“Imagine” is one of the greatest John Lennon hits, and who better to pay tribute to it than Graham Nash, Art Garfunkel, and Judy Collins! The trio teamed up at the 43rd Annual John Lennon Tribute and gave a heartfelt performance of the iconic anthem. You could really feel the love for the great man’s music throughout, and it was such a treat to hear so many great voices joining together on the song.
Nash took the opening verse, while Garfunkel took the second verse, and Collins provided the high harmonies. The Music Man readers might be interested to learn that the vocal trio were somewhat flying by the seat of their pants, as Nash cheekily explained before performing that “We rehearsed this at soundcheck – I’m not sure what’s gonna happen.” Naturally, it went off without a hitch though!
Nash, Garfunkel, and Collins performed “Imagine” at the most recent Annual John Lennon Tribute, which took place on December 2, 2023. The event has been a New York City tradition since 1981, and what better song is there to celebrate Lennon’s life and message than “Imagine”? Be sure to check out Garfunkel’s story about meeting Lennon before the performance, where he recounts an episode where he encourages the former Beatle to keep working with Paul McCartney if he loves what they do together.
Fans really enjