Tune Tuesday

It was on this day in 1971 that John Lennon recorded his classic “Imagine.” Biography.com says: The impact of the song is unquestionable. But disguised within its message of peace and love and its flowing piano melody is a collection of edgy, “dangerous” ideas that challenge society as we know it.

John Lennon wrote and recorded this song on his white grand piano at his Tittenhurst Park estate in the English countryside (He and Yoko took up residence in the summer of 1969). In early 1971, Lennon worked up songs for a new album and “Imagine” was one of them.

When he had finished writing the song, John didn’t think that it had any potential of being a hit song. He recorded a rough demo of Imagine and wanted to know what others thought of it. He invited a few journalists and other associates over to have a listen. Ray Connolly of the London Evening Standard recalls Lennon playing him the demo and asking, “Is it any good?” Connolly and the others who heard it had to convince John he had a hit on his hands!

In May, he brought in several of his musical friends to Tittenhurst to record it, including Phil Spector, George Harrison, bass player Klaus Voormann, piano man Nicky Hopkins, and drummers Alan White and Jim Keltner. They recorded on-campus in the studio Lennon had recently built, which he called Ascot Sound Studios. Footage from the session shows Lennon and his guests enjoying each others’ company, but also getting down to business when it came time to work.

It was Phil Spector kept the sessions on track. “Imagine” was one of the first songs they recorded. Spector kept the track fairly simple. Although they did experiment a bit. At one point they had Hopkins play on the same piano as Lennon, but on a higher octave. However, the more they added, the more they ended up stripping away. The very simple arrangement was designed to spotlight the lyric, it required just Lennon’s vocals and piano, Voormann’s bass, and White’s drums. Strings were overdubbed later by John.

Julian Lennon shared his thoughts on the song in the 2019 documentary Above Us Only Sky: “He’s not shoving it down people’s throats. It’s not religious and it’s not political – it’s humanity and life. We all really want what he’s singing about, and I think that’s why even today the song is still so important. The sad thing is, the world is still in a bad way. Why is it impossible to move forward in these dreams and make them a reality?”

Rolling Stone described “Imagine” as Lennon’s “greatest musical gift to the world”, praising “the serene melody; the pillowy chord progression; [and] that beckoning, four-note [piano] figure”

Let’s go back 54 years and join John at his piano …