But he wouldn't have written the song without her poem and acknowledged it publicly by putting it on the back of the Imagine album cover. (In 2017, Ono was finally given a songwriting credit.) He said he would have done that for any male artist he worked with, but at the time, he was still backwards thinking and wasnвЂ™t вЂњman enoughвЂќ to do the right thing. He later admitted to writer David Sheff that the song had been inspired by poems from Ono's book Grapefruit, and that he should have credited the song to Lennon-Ono. The second, in particular, was a big shift for someone who'd spent most of his youth as a chauvinist.

'Imagine no possessions /В I wonder if you can'В became 'Imagine no possessions /В I wonder if we can,'В and 'Nothing to kill or die for /В A brotherhood of man'В changed to 'Nothing to kill or die for /В A brotherhood/sisterhood of man.' A year after the song was released, during a performance at Madison Square Garden on August 30, 1972, heвЂ™d already changed two of the lines. Many thought it was hypocritical for a man who owned a custom-painted Rolls Royce (and barely drove it) to be preaching 'imagine no possessions.' ( Elvis Costello, a lifelong Lennon fan, even included it in the lyrics to 'The Other Side of Summer,' in which he sang, 'Was it a millionaire who said imagine no possessions?') Lennon, always a step ahead of everyone, was updating his lyrics in live performances. Those werenвЂ™t the only lyrics people had issues with.

No doubt all the world's fanatics are imagining one religion, but thatвЂ™s the opposite of what he was singing about. Since his death, Ono has been approached many times by groups who wanted to do the same thing, and she consistently refuses. Lennon was approached by the World Church asking if they could use it but change the lyrics to 'one religion' instead of вЂњno religion.вЂќ Lennon said no, explaining that that would defeat the whole purpose of the song.

Even those who claim to accept the message struggle with its meaning. Feelings of peace and acceptance are swirled around lyrics suggesting we abolish some of the things people hold most dear. And no religion, too.' Sounds about as anti-American, anti-British, anti-establishment as a song can be, and yet it's a song of positivity and hope, about the possibilities of a better human existence. It's this that seems ironic, given the lyrics: вЂњImagine there's no countries / It isnвЂ™t hard to do / Nothing to kill or die for.вЂќ The song has been accepted all over the world as a song of peace and unity, as it asks us to embrace what some call anarchy and early critics labeled communism. Photo: Time Life Pictures/Getty Images Critics had issues with the meaning behind the lyrics Yoko Ono's book 'Grapefruit' was one of the inspirations for 'Imagine' And Jimmy Carter said, '.in many countries around the world - my wife and I have visited about 125 countries - you hear John Lennon's song 'Imagine' used almost equally with national anthems.' George Martin, famous for producing the Beatles' records and helping steer them to musical superstardom, says the album it's on, Imagine, is the one he most wishes he'd produced. Bono said it was the reason for his career. Paul McCartneyВ - someone inclined to be less than generous about Lennon's early solo career, given what Lennon said about his - admitted he knew it was вЂњa killerвЂќ the first time he heard it. Everyone knew the song was special at the time, but couldn't have had any idea of the impact it would have on the world, both musically and politically. The song was released on October 11, 1971.

Strings were added by members of the New York Philharmonic, called 'the Flux Fiddlers' by Lennon. The final mix was done at The Record Plant in New York City, a city where Lennon and Ono would soon make their home.

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