THIS WEEKS EASY TARGET POP - IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT IMAGINE.....

Current mood: A BIT BOLSHY
Category: A BIT BOLSHY Music

OK, it's that time of the week again...

Yes boss, it's the moment when I take on an established act, band, song or LP and ask (with a heartfelt sigh) What the fuck????

Now, in case you think I'm joking with these entries, I can confirm that all the views contained within are the real and genuine views of me Paul Giovanni 3rd AKA Futureproof Pious. I don't lie or make up swipes for the hell of it - I don't need to. There are simply too many pop musical things I don't understand.

Perhaps I'm stupid, or perhaps I see things all too clearly....

Whichever and whatever, I strongly urge you to take issue with me as you see fit: If nothing else, my aim here is to further enforce the idea that disagreement is healthy, rather than the sorry plague it's nowadays seen to be (especially on this hive of myspazzian surface niceness)...


So, this weeks easy target is the song Imagine by John Lennon...

Imagine is one of those holiest of cow songs, one of the golden pretty babies that no-one dares to question or touch. Everytime there's a poll concerning the best songs of all time, this load of risable tripe will find it's way into the top 5. It has a retainer on the top 5. It's a banker - a sure fire nailed on bet!

The PG3 opinion is that Imagine is the worst kind of obvious and awful nonsense of recent times...


So, let's take a look at the lyrics:


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 may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday 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 may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one


Oh Jesus....

So what's the big deal??

Well, this is just the sort of thing we've all been guilty of thinking and writing and this is precisely why it's such a big and hugely popular song...

But when we come out with this sort of crap, we're most usually in our late teens or early 20s. We've been thrown out of the endless innocent fun of childhood into the murky world of PLANET ADULT EARTH, and all we want is our dinner still on the table, and to keep on playing with no rent to pay - and all we get is war and death and disease and destruction, and it puts us in a big fat FUCKING FUGGG..

This FUGGG can last a while, or even a lifetime and rather than dealing with these shitty disgusting realities of life and grudgingly learning to love the world in all it's putrid and corrupt beauty, far too many of us become invovled in trying to SAVE the world and bring about a brighter day...

Yes boss, we start wishing the world wasn't inherently violent. We start agrandising and innacurately loving the vicious beast that is nature. We convince ourselves that one day God will come down and save our own useless asses and set us all onto some beautific plane of love and wholeness where we only ever eat Rivita Organic Crackers and drink the purest mountain spring water..

In the past, my alter ego has been as guilty as hell on this one. I wrote terrible poems. I had long hair and tried saving the world. But I was young and now I'm pleased to say I've seen that the light is always half dark, that every positive needs a negative.

Beauty needs corruption.
Life needs death.
Perfume needs shit.
Winners need loosers
and taking the one away from the other simply isn't possible...

Furthermore, spending all day everyday sitting side by side holding hands, drinking organic pearl juice and playing acoustic guitars is and will always be awful...

DULL DULL AWFUL DULL....


But that's not my only issue...

No boss, Imagine is not only awful because it's a song of universal false hope, because it's a song to start a religion too, or because it's the worst kind of Hippy dreaming, it's awful because it's obvious and badly written and when it gets to that last line and neatly finishes, it becomes the tweeist and most embarassing pop moment of all time.

Yes boss, here we're talking a long haired intellectual, past his prime, twanging away on a an old Johanna, dresed in white, pretending to be Jesus, pontificating worse than Bono has ever managed - yet it's taken seriously....

Give me a break!

Can't buy me love HELL YES!!
Imagine DEFINATELY NOT

Currently listening : Violence & Birdsong By Union Of Knives Release date: By 21 August, 2006

