POWIP Piece of Work In Progress – Former Abode of Dan Collins

Curmudgeon. Dudgeon. Bludgeon.

John Lennon's flaccid, hung-over paean to inanity is back in the news:

Taio Cruz, an up-and-coming British singer, will ring in 2011 by singing John Lennon's "Imagine" live for the first time ever in the Times Square celebration tonight. The performance is being promoted heavily, and Mr. Cruz has promised he will not jazz up "such a classic song" because it is beloved by so many.

Which raises a perplexing question: Why has "Imagine" achieved the status of a secular hymn? Most Americans prefer their classics to be uplifting, but the theme of "Imagine" is sad and depressing, starting with the very first verse:

"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."

Atheists have embraced the song as their own, a popular topic on their blogs. In fact, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the most prominent American atheist organization, waged a national billboard campaign in 2009 featuring the Lennon-inspired words "Imagine No Religion" on a stained-glass window.

But 92 percent of Americans believe in God, according to a recent Gallup poll, and "Imagine" seems to resonate with many of them as well. Otherwise it wouldn't be featured on ABC's Dick Clark special on New Year's Eve. And Rolling Stone wouldn't have named it the third-greatest song of all time, outranking all 23 Beatles songs on the list of 500.

Putting aside all the well-hashed "Imagine there's no hippies/libruls/whatever" rejoinders, what are we to make of this, apart from more evidence that The Rolling Stone should have died before it got old?

While snow-bound Mayor cum nanny Michael Bloomberg colludes with badly disguised Islamists to place a "civic center" partly paid for with reconstruction funds near Ground Zero--Islamists who have the temerity to name their project for Cordoba--we're supposed not to understand the symbolic valence of this musical celebration of secularism? A half year after an Islamist tried to wreak carnage on Times Square, almost making good his escape to Dubai?

Bite me.

Dan Collins

Dan Collins is a dude who blogs. He used to blog elsewhere. Now he blogs here.

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