything???


The world is MAD, MAD I tell you - all these songs and such blabbering on about love, and hell and doing stuff!

BURN ALL RADIOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DESTROY THE TELLLY! FLUSH YOUR MP3 PLAYERS!!!!!!!!!!! GIVE YOUR PHONES TO THE BABIES TO PLAY WITH .........................etc

Confused

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squoosh · 13/11/2012 16:18

It's an extremely overrated song.

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HipHopOpotomus · 13/11/2012 16:18

ahem! Blush

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LRDtheFeministDragon · 13/11/2012 16:19

Yes. It annoys the fuck out of me. Right up there with 'do they know it's christmas' with it's ridiculous 'and there won't be snow in africa this christmas'. No shit. And I'm sure it's snow they're sad about missing out on.

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AnnaFender · 13/11/2012 16:20

I don't like this song and I live in liverpool.

They will all kill me if they find out [shocked]

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AnnaFender · 13/11/2012 16:21

sorry * Shock

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MardyBra · 13/11/2012 16:21

I do recognise that a lot of songs are nonsense. I agree HipHop on "Everything I do, I do for you" (what even a large turd?).

But Imagine is so often lauded as a wonderful forward-thinking piece of aspirational idealism. Really?

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nickelrocketgoBooooooom · 13/11/2012 16:22

I'm so glad you said this.

it is a boring song and it doesn't make much sense either.

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dizzy77 · 13/11/2012 16:22

YANBU. I have a big problem with the premise "John Lennon = genius" and if he hadn't been shot this song would have been a minor hit at best, like much of his post-Beatles pre-murder output. Sigh.

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wildfig · 13/11/2012 16:24

YANBU. It's always annoyed me. I like Elvis Costello's line in The Other Side of Summer, where he sings, 'Was it a millionaire who sang Imagine no possessions?/A poor little schoolboy who said, We don't need no lessons?'

(Although it wasn't, of course, a poor little schoolboy who sang that. It was another millionaire. That might be his point, actually. My irony-o-meter's on the wonk.)

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MardyBra · 13/11/2012 16:24

Fairly unanimous yanbu so far. Anyone care to admit they like it.

[squaring up for fight emoticon]

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wildfig · 13/11/2012 16:25

and, of course, 'we don't need no lessons' would suggest a very urgent need of some grammar classes. cough.

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MardyBra · 13/11/2012 16:28

"We don't need no education..."

Maybe not Pink Floyd, but the kids may struggle to get a decent job without a little knowledge of elementary grammar.

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MardyBra · 13/11/2012 16:28

Oops. X post with wildfig. Forgot to refresh.

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spicandspan · 13/11/2012 16:28

The song that always confuses me is Angels by Robbie Williams. I dont get it.

And YES to 'do they know it's Christmas', as if there were randomly snow in some parts of Africa, some people would probably die of hypothermia as thry would not have appropriate cold weather gear, and their crops would die. It would be a natural disaster.

As for 'Imagine' - yes, its a bit annoying.

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mijas99 · 13/11/2012 16:28

Well if ever there were a bunch of neo-liberal capitalists Grin

The song is about breaking down the mental barriers between people that dont actually exist, like religion, countries, ownership etc -so that people can connect with each other as human beings rather than as a compilation of their material belongings

That you guys dont get this shows that the song is as relevant as ever!

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CindySherman · 13/11/2012 16:29

YANBU
"Imagine no possessions" yeah right John, the same guy who flew his and yoko's furs around in a refrigerated transit plane..

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MardyBra · 13/11/2012 16:32

Mijas - I have no problem with people connecting as human beings. But your sentence "The song is about breaking down the mental barriers between people that dont actually exist, like religion, countries, ownership etc..." doesn't make sense. If the mental barriers don't exist, then how can they be broken down?

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