1:24 AM - 32 Comments - 15 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

	Emily	I remember a few years ago some music magazine (like Q or Mojo) dared to make fun of John Lennon's 1970s reissues, because the lyrics on most of his albums were admittedly horrible. I have to agree, lyrics like "The money's hard/The living's hard" don't inspire much sympathy, because he probably made more money in a week than I would see in my entire life. Posted by Emily on September 14, 2007 - Friday at 6:00 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	The father the son and the Holy Lennon Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on September 14, 2007 - Friday at 7:18 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	DANX GROD!	I gotta disagree with you on this one, PG3. You said "We convince ourselves that one day God will come down and save our own useless asses..." But John talks against religion in this song, and many conservative religious types hate this song ("Imagine there is no heaven..."). He was just trying to get people to IMAGINE what life would be like without the things that divide us. A positive affirmation of sorts. John wrote the song at the end of the Vietnam war, and had been a long-time anti-war protester. This song was an expression of his feelings about the horrors of war and religion. I don't think it is the best song of all time, but I think it is well written and is the outcome of a positive mind trying to manifest positive vibrations. I know it can be viewed as hippie drivel, but it stands the test of time for me. I think it is one of the best songs ever written. But that's me... and I am not huge Beatles or Lennon fan. I am a fan, just not a huge one. Well, actually, I am 260lbs and 6'4'', so I am kind of huge. But I think you get my point. Cheers! Posted by DANX GROD! on September 14, 2007 - Friday at 6:35 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	I take the religion point, but he was part of a band that was and is a bigger religion than many - so it rings hollow for him to be against religion... I'm sure he was aiming to make people think, but he was also as good a pop megalomaniac as there's been.. Sure, everyone pines after this kind of utopian thinking from time to time, but we all know it would be crap in reality which is why we don't bother to seriously pursue such a goal... If we're being honest, we all love our corruptions, and evil continues to sell better than anything else.... Shit, we've got a massive media industry milking the disappearance of a child here into a daily fabricated soap story. People are hooked on it and they're absolutely loving the depravity of it!! Lennon was the seller of dreams.... He was great at his job, but this song still makes me squirm... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on September 14, 2007 - Friday at 7:06 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	DANX GROD!	I hear you... I don't think he was selling dreams as much as trying to spread a message. I may have been utopian, but that didn't make it a bad message. John talked about how the beatles were bigger than Jesus, but more in terms of the absurdity of it, rather than preaching the virtues of converting to Beatlism. I agree that evil sells, but I aint buying! Have you seen "The USA vs John Lennon" yet? It is about John troubles with the US immigration dept in the early 70s. I enjoyed it a lot! Cheers! Posted by DANX GROD! on September 15, 2007 - Saturday at 2:57 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	I've read about his troubles with immigration, but not seen the doc - I'll keep my eyes open for it... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on September 15, 2007 - Saturday at 11:50 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	maryJane	the lyrics aren't the most original, but i have to say that culturally, it is a great song. in the context when it was written, i feel like it touched people and reflected the social exhaustion and bleak outlook on life. and today, its a good historical reference point. besides. whats wrong with complaining about the adult world?? you cant do it outright in everyday conversation, because no one will listen or sympathize. so why not do it in song, or blog...where people can choose to relate as they like. but then again. i am in my early 20-s and enjoy lamenting with "this sort of crap"... fucking fuggg. mJ Posted by maryJane on September 14, 2007 - Friday at 6:50 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	I honestly feel there are many better and more clever songs that have considered the peaceful Utopia idea. This one is obvious and amateurish... I spend my whole day, everyday, fighting with the adult world and have a mental age of about 14, but there's ways and means of doing that are a lot more fun than listening to this kind of crap... Imagine is a Hymn. Lennon saw himself as Jesus. The last thing we need is more of that shit.... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on September 14, 2007 - Friday at 7:28 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Paloma, First Lady of Infinity	I do like "imagine" BECAUSE it is simplistic and naive. I need some of that sometimes. Top 5 songs of all time? No, But I find nothing wrong with false hope. If it were not for false hope think of how much worse the world would be than it already is. I spend so much of my time feeling down, I often wonder what it is like to tap into some of that false hope. Does it feel better than being perpetually hopeless and jaded all the time. It is all going to end the same, the world ain't gonna be saved. But, to spend one's life with a sense of hope, does it feel better than spending one's life with a sense of dread? I don't know.. One of my writing teachers (yes she was a fucking hippy) told me when I was, about, i think, 20ish, that the problem with my generation was that we had no hope. She was right. I have a horrible memory of "Imagine." I took a "how to instantly improve your singing voice" class taught by this ex-vegas lounge singer lady, i wish i could remember her name. She made me and the other participants, who were a bunch of retired folks, sing this song. It was completely ridiculous. I can still hear the droning of the group singing...a hopeless group, no way in hell any of them would ever improve their singing voice..but they had hope... Posted by Paloma, First Lady of Infinity on September 14, 2007 - Friday at 7:03 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	I only like real hope. I like to live on hope day in day out... False hope is the same as false anything else. False religious hope is just shit... