John Lennon’s Imagine is ‘heart-chilling’, says bishop in Christmas homily

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a lot of atheists like the ‘love your brother’ and ‘do unto others’ stuff. it’s the personal sin stuff they have a problem with.
 
Not a fan of the words or music of “Imagine”. Sounds like Oprah wrote the words and Barry Manilow wrote the music.

Here are some good God-oriented songs with some “umph”:

Etta James “Gotta Serve Somebody” youtu.be/I2FKJIeb1sM

Glenn Kaiser Band “Crossroads” youtu.be/RZtiNm8izGI

Pacific Gas and Electric “Are You Ready” youtu.be/20HmSomEHZ0
 
what’s that old gospel song about getting on the train, no need to buy a ticket? i love that song when i hear it, but it’s very infrequent.
 
All of the Beatles were of Irish Catholic extraction and all of them searched for transcendence their whole lives. Their confusion reflected a whole generations confusion and spiritual searching. John was gunned down whilst still relatively young and who knows how his quest may have turned out. All beautiful music has God in it. It cannot be beautiful without God. SO even a song ostensibly rejecting God reflects that fact that the author is looking for God. We cannot run from God it is impossible. Anyway I have always thought the words of Let it Be were more in keeping with how John and Paul and George felt about religion.
 
The song is an expression of the dreary utopian-socialist-materialist world-view. No religion,no heaven,no private property,no countries,nothing to live or die for. It is presented as a humanitarian ideal,but it is really inhuman.

John Lennon was influenced by Alistair Crowley,the occultist,and he participated in black magic.

youtube.com/watch?v=00W93kE-ZE0
 
bisco1 said:
what’s that old gospel song about getting on the train, no need to buy a ticket? i love that song when i hear it, but it’s very infrequent.
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Rod Stewart did a version of it in the late 1900s; titled “People Get Ready.”

People get ready, there’s a train coming

Don’t need no baggage, just get on board

All you need is faith to hear those Diesels running

Don’t need no ticket, you just thank the LORD.
 
SurfingTheTiber said:
Not a fan of the words or music of “Imagine”. Sounds like Oprah wrote the words and Barry Manilow wrote the music.

Here are some good God-oriented songs with some “umph”:

Etta James “Gotta Serve Somebody” youtu.be/I2FKJIeb1sM

Glenn Kaiser Band “Crossroads” youtu.be/RZtiNm8izGI

Pacific Gas and Electric “Are You Ready” youtu.be/20HmSomEHZ0
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Bob Dylan wrote Gotta serve some-one
HE is a markedly religious singer song writer as is Leonard Cohen and Tom Russel
In fact a lot of popular music is actually quite religious
So many are searching for God that it comes out where you least expect it
Bruce Springsteen is a profoundly religious artist
The whole album Nebraska is about evil and forgiveness
We should look deeper into some of these songs and not just take them at face value
 
Durnford said:
Bob Dylan wrote Gotta serve some-one
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Correct. That album (Slow Training Coming) and the following two (Saved and Shot of Love) are considered his gospel albums. I actually prefer the second two since the production has more of an edge.

As long as this is “Catholic” Answers forum here’s one from Catholic Matt Maher. This vision of this song is far better than that of “Imagine”. I also think it’s a better song.
“Hold Us Together” youtu.be/Ut0ENzQcjrM
 
Musicians didn’t feel awkward talking about faith in their music back then. Now-a-days, that kind of music has it’s ‘own’ genre… It’s called Christian rock. :rolleyes: mainstream music has followed the path of our governance… Secularism. :rolleyes:

What a shame.

…even Billy Idol and Duran Duran sang with religious overtones as recent as the 80’s. This is a pretty new development.
 
SurfingTheTiber said:
Correct. That album (Slow Training Coming) and the following two (Saved and Shot of Love) are considered his gospel albums. I actually prefer the second two since the production has more of an edge.

As long as this is “Catholic” Answers forum here’s one from Catholic Matt Maher. This vision of this song is far better than that of “Imagine”. I also think it’s a better song.
“Hold Us Together” youtu.be/Ut0ENzQcjrM
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And Lennon wrote an answer for that “Serve Yourself”.

As a huge Beatles fan and a Catholic what I have learned early on was to separate the talent from the political/religious views of many entertainers. Meaning that some of my favorite songs are by people I 100% disagree with politically and religiously.

As for Imagine, I think previous posters pretty much nailed it. As for the music of the song it is beautiful. The lyrics are a product of the late 60’s early seventies mentality that I don’t agree with. As someone previous stated (paraphrasing); Satan can package his ideas in some pretty attractive ways.

I think Lennon was a lost soul of sorts having a mixed up childhood and then finding fame beyond “imagination” at a relatively young age. I think the drugs, meditation, primal scream therapy, occult, and all the other things in his life show he was always searching? I think that’s the one thing he liked most about Yoko was that she provided him some stability (even though she is likely more confused than he was).

I don’t like Imagine for the message it sends and what it represents now even though just purely as a work of music I think it’s a very good piece. When it comes on it makes me somewhat sad to hear it and think that Lennon believed this ****, at least at one time.

Definitely not a song that should be associated with any sort of Catholic function imo.
 
“we’re just four blokes in a band, who made it very, very big.”
 
Dylan’s “Man gave names to the animals” has some lyrics:
He saw an animal that liked to growl
Big furry paws and he liked to howl
Great big furry back and furry hair
“Ah, think I’ll call it a bear”
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He saw an animal leavin’ a muddy trail
Real dirty face and a curly tail
He wasn’t too small and he wasn’t too big
“Ah, think I’ll call it a pig”
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Read more: bobdylan.com/us/songs/man-gave-names-all-animals#ixzz3N6wdwtUr

youtube.com/watch?v=XN3ni0UygYI
 
k5thbeatle said:
And Lennon wrote an answer for that “Serve Yourself”.

