10 Perfect Rock Songs From 1971
3. Imagine - John Lennon
The fallout behind the Beatles just felt like a waste considering all they had taught us in the '60s. These were the people who had preached that all you needed was love, only to turn their backs on each other and have everything become a war of words in the press. That didn't mean that even the most cynical of the Fab Four didn't have at least some hope on board.
Working out of his home in the English countryside, John Lennon hit upon one of the most beautiful songs of his career with Imagine, thinking of a world where we don't have to live under the parameters of religious views or possessions. Though Lennon himself was quick to show his political bent on this stuff as well, saying that most of the ideas were coming out of the Communist Manifesto with a little bit of honey sprinkled across.
That doesn't diminish how great the song itself is, offering up a view of peace and togetherness for the rest of the world at a time when everything seemed to be going to Hell. Even with the thousands of times this was covered in poor taste, it never truly lost its luster. Because when you have any means of trouble in your life, it's nice to have a song that has a little more faith in humanity.