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

[MardyBra]

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?

"^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.

[Pendeen]

"Oh, I love Mitch Benn!"

"How can you never have heard of him?"

^"If you've not seen if you need to see this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=etYvtT7q5XA"^

Well, I hadn't hears, I did watch, and I sincerely wish I hadn't.

Sorry but, if that youtube clip is typical of his performance then to me he is awful, simply awful.

(And no, I'm not a Lennon fan either in case you wondered).

[Pendeen]

heard

[BelleDameSousMistletoe]

Lennon (assuming not Lenin) was a communist?!

At best a Champagne socialist...

[BelleDameSousMistletoe]

And everything mousefunk said about JL and the hugely talented Cat Stevens. Although if anyone told me they loved their dog as much as they loved me I might be a tad miffed.

[BestIsWest]

Waterloo Sunset is THE best song EVER. Yay for Ray Davies.

Agree with Mousefunk too. I loved John Lennon and adored the Beatles but always took the working class hero thing with a pinch of salt after I read he bought another apartment in the Dakota building to keep Yoko's fur coats at the right temperature.