About Me

I have done a lot of things in my life and have also worked in many different jobs to make a living and to experience life. This blog is just some of my musings, sometimes funny, sometimes inspirational, sometimes sad, sometimes angry, sometimes simple but all the time, it's just me.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Imagine

Imagine this, I am sure most of you can think of the song, of a time when you heard the song, originally written by John Lennon, you can even remember some of the lyrics if not all.

In actual fact, non of us want to be in such a world imagined and written in John Lennon's song.

After all, if you really read into the lyrics or think about it, it is an anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic song.

But because it is sugar coated and sung by many many famous artist we accept this communist song. I am surprised that China does not play this song more often.

Imagine there's no Heaven

It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky

There goes half the religious views out the door, no heaven, no hell - no Christianity, no Islam - but it's a nice song.

Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do

Karl Marx will surely be smiling in his grave, this is a page out of his Communist Manifesto.

Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

An Atheist dream, a communist dream, a pacifist dream, no religion, no worries, no wars.

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
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
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 live as one

Surely John and Yoko Ono made a tonne of money on this song, I would like to imagine how much they gave for the cause? Who did they donate their money to? The communist party or the atheist organization perhaps.
How about all the other tonnes of singers who have made a lot of money on this song. Any of them have tried t achieve this world they imagine about?

You know how many singers have sang this song - some over and over again just to reap more profits?

Well, the following are the few people other than John Lennon that have sang this song over and over and over again.
  • Joan Baez
  • Andy Williams
  • Diana Ross
  • Susan Cadogan
  • Average White Band with Ben E. King
  • Roger Whittaker
  • Elton John
  • Queen
  • Rino Gaetano, Riccardo Cocciante, and Giovanni Tommaso
  • Tânia Maria
  • Gerry & The Pacemakers
  • Nana Mouskouri
  • Randy Crawford with Yellowjackets
  • Randy Crawford with Zucchero
  • Cleo Laine and John Williams
  • Mia Martini
  • Roberto Carlos with Gabriella
  • Tracie Spencer
  • Singh Kaur with Dean Evenson
  • Richie Havens
  • Scott Bakula
  • Jack Jones of Southern Sons with Tommy Emmanuel 
  • Human Nature
  • Liza Minnelli 
  • David Bowie
  • Smokey Robinson and The Miracles
  • Blues Traveler
  • Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora
  • Noa, Khaled, Liane Foly, Faudel, Garou, Patrick Fiori, Luck Mervil, Julie Zenatti, Rachid Taha, Tina Arena, Julien Clerc, and Cheb Mami
  • Live
  • David Young
  • Etta Cameron
  • Our Lady Peace
  • Neil Young
  • Ray Charles 
  • Ruben Studdard and the Harlem Gospel Singers
  • Charlotte Church
  • Eva Cassidy's
  • Noa, Khaled, Mercedes Sosa, Nicola Piovani, Black Voices, Farhade Darva, Remo Girone, Bongo Maffin, Fiorella Mannoia, Danilo Rea, Dino Merlin, Bilja Krstic with Bistrik Orchestra, Alexander Lintott, Ensenble vocale di Roma, Solis String Quartet, Ray Charles and other artists
  • The Persuasions
  • Declan Galbraith
  • Yolanda Adams and Billy Preston
  • Antonio Banderas
  • The Bill Cunliffe Trio
  • Sissel Kyrkjebo, Josh Groban, Angélique Kidjo, Mari Boine, Michelle Branch, Laura Pausini, Willie Nelson, Jessye Norman, Santana, Suede, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, and other artist
  • P.J. Proby 
  • Alex Parks
  • Aretha Franklin, Angela Gheorghiu, Orchestra Baobab, The Cardigans, The Chieftains, Rosanne Cash, Craig David, Jan Werner Danielsen, The Kamkars, Lene Marlin, Roberto Alagna, Robert Plant with Strange Sensation, Tim McGraw, and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra
  • Keb' Mo'
  • A Perfect Circle
  • Madonna
  • Dolly Parton with David Foster
  • Dolly Parton with Elton John
  • Katie Melua, Paul Carrack, Bobby Kimball, Leslie Mandoki and Ian Anderson
  • Łzy (Tears)
  • Rick Springfield
  • Allison Crowe
  • Jordis Unga
  • Leil with Bill Clinton and Arab and Jewish choir
  • Roberta Flack
  • Peter Gabriel
  • Cyndi Lauper
  • Donavon Frankenreiter and Patrice
  • Etta James
  • Avril Lavigne and Jack Johnson 
  • Willie Nelson, Me'Shell NdegéOcello, Afroreggae, James Stewart and Josh Groban
  • Connie Talbot
  • Miley Cyrus
  • David Archuleta
  • Maureen McGovern
  • Lady Gaga
  • Amber Riley (Mercedes), Kevin McHale (Artie), Lea Michele (Rachel) and Cory Monteith (Finn)
  • Seal, P!nk, India.Arie, Jeff Beck, Konono N°1, Oumou Sangare
  • Christina Aguilera 
  • Will Ferrell and Manny Pacquiao
  • Dave Days, Tiffany Alvord, AJ Rafael, Jess Delgado, Amy Heidemann, and Sid Sriram
  • Cher Lloyd
Were you surprised to see this list? I was not.

I am just imagining if all these capitalist who reaped a lot of profits from capitalist consumers like us must have known that nobody really cares about the an anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic lyrics of this song.

And while everybody would like to live in this imaginary world, in reality, I think nobody really does want to live in this imagined world.

Oh well, I guess people let their imaginations go a little wild with this one.

So let me end with this. This nice, old man really wanted to win the lottery. So, one week, he goes to a place of the Lord and he says, "Oy, Lord of heaven and earth, imagine how much good I could do with ze money I vould vin if I von the lottery! Imagine how much charity I could give! Help me vin the lottery and I will spent ze money wisely!"

He doesn't win the lottery.


The next week, he goes again and says, "Oh, lord of heaven and earth, you must not have heard me last veek! Imagine how many lives I could make easier with ze money from ze lottery! Help me vin ze lottery!"

Once again, he doesn't win.

The third week, he goes again and prays in a similar vein.

Suddenly, he hears a voice from the heavens: "Help me, help me!"

He says, "Lord of heaven and earth, what can I do to help you?"

"Buy a bloody damn ticket!"

Take care and be well.

5 comments:

pri said...

good writing

bal said...

Herbie Hancock has a version that i like very much in his 'immagine project' cd... you wrote some thing about another song from that album a while ago. So good that i bought the cd.

However i do think that no version beats his original voice.

Bal.

macK said...

Scott Bakula! What a legend!

Frangipan said...

I don't think John Lennon's song is necessarily asking for a world without these things. But it does ask us to consider all of the complications they may bring to the world.

Nil said...

Yes Ms Frangipan, thus the title imagine... He's asking us to imagine a world without these things and how peaceful it would be but we are all to bloody capitalistic to even imagine it.
Mack, you can YouTube Scott Bakula's version. I'm still waiting for Quantam Leap movie.
Bal, I've got the imagine project cd n seal, pink n india arie among others sing it there.
Pri, thanks.