John Lennon‘s Imagine is one of his most famous albums. It contains one of the most ubiquitous ballads ever written. Despite this, the album is a bit hypocritical when taken as a whole.
John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ betrays the title song’s utopian vision
In some circles, John is almost seen as a secular saint. A large part of this image is rooted in the lyrics of “Imagine.” Unlike most pop songs, which are about love, sadness, or dancing, “Imagine” advocates a brotherhood of man devoid of countries, possessions, and religion. It’s a beautiful song that asks its audience to strive for a better world.
The theme of betterment is also part of the second most famous song from Imagine: “Jealous Guy.” In that song, John atones for his past sins as a partner. While “Imagine” is a global vision, “Jealous Guy” is about trying to improve the man in the mirror. The energy of the album is destroyed with one of its final songs, the diss track “How Do You Sleep?” In that song, John criticizes Paul McCartney for writing terrible songs like “Another Day.” What happened to the brotherhood of man?
John Lennon’s ‘How Do You Sleep?’ would have made more sense on 1 of his earlier albums
In theory, the songs from an album are supposed to form a cohesive whole. Maybe they follow a storyline, like Pink Floyd’s The Wall, or maybe they are variations on a theme, like Lana Del Rey’s innocence lost album Born to Die. Imagine could have been an album that lived up to its title track, but instead, the message gets muddled.
That’s not to say “How Do You Sleep?” is a bad song. Far from it! John’s critiques of Paul are funny, such as when he says Paul’s songs are “muzak to [his] ears.” And the beat is funky and memorable. If only the singer included “How Do You Sleep?” on a different album.
“How Do You Sleep?” would have made more sense on John’s debut solo album: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. That track is a litany of grievances where John attacks his father, religion, capitalism, television, and everything else that bothered him. A song about Paul’s post-Beatles output being subpar would have been at home on that record.https://youtu.be/FoJQAyrUHhA
How ‘Imagine’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom
Despite its issues, Imagine was hugely popular. The album topped the Billboard 200 for a single week, staying on the chart for 47 weeks.
The Official Charts Company says Imagine was popular in the United Kingdom as well. It was No. 1 there for two weeks. It stayed on the chart for 101 weeks in total.
“How Do You Sleep?” is a good song, and it deserved better.
