Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today
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
You, you may say
I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one
I hope some day 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, you may say
I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one
I hope some day you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
It's amazing how just shifting the chords on a song can produce such a violent tonal shift. In spite of having the exact same lyrics Lennon's "Imagine" is inspiring and uplifting. It asks us to imagine living in peace and harmony with each other and our planet. APC's "Imagine" is nihilistic and asks us to consider the possibility that we are a plague on our planet and that utopia can only truly exist once we're gone and every remnant of our civilization is lost to history. At least, that's how I interpret it.
People got mad at this cover when it came out but, people, this was NEVER a happy or hopeful song. That was the POINT. You have to imagine it, because it doesn't exist.
This is the only cover of this song that I like, because it understands the true horror of John Lennon's vision - eternal, grinding poverty without any kind of transcendent meaning.
The human race seems to be on a collision course with it's own demise. I will never understand how a species with such capacity for intelligence, beauty and compassion can also be so cruel, ignorant, stupid, greedy and hellbent to inflict pain and suffering on each other. I will never understand.
2 years after my last comment on this song/video, I still say... Whether or not you are a John Lennon "purist," give this a listen. And WATCH the accompanying video. A Perfect Circle did an incredible job of interpreting a Lennon classic.
Who's here after the shitfest celebrity tone deaf rendition of the song? I had to wash my ears with quality after that cringe.
This is still the best version I've ever heard.
