Imagine
Studio album by John Lennon
Released	9 September 1971 (US) 8 October 1971 (UK)
Recorded	23 June – 5 July 1971 string overdubs July 1971
Genre	Rock and Roll Art rock
Length	39:29
Label	Apple/EMI
Producer(s)	John Lennon, Yoko Ono & Phil Spector
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Rolling Stone link
John Lennon chronology
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)	Imagine (1971)	Some Time in New York City (1972)

Imagine is John Lennon's second solo album and is the most popular of his solo works. Recorded and released in 1971, Lennon noted the commercial success of Imagine but pointed out that the content of the album was similar to that of his provocative and challenging 1970 angst-rock release John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. The difference, he said, was that Imagine was "chocolate-coated for public consumption", in reference to the strings so prevalent throughout. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A studio album is a collection of previously unreleased, studio-recorded tracks by a recording artist. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... October 8 is the 281st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (282nd in leap years). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 191 days remaining. ... July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Art rock is a term used by some to describe rock music that is characterized by ambitious or avant-garde lyrical themes and/or melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic experimentation, often extending beyond standard modern popular music forms and genres, toward influences in jazz, classical, world music or the experimental avant... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Apple Records logo, featuring a Granny Smith apple. ... The EMI Group (LSE: EMI) is a British music company comprising of the major record company EMI Music which operates several labels, based in Brook Green in London, England, and EMI Music Publishing, based on Charing Cross Road, London. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... Yoko Ono Lennon (小野 洋子 Ono Yōko, born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese musician and artist. ... Harvey Phillip Spector (born December 26, 1940) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 5_stars. ... This article is about the magazine. ... Image File history File links 4_stars. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... An album is a collection of related audio tracks distributed to the public. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Basic tracks for the album were recorded in his home studio in Tittenhurst Park in England with strings overdubs added in New York. As on his last album, Phil Spector joined Lennon and Yoko Ono as co-producer on Imagine. Extensive footage of the sessions, showing the evolution of some of the songs, was compiled on a video documentary entitled Gimme Some Truth: The Making of John Lennon's Imagine. For a one-room apartment, see Apartment. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... NY redirects here. ... Harvey Phillip Spector (born December 26, 1940) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. ... Yoko Ono Lennon (小野 洋子 Ono Yōko, born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese musician and artist. ...

The title track "Imagine" became Lennon's signature tune and remains a powerful plea for world peace. "Jealous Guy," originally composed as "Child Of Nature" during the songwriting sessions in India in 1968 that birthed the Beatles' double-album The Beatles, also has had enduring popularity. Other easy-listening moments on Imagine arise in the form of "Oh My Love" (composed with Ono) and the contemplative "How?" both of which were influenced by his experience with Primal Therapy. "How?" reveals the questions he was facing while going through the changes produced in him during the ongoing process of Primal Therapy, while "Oh My Love" communicates the joy and growth Lennon was experiencing as a result of the therapy. Imagine is a utopian song performed by John Lennon, which appears on his 1971 album, Imagine. ... Jealous Guy is a song written and performed by John Lennon which first appeared on his 1971 album Imagine. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... The Beatles were an English rock band from Liverpool whose members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. ... The Beatles is the ninth official album by The Beatles, a double album released in 1968 (see 1968 in music). ...

Imagine also indulges in Lennon's love of rock'n'roll with the philosophical "Crippled Inside" and "It's So Hard," as well as the provocative "Gimme Some Truth," originally heard in the Let It Be sessions, but now with a new bridge. The politically-charged "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier" closes the first half of Imagine in a cacophonic manner. Crippled Inside is a song written and performed by John Lennon from his 1971 album Imagine. ... Its So Hard is a song written and performed by John Lennon which first appeared on his 1971 album Imagine. ... Gimme Some Truth is a protest song written and performed by John Lennon from his 1971 album Imagine. ... Let It Be is the twelfth and final album by the Beatles, released on May 8, 1970 by the bands own Apple Records label. ...

Postcard included with "Imagine"

George Harrison guested on a few of Imagine's tracks, most infamously "How Do You Sleep?," Lennon's blunt reaction to what he considered veiled remarks about him on Paul McCartney's then-current album Ram (Early editions of the Imagine LP included a postcard featuring a photo of Lennon holding a pig in mockery of McCartney's similar pose with a sheep of the cover of Ram). At the other end of the spectrum is "Oh Yoko!," a joyous ode to his wife, complete with a jubilant Bob Dylan-style harmonica solo. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... How Do You Sleep? is a song from John Lennons 1971 album Imagine, in which he implicitly disparages former Beatles songwriting partner Paul McCartney. ... Sir James Paul McCartney MBE (born June 18, 1942) is an iconic Grammy Award-winning English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who first gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of the Beatles. ... Ram is Paul McCartneys second solo album, officially credited to Paul and Linda McCartney, and was released in 1971. ... For the record label, see Postcard Records. ... This article is about the pig genus. ... Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is a Grammy, Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning American singer-songwriter, author, musician, and poet who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. ...

Upon release in the fall of 1971, Imagine was warmly regarded by critics and promptly went to #1 worldwide and became an enduring seller, with the title track reaching #3 in the US and #1 in the UK following Lennon's death. Yet Lennon felt a lingering sense of discomfort over the syrupy strings on Imagine, which he felt compromised the music in order to ensure a hit after the bleak John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. Consequently, although Lennon did employ strings on his future releases, he did so sparingly.

In 2000, Yoko Ono supervised the remixing of Imagine for its remastered reissue.

In 2003, Imagine was placed at #76 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time and reissued by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab on gold CD. This article is about the magazine. ... Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL, or MoFi) is a company that produces audiophile releases of classic CDs and vinyl records. ... A 24 Karat Gold CD A gold CD is one in which gold is used in place of the super purity aluminum commonly used as the reflective coating on regular CDs. ...

Track listing

All songs by John Lennon, except where noted. John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ...

1. "Imagine" – 3:01
2. "Crippled Inside" – 3:47
3. "Jealous Guy" – 4:14
4. "It's So Hard" – 2:25
5. "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier Mama" – 6:05
6. "Gimme Some Truth" – 3:16
7. "Oh My Love" (John Lennon/Yoko Ono) – 2:44
8. "How Do You Sleep?" – 5:36
9. "How?" – 3:43
10. "Oh Yoko!" – 4:20

Imagine is a utopian song performed by John Lennon, which appears on his 1971 album, Imagine. ... Crippled Inside is a song written and performed by John Lennon from his 1971 album Imagine. ... Jealous Guy is a song written and performed by John Lennon which first appeared on his 1971 album Imagine. ... Its So Hard is a song written and performed by John Lennon which first appeared on his 1971 album Imagine. ... I Dont Wanna Be a Soldier Mama is a song written by John Lennon that appeared on the Imagine album. ... Gimme Some Truth is a protest song written and performed by John Lennon from his 1971 album Imagine. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... Yoko Ono Lennon (小野 洋子 Ono Yōko, born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese musician and artist. ... How Do You Sleep? is a song from John Lennons 1971 album Imagine, in which he implicitly disparages former Beatles songwriting partner Paul McCartney. ... In journalism, the Five Ws, also known as the Five Ws (and one H) or simply the Six Ws, is a concept in news style, research, and in police investigations that most people consider to be fundamental. ... Imagine is John Lennons second solo album and is the most popular of his solo works. ...

Personnel

• John Lennon: Guitars, piano, harmonica, whistling, vocals.
• George Harrison: Guitars, slide guitar, dobro.
• Tom Evans (Badfinger): Guitar.
• Joey Badfinger: Acoustic guitar.
• Tommy Badfinger: Acoustic guitar.
• Rod Linton: Guitars.
• Joey Molland (Badfinger): Guitars.
• John Tout (of Renaissance): Piano (erroneously credited with guitar).
• Ted Turner: Guitar.
• Klaus Voormann: Bass guitars, double bass.
• Nicky Hopkins: Piano, electric piano.
• John Barham: Harmonium, Keyboards, Vibraphone.
• Alan White: Drums, percussion.
• Michael Pinder: Percussion.
• Jim Gordon: Drums, percussion.
• Jim Keltner: Drums, percussion.
• J&P Duo Group: Backing vocals.
• King Curtis: Saxophones.