Research paper on the timelessness of John Lennon's song "Imagine," shown through the Vietnam War and current parallels.
Imagine
During the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, the controversy over America’s involvement in the Vietnam War resulted in a counter-culture, driving political and societal change. In the two centuries of the nation’s existence, this was the first time for such a movement to occur. John Lennon became a major influential symbol through his music and peace activism. As he describes in his 1971 song “Imagine,” Lennon attempted to create a world in which everyone lived in peace. Currently, America’s subjection to the War in Iraq is causing a negative response similar to that of the Vietnam War, leaving Americans to hope for the peaceful world that Lennon sings about in his timeless song “Imagine.”
The Vietnam War, between North and South Vietnam, took place from 1959 to 1975. North Vietnam (the Democratic Republic of Vietnam), backed by other communist countries USSR and China, was fighting to make South Vietnam (the Republic of Vietnam) communist. Because the United States backed anti-communist government, the US supported South Vietnam and sent military advisers to train and help South Vietnam’s army. In 1964, it was reported that US naval ships were attacked by North Vietnam. After a second attack, the US passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and began to bomb North Vietnam. The first US combat troops were sent to Vietnam in 1965. Within three years, there was half a million more troops sent to Vietnam.
By 1968, public opinion polls showed that the majority of Americans were opposed to involvement in the war. When Nixon was elected president in 1969, he attempted a “Vietnamization” of the war, making South Vietnam responsible for fighting the war, equipping them with weapons, and decreasing the number of American troops that were sent to Vietnam. By 1973, US soldiers were no longer in Vietnam and the US involvement was soon ended completely.
Many factors contributed to the controversy over the Vietnam War. In 1965, Americans were drafted by a questionable drafting system. Furthermore, most of those drafted were too young to vote or consume alcohol in most states, leaving Americans with the disturbing image of such young men being exposed to the brutal war. By 1968, the US troop casualties were still growing and there was no end in sight. The war’s objective was unclear to Americans, and many viewed it as unnecessary intervention in a civil war. Uncensored information and television media coverage of the war allowed Americans to visually see terrors of the war and amount of deaths. Not only were American soldiers dying, but there was brutality towards Vietnamese civilians. Many Americans took part in protests during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.
During this era, the media reflected American feelings towards the war in Vietnam. John Lennon became one of the most influential figures at this time. Throughout his life, Lennon was a singer-songwriter, musician (vocals, guitar, bass guitar, piano, harmonica), poet, artist, and peace activist. In the 1950’s, Lennon became famous as a member of The Beatles. Known as the “Smart Beatle,” Lennon’s intelligence and wit was evident in The Beatle’s music and presentation. Many of his songs (such as “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Norwegian Wood,” “Rain”) evoked a dream-like world-weariness through lyrics and melodies, portraying a reflective, utopian, and realistic vision of life. In 1969, he was married to Yoko Ono. Soon after, The Beatles broke up and Lennon went on to pursue a solo career. He moved to New York where he took part in social activism and released solo work.
In 1971, Lennon released album Imagine, containing title track “Imagine” which is regarded as a timeless anthem for peace. Rolling Stone Magazine characterized the song by “the serene melody; the pillowy chord progression; that beckoning, four-note figure; and nearly all of the lyrics, twenty-two lines of graceful, plain-spoken faith in the power of a world, united in imagination and purpose, to repair and change itself.” The song asks us to imagine there’s no heaven, no countries, and no possessions, painting the picture of a peaceful world. Lennon himself described it as “an anti-religious, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic song” and “virtually the Communist Manifesto.” However, Yoko Ono said that the lyrical content was “just what John believed- that we are all one country, one world, one people.” The song faced some criticism in response to the anti-religious stance. Some also found the lyrics hypocritical, coming from a millionaire. Despite this, the song was not only Lennon’s most popular solo song, but also undeniably “an enduring hymn of solace and promise that has carried us through times of extreme grief” (Rolling Stone).
John Lennon’s music and lifestyle reflected his strong desire for peace; he viewed his life as a work of art in which every act gave potential meaning for the world at large. In 1973, Lennon and Yoko Ono created a conceptual country called Nutopia that was supposed to live up to the standards set by “Imagine”- no land, no boundaries, no passports, only people. Citizenship to Nutopia is can be obtained by declaration of one’s awareness of Nutopia. As Lennon became more and more influential, his hopes of creating change grew. He wanted his views to absorb everyone else and leave them with a Zen-like tranquility. This is reflected in “Imagine” song lyrics- “You might say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one, I hope someday you’ll join me, and the world will live as one.”
As the 60’s progressed, Lennon became an important symbol of the counter-culture, reaching a dangerous extent. It is often speculated that the government feared Lennon’s extent of impact on the American people. In 1972, the Richard Nixon Administration tried to silence Lennon by attempting to have him deported from the US. In 1975, Lennon’s order of deportation was overturned, and resolved favorably in 1976 when Gerald Ford was elected president. In 1980, Lennon was killed outside the Dakota hotel in New York City, in the presence of Yoko Ono as well as other people. The murderer was Mark David Chapman, who carried a copy of The Catcher in the Rye with him, claiming that the book would explain his motive. This devastating loss widely impacted people throughout the nation. No funeral was held. Yoko stated, “There is no funeral for John. John loved and prayed for the human race. Please pray the same for him.”
In 2003, less than thirty years after the Vietnam War, president George W. Bush led the US invasion of Iraq began the War in Iraq. Initially, US officials claimed that Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction made Iraq a threat to the rest of the world. The War in Iraq faces heavy criticism inside and outside of the US, often being compared to the Vietnam War. Problems include financial costs, the legality of the invasion, human casualties, insufficient post-invasion plans, damage to US alliances, and an adverse effect on the global war on terror. As time goes on and there is still no end in sight, more and more similarities to the Vietnam War are clear. American troops are fighting a guerilla war in Iraq, but also attempts the balance of winning hearts and minds by aid and reconstruction. Both wars refused to acknowledge civilian casualties, which ironically suggests to Iraqis that American lives are more valuable than those who the troops are supposedly fighting to liberate. Sadly, both of these wars are wars of choice, and their causes were both misrepresented by the US government to the American public. Now that America is involved in this highly questionable war, a counter-culture similar to that of the late 1960’s has returned, as polls show that the vast majority of Americans are opposed to the war.
Despite John Lennon’s death, his influence and vision of peace has lived on, often through the song “Imagine.” In 2004, “Imagine” was voted the third greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. At the start of New Year’s Eve in 2006, 2007, and 2008, “Imagine” was the song played in Times Square, right before the clock struck midnight. Even Ben & Jerry’s honored the song by creating a brand of ice cream called “Imagine Whirled Peace,” containing chocolate peace symbols. Although nearly 40 years have passed, the song’s significance, relevance, and importance have not paled. As Rolling Stone magazine said, “It is now impossible to imagine a world without ‘Imagine.’ And we need it, more than he [Lennon] ever dreamed.”
Danielle Descarfino
Works Cited available.