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on September 14, 2007 - Friday at 7:17 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Paloma, First Lady of Infinity	real hope needs false hope Posted by Paloma, First Lady of Infinity on September 14, 2007 - Friday at 7:20 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	One can't tell which is which alot of the time... I've had plenty of false hopes, but I've never believed them to be so until the evidence has forced me to.. With this Lennon thing I can see it staright away as false hope - so it turns me right off straight away... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on September 14, 2007 - Friday at 7:25 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	GWEN	A world w/o 'Imagine'.. haha! Your right!! I've known this song in my younger days too to be "un-reachable" in a world sense and to be a bit (unselfish) narsasistic on Johns behalf. But this song sounds good when accompanied by other pieces that are more abstrackt. In fact I believe that i can remember a mix tape an older friend made for me while i was 17.. that had songs by Capt. Beefheart, early Syd Barret, Beck, Violent Femmes, V.U., Los lobos, Tom Waits (specifically the song, 'I don't want to grow up')... My friend made it work!! I don't know PG3, you always have this clarvoiant approach to our times, but More people should still devour Love -- ~or not.. i think they still could use more of it as simple as it is! Posted by GWEN on September 14, 2007 - Friday at 10:11 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	In a pop sense I have to admire it, because it's a perfect pop song and as with many perfect pop songs the lyrics are naff nonsense, but they sum something up and people love it and that's pop... I still don't like it though... I do however like some of Lennons other wierd later music... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on September 14, 2007 - Friday at 11:21 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Nonstop Everything	ok. i'm now coming out of the "imagine is embarrassing" closet. i absolutely agree! he is my favorite beatle, but his solo work is mostly stale to me. it's like he grew younger, which is usually admirable, like holger czukay for example. but in his case it amounted to a lot of self-righteousness. double kudos. Posted by Nonstop Everything on September 15, 2007 - Saturday at 12:11 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	I certainly anticipate reading and learning more about Lennon. I always liked the fact he got together with Yoko and that it caused trouble with the other Beatles. in general, I like girlfriends who cause trouble with 'friends' and ruffle feathers. It keeps things fresh.. I get the impression Lennon was never sure whether he wanted the spotlight or not after a certain point. It seems he was sometimes trying to wierd the media and the fans away, but that drew them in more... He had the balls to explore some strange old corners, and for that he deserves plenty of credit. I just wish it was that which got him the plaudits rather than rubbish like Imagine... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on September 15, 2007 - Saturday at 12:21 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	madeleine	imagine is annoying in the way U2 are annoying, but not sure i agree with the idea of his solo stuff being stale but then i guess plastic ono band arent strictly speaking him solo. the plastic ono band with him under the tree and all that primal scream fuck the world stuff is great. but yep sacred cows - is it just me or does mojo recycle its 'cover stars'(invariably male) every six months dylan the beatles the stones is everyone who works there a boomer or what Posted by madeleine on September 15, 2007 - Saturday at 3:06 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	Mojo is an horrendous magazine and I'm sure they recycle their cover stars... To start with I thought it was a breath of fresh air, but now it's even worse than Q... It's a magazine for people with closed musical minds... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on September 15, 2007 - Saturday at 11:54 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Nonstop Everything	To counter my comment from earlier: I AM of the school of thought that believes music can heal. And, for as naive of a reality as I believe "Imagine" to present, it has certainly affected many people, for which it has to be commended. Like it or not, this is what makes great popular music. I'm also unimpressed w/ most of Dylan's work, yet I have the utmost respect for him, as he struck a chord with a generation of people in a way that few have or will. When discussing popular music, the intelligence of the composition always takes a backseat to the effect it has on the listener. I also point out, as a songwriter who inflicts his political views on a regular basis, I'm not qualified to throw words like "self-righteous" at defenseless dead people. Lennon, being human, missed the mark a bit. But I cannot deny being enormously inspired by him. At one time in my life, "Imagine" meant a lot to me. And it had to happen that way. Like Nirvana or The Dead Kennedys, you grow out of it. But w/o it, where would you be? Posted by Nonstop Everything on September 15, 2007 - Saturday at 9:03 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	The extent of my interest in The Beatles is very small. I didn't hear them at all until