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Writer and editor Home > Blogs > Brain Droppings > Archives > 2005 > December > 08
Thursday, December 8, 2005
The dorkiest song in history.
Yes, let it be known at the outset of this rant that I like John Lennon. I like him a lot.
And I’ve been sad about his violent, untimely passing since the day it happened 25 years ago Thursday. Like many of you, I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news — at a college party in a friend’s apartment at Miami U. We were all horrified.
And I was pleased by all the tributes and stories about the anniversary that ran on TV and in the papers.
But I knew a dreadful thing would happen, and sure enough, it did: I heard the song “Imagine” all day long.
It was on every radio station… on NPR, on the pop stations.
And as usual, it brought up the usual response that the song evokes in me: My gag reflex.
You see, I HATE that song. I think it’s the stupidest, dorkiest song ever written by a major artist. It’s like Mozart playing “Chopsticks.” It’s light years beneath Lennon’s abilities as a songwriter, thinker or performer.
Think about the lyrics: I mean, really think about them. They’re kindergarten-level bubble-head babblings that wouldn’t even sound smart if they were written in crayon. Lennon crafted doggerel and knew it. Even on his doofiest days — and we all have doofy days, surely — he couldn’t have meant anything so simpleminded to stand as his greatest song.
But there it was, all over the place on Thursday, ruining one tribute after another. Sigh.
This is not, btw, a first-time rant on my part. I wrote this in a column years ago and got lots of hate mail for it. Oh, well. If I never hear “Imagine” again, that will be fine.
Because there are about 500 other great John Lennon-penned songs to hear that I’d rather remember him by. And I don’t think he’d think poorly of me for thinking that way.