As a huge Beatles fan and a Catholic what I have learned early on was to separate the talent from the political/religious views of many entertainers. Meaning that some of my favorite songs are by people I 100% disagree with politically and religiously.

As for Imagine, I think previous posters pretty much nailed it. As for the music of the song it is beautiful. The lyrics are a product of the late 60’s early seventies mentality that I don’t agree with. As someone previous stated (paraphrasing); Satan can package his ideas in some pretty attractive ways.

I think Lennon was a lost soul of sorts having a mixed up childhood and then finding fame beyond “imagination” at a relatively young age. I think the drugs, meditation, primal scream therapy, occult, and all the other things in his life show he was always searching? I think that’s the one thing he liked most about Yoko was that she provided him some stability (even though she is likely more confused than he was).

I don’t like Imagine for the message it sends and what it represents now even though just purely as a work of music I think it’s a very good piece. When it comes on it makes me somewhat sad to hear it and think that Lennon believed this ****, at least at one time.

Definitely not a song that should be associated with any sort of Catholic function imo.
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As a Beatles fan and as a Catholic I agree with you. I was very pleased when Paul McCartney released “Follow Me” and Ringo released “Oh My Lord” about ten years ago. I sometimes listen to these songs on the way to Mass.

DGB
 
In my hour of darkness
Mother Mary comes to me

Why does no-one ever comment on those lines
Seems quite obvious to me
 
Popular music is exactly that
Music for the radio. Nothing more nothing less
We should not expect profundity
However as we all know God has a way of breaking through and appearing in unexpected places.

So often in popular music what starts out as a song to entertain and make a bit of money for the composer becomes something more. The longing for God breaks through in the human endeavour.

Bob Dylan is a good example
The Beatles were searching for God and that came out in odd places.

So much popular music is based on old Gospel songs
Elvis, Sam Cook etc were all from a gospel tradition

The powers that be today are determined to exclude all references to religion so God often hides them so they slip through.

We should not bash popular music
It is human creativity which comes form God
 
Durnford said:
In my hour of darkness
Mother Mary comes to me

Why does no-one ever comment on those lines
Seems quite obvious to me
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Not to burst your bubble but Paul’s mother was named Mary. That being said no one could write that line without evoking some religious feeling.

I have to agree that as a Beatles fan, I don’t really like ‘Imagine’ because it just seems rather naive. Sure some would say that religion has ruined the world, but as a student of history I find religion only ruins when it is used or interpreted wrongly. I’m sure the same could be said about atheism, though in all honesty most atheists don’t seem to be very happy or jolly, or at least most of those who proudly proclaim it.

Overall, I think that sadly, people like Lennon think that all the world’s problems will be solved if we own everything in common and no one has property and religion and we’re all equal. Sadly, like a lot of people, he thinks that man can solve their own problems and replace God. But people need to realize God will take care of things in due time…
 
Durnford said:
In my hour of darkness
Mother Mary comes to me

Why does no-one ever comment on those lines
Seems quite obvious to me
Click to expand...
McCartney has said its in reference both to Mary mother of Jesus and his own mother who was named Mary.

He also said he named his band Wings after praying in the hospital during the birth of his daughter and an image of wings came into his mind.
 
nocoastlayman said:
Not to burst your bubble but Paul’s mother was named Mary. That being said no one could write that line without evoking some religious feeling.

I have to agree that as a Beatles fan, I don’t really like ‘Imagine’ because it just seems rather naive. Sure some would say that religion has ruined the world, but as a student of history I find religion only ruins when it is used or interpreted wrongly. I’m sure the same could be said about atheism, though in all honesty most atheists don’t seem to be very happy or jolly, or at least most of those who proudly proclaim it.

Overall, I think that sadly, people like Lennon think that all the world’s problems will be solved if we own everything in common and no one has property and religion and we’re all equal. Sadly, like a lot of people, he thinks that man can solve their own problems and replace God. But people need to realize God will take care of things in due time…
Click to expand...
McCartney has said its in reference both to Mary mother of Jesus and his own mother who was named Mary.

He also said he named his band Wings after praying in the hospital during the birth of his daughter and an image of wings came into his mind.
 
Durnford said:
Popular music is exactly that
Music for the radio. Nothing more nothing less
We should not expect profundity
However as we all know God has a way of breaking through and appearing in unexpected places.

So often in popular music what starts out as a song to entertain and make a bit of money for the composer becomes something more. The longing for God breaks through in the human endeavour.

Bob Dylan is a good example
The Beatles were searching for God and that came out in odd places.

So much popular music is based on old Gospel songs
Elvis, Sam Cook etc were all from a gospel tradition

The powers that be today are determined to exclude all references to religion so God often hides them so they slip through.

We should not bash popular music
It is human creativity which comes form God
Click to expand...
I think Bob Dylan was probably influenced to Christianity through Johnny Cash, Country/Americana Music will have artists that remain thoroughly Christian though even some of them are very ‘pop’ oriented as well.

Unfortunately, rock music certainly has its portion of music that is anti-Christian if not in fact, delving into some pretty dark areas, so I’d be careful in its appraisal.

But one is pretty safe with a lot of country music. Then, some country has been very suggestive as well.
 
Popular singers are in their prime typically when they are still young and ‘dumb’. Many don’t have their own families, yet, or are too separated from every day realities to understand the world. Forgive them their arrogance and emotions. Most grow out of it. If more people in their advanced years wrote popular songs, there would be more depth to them.
 
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