During the Hippie movement in the 1960's, a new era of music emerged that focused more on the message of the music instead of just the entertainment element. Many musicians shared this view but they all delivered their messages with different styles and genres including: heavy metal, rock, hip hop, and punk. John Lennon was known for his unique rock style, similar to The Beatles when they were together. The song "Imagine" in particular was supposed to be a simple and stripped down melody so that the main focus was on the message. His message was simply world peace and living life in the moment. Using words like "imagine" and "peace" give the song a hopeful and optimistic mood. He writes the song towards individual people urging them to imagine the world that he himself has pictured. It makes the song very personal which contributes to it's timeless message of peace on Earth.
Jack, this is an interesting interpretation, and I like your assessment of the stripped down melody. Is there a little further you can go regarding the tone or mood? Or perhaps the types of instruments used? Or the beat?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest adding a video link to this post to strengthen your argument of John Lenon's 'unique rock style'. Providing an in-depth analysis of the Imagine lyrics would support your description of his peaceful message.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, the chosen visual is suitable for your post because it illustrates the alliance of numerous colors to create an overall picture of Lenon, which is one of his philosophies- cooperation and unity.
-Njillan Sarre
The sound of the song contributes well to Lennon's message. Even if there were no words, a listener would get a peaceful vibe from this song. It is very gentle and simple. You are exactly right when you say that the music was stripped down to put more emphasis on the message. With only the piano and the lyrics, the listener pays close attention to the message of the song.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post because the song imagine allows you to actually sit and just think about what the world could truly be. The song also makes me think of the book, "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger because it makes me think of the main character Holden Caulfield, who was a dreamer in his own right, and it also makes me think of how such a song and book could come together and influence Mark David Chapman, after reading it, to assassinate John Lennon. Imagine was such an influential song in its day and it paved the way for certain artists today.
ReplyDeleteI love that you chose this song, it's one of my favorites. I do feel that your analysis is a bit limited and you can offer a bit more detail to some of the broad statements you make. Other than that I see a firm interpretation.
ReplyDelete