my late teens and with the exception of Back in the USSR (mostly on account of the plane sound) they never grabbed me in any way.. My brothers wife got rid of her original issue Beatles LPs not so long ago. They were scratched to fuck and I enjoyed playing them for a bit and understood a little more, but I sold all except Rubber Soul (because it was unsellably scratched).. Likewise I'm not impressed with Dylan the man or the music... I really don't like the whole hippy thing. It was sheep like behaviour and I'm not sure we're any better off for the 1960s. Sure, some social and society problems have been addressed and opened up, but they've been replaced by new and different ones... After a while I get tired of having to say i respect stuff when it's never touched me. If you keep doing that every sentance you utter has to become laced with a 'I respect, BUT' I'd rather just say... I don't much care for The Beatles or Dylan... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on September 15, 2007 - Saturday at 12:06 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Paloma, First Lady of Infinity	I am having serious deja vu. I feel like I have posted this comment before. God, this is so wierd.... I called my local radio station and asked them to please stop playing this because it was so horrible. There is something worse than the original "Imagine." It is the bad cover by a Perfect Circle. Kudos to the person who can listen to the whole thing. (gosh, this comment gets better every time) Posted by Paloma, First Lady of Infinity on September 15, 2007 - Saturday at 11:41 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	This vid is both perfect and horrible. It's perfect because it highlights the idicoy of the lyric and sentiment perfectly Horrible for the same reason... Don't people just love their disaster porn these days?? Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on September 15, 2007 - Saturday at 12:13 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Hakujin	The main thing about Imagine for me is it messes up his whole legacy. If he never took it there, you could still blame Paul for every sappy simplified Beatles sentiment. Posted by Hakujin on September 15, 2007 - Saturday at 4:19 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	Interesting point... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on September 15, 2007 - Saturday at 4:21 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	John Clay	I think that Imagine is a great song. It's provoked how many comments on this page already!? I gotta say that as long as an artist can do that decades after they get shot, hang em selves or dope em selves to death then they have achieved what most of us (artists) are after. TO NEVER EVER BE FORGOTTEN. I'm listening to Aneurysum by Kurt and his motley crew. Write a blog hating this and I will KILL your mother P. Spider xxx P.S Thanks or beginning a lil debate about Lennon....wish I was here when it all kicked off damn it. Kudos. Posted by John Clay on September 16, 2007 - Sunday at 3:12 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	Well yeah, it's provoked attention and discussion and that's something, but then so does Big Brother... What I mean it that it provokes attention doesn't necesarrily mean it's good...) I don't have many bad words to say about Nirvana, so my mum's safe... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on September 17, 2007 - Monday at 12:22 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Colossus	Whats wrong with Big Brother? The last two have been terrible but as a concept I think the first two were very interesting. It's an easy target. When it was in it's infancy it had everybody by the balls. It HAD to be watched because it was new. Most music that provokes attention normally provokes interesting discussion which can only be good. Right? Posted by Colossus on September 17, 2007 - Monday at 10:38 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	I've never been into Big Brother. I didn't have a TV when the first one was on and since then have seen bits and pieces. I never feel like I'm missing anything when i don't watch any TV at all - let alone specific programs. BB is entertainment to dull your mind with. More insight into human interaction can be gained by sitting on a bus for an hour... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on September 17, 2007 - Monday at 1:09 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Colossus	Well thats just it. BB has become part of the fabric of your London Lite culture. It has BECOME vacuous and doesn't draw me in anymore. ALTHOUGH back in the day when it was new, people had to know what could compel reasonable individuals (take my word for it the first season had normal people who were not obsessed with celebrity culture and paradoxically being part of the Big Brother experience) who thought of it more as a social experiment. There wasn't even a hint of there being the possibilty of late night sexual crap or people pissing on each other and all the other blatent attempts at fame. Since myspace and te decline of pop culture in general I've had no time to give the last couple of BB's a chance. From what I've heard and seen I wouldn't reccomend u do either. My point is that BB is not what it used to be. Phew! Spider x Posted by Colossus on September 21, 2007 - Friday at 2:38 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	I'll take your word on it.. If I had my way, I'd jam the house with complete headcases. Not the fake tabloid 'I wanna be famous' ones, but real PREMIUM GRADE WIERDOS... That would make for good TV... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on September 21, 2007 - Friday at 2:42 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Colossus	lol! What are your plans for Wed night man? Posted by Colossus on September 21, 2007 - Friday at 3:18 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :

What's happening Wednesday?? Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on September 21, 2007 - Friday at 3:21 PM [Remove]