Pe 10 ianuarie 1981, la 10 ani de la înregistrare şi la o lună de la asasinarea lui John Lennon în fața casei sale din New York, cântecul „Imagine” ocupa primul loc în clasamentul muzical din Marea Britanie.
A fost cel mai bun single din cariera sa de solist. Textul ne îndeamnă să ne imaginăm o lume trăind în pace, indiferent de religie şi de naționalitate, neataşată de posesiuni materiale, fără frontiere şi diviziuni.
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The best-selling single of his solo career, the lyrics of “Imagine” encourage the listener to imagine a world at peace without the barriers of borders or the divisions of religion and nationality, and to consider the possibility that the focus of humanity should be living a life unattached to material possessions.
Recording began at Lennon’s home studio at Tittenhurst Park, England, in May 1971, with final overdubs taking place at the Record Plant, in New York City, during July. One month after the September release of the LP, Lennon released „Imagine” as a single in the United States; the song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and the LP reached number one on the UK chart in November, later becoming the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed album of Lennon’s solo career. Although not originally released as a single in the United Kingdom, it was released in 1975 to promote a compilation LP; it reached number one following Lennon’s murder in December 1980.
Broadcast Music, Inc. named „Imagine” one of the 100 most-performed songs of the 20th century. The song ranked number 30 on the Recording Industry Association of America’s list of the 365 Songs of the Century bearing the most historical significance. It earned a Grammy Hall of Fame Award and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. A UK survey conducted by the Guinness World Records British Hit Singles Book named it the second best single of all time, while Rolling Stone ranked it number three in their list of „The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”. Since 2005, event organisers have played it just before the New Year’s Times Square Ball drops in New York City. Dozens of artists have performed or recorded versions of „Imagine”, including Madonna, Stevie Wonder, Joan Baez, Elton John and Diana Ross. (source: Wikipedia)
