The Hippie Movement is known mainly for radical groups and musical figures throughout the 1960's that had the goal peace, harmony, and artistic experimentation. John Lennon was one of the most well known figures/musicians of the movement for his views of a peaceful, utopian world that he hoped our World could eventually be. The album "Imagine" was written by John Lennon in 1971 and was part of his second solo album after separating from The Beatles. The song the album named after, Imagine, is the most iconic of Lennon's songs because of its timeless significance in all different types of social movements. The song was written and composed along with Yoko Ono, John's wife, and Phil Spector, a well known producer. Lennon was known to be against the war in Vietnam so when the song was released it was immediately seen as Anti-war propaganda. Lennon purposefully added in certain elements into the song like using strings to create a sense of beauty and simplicity. The song was written while John was living in England and finished in New York. A month after its release it reached number three on Billboard's Top 100, which reflects the popularity of the song among the growing counterculture during that time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVg2EJvvlF8
I found this very interesting. I have enjoyed this song for a long time and I did not know that he wrote it to protest to Vietnam War, but now that I think about it, it makes a lot of sense. The main message of the song is peace and it was written in the middle of a relatively controversial war. You make an excellent point about the music behind the lyrics. They support the song's message of peace very well with their beauty. The listener can easily picture a world like the one he describes, without war, where everyone is as one.
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