"I hope some day you will join us, and the world will live as one" Simplicity combines with deep meaning when John Lennon expresses his thoughts in his song "Imagine." This song was a huge hit in the 70’s, the time in which the Vietnam War was occurring. John Lennon’s “Imagine”, was a protest song that questions the morality of war, shows anti-war statements and emphasizes the importance of world peace. In America, every civilian has the Freedom of Speech. For this, artists have every right to compose a protest song. Even if the government is not fond of it, anyone could potentially write a song going against his or her beliefs, which is exactly what Lennon did with "Imagine," in a peaceful way. At the time Lennon’s song went against most beliefs, for people believed that violence in war was the answer to everything. Amongst passive resistance, the refusal to cooperate with legal requirements, strikes and angry mobs, Lennon chose the much calmer approach and simply composed a protest song. A protest song is simply a song that argues a point and tries to encourage one thing against another. In his song "Imagine", Lennon protest that the World should live in peace; keep in mind the Vietnam War was occurring at the time. It was then that protest songs were created to try and make points across, without the actual violence of rioting in protest.
With the numerous considerations that war influenced profound quality, John Lennon communicates his actual contemplations on brutality through his song. When the war raged in 1969, Lennon and his wife held "Bed-Ins for Peace": One in Amsterdam and the other in Montreal. The bed-ins were a new way intended to protest the wars, but still maintained peace. John Lennon and his wife Yo...
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...ranquility more than anything so follow in his words and “Give Peace a Chance.”
Works Cited
AZLyrics.com, Web. 1 Apr. 2014. Lyrics to Imagine
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Ono, Yoko. Grapefruit. N.p.: n.p., 1964. Print.
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The Vietnam War: A Concise International History is a strong book that portrays a vivid picture of both sides of the war. By getting access to new information and using valid sources, Lawrence’s study deserves credibility. After reading this book, a new light and understanding of the Vietnam war exists.
E-History (2012, N.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2012, from http://ehistory.osu.edu/vietnam/essays/battlecommand/index.cfm.
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In A Separate Peace, John Knowles demonstrates how the boys’ “separate peace” has underlying war imagery through their symbols and behavior.
For those of us born at the end of the Vietnam War, much of the music from that time period can remain hidden unless we make a point of seeking it out. Radio is replete with “classic rock” format stations, but like all other forms of mass media, listeners are relegated to a passive role, with little means of changing play lists that more-often-than-not overstate the effect of the British Invasion to the detriment of American rockers. For every Led Zeppelin garnering large amounts of airplay, there is a Creedence Clearwater Revival that is overlooked. The problem with British rockers from the era of the Vietnam War is one of credibility: any British musician (such as John Lennon) who tried to protest the Vietnam War sounded contrived at best. How could a British group object to a war in which they had no direct stake? These attempts at protest by foreign bands against the Vietnam War have the appearance of an orchestrated effort to “get on the bandwagon” and sell albums by using the charged feelings of the citizenry toward an unpopular military action. While this is a cynical view, it is one that nevertheless deserves consideration.
Danker, Fred. “The Musical Impact of Johnny Cash Lives On.” Examiner. Np. Web. 13 March 2014
Martin, Marvin. The Beatles: The Music Was Never the Same. New York: F. Watts, 1996. Print.
Anderson, D. (2002). The Columbia guide to the Vietnam War. New York: Columbia University Press.
John Lennon was very outspoken and contributed greatly to his mission of peace. “He became an increasingly important symbol of the burgeoning counterculture” (DeCurtis). John went against the normal acts and beliefs of society and spoke out. He always expressed his true views and nothing else. This is because he believed in questioning authority and not conforming for anything.“[He] helped redefine the rules of acceptable behavior for rock stars” (DeCurtis). This once again shows his desire to stand out and speak out. He reformed many ideas and practices that needed reform and some that did not. But no matter what he was doing, it was always supporting the fight for peace. Even when it did not involve politics or the stand for peace, he acted differently from what was expected of him by the majority of the population. “How the chords can change the world. To me, that is John Lennon” (Ono 117). John thought that change was necessary, and he intended to do everything he could to insure that it happened. “A man who stood up!” (Ono 117). John expressed and conveyed his beliefs, no matter the consequences. His immense support of the fight for peace helped more and more people see a different side of the world.
...f starvation (New York Times). This is most likely Lennon's motive for this line. In the final line of the track, Lennon sings “a brotherhood of man”. This line single handedly summarizes Lennon's entire motive for writing the song.
Brett highlighted a number of commonalities in life experiences of the two song writers, notably parental separations in early life; and showed how Cobain drew on Lennon’s work to develop his own opus. Brett even persuaded us that there were hints in Cobain’s grunge of Lennon’s screams! (Actual vocal, and psychological, screams.) And, said Brett, “Cobain was to Generation X what Lennon was to the Baby Boomers.” Each was “the voice of his generation.”
The Beatles are probably one of the greatest sensations the world has ever seen. No other band has ever had a larger effect on their fans and listeners as The Beatles, ever since they started to take over the ears of the world during the birth of “The Beatles Revolution” (not to be confused with The Beatles song “Revolution”) in 1963. A lot of their songs were based on their continual efforts to promote the concept of world peace. No other song written by John Lennon is more blatant in this promotion of peace than the song “Give Peace A Chance.” Songfacts.com says, “This song was recorded in 1969 during John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s notorious “bed in” in which they stayed in bed for eight days in an effort to promote world peace. This song quickly became an anti-war movement anthem when a large number of people thought America should not have been fighting the War in Vietnam.” Lennon directly states in the third verse of “Give Peace A Chance,” “(Let me tell you now) / Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout / Revolution, Evolution, Masturbation, Flagellation, Regulation, / Integrations, mediations, United Nations, congratulations / All we are saying is give peace a chance / All we are saying is give peace a chance” (“Give Peace A Chance”).
The popularity of the Beatles proves time and time again to be nothing short of eternal. Like any great works of art, the Beatles’ records carried and still do carry an ageless brilliance that continues to captivate new generations of listeners. Their records are still heard heavily today on the radio, continue to sell in immense quantities, and are forever remembered through the covers done by pop and rock artists in present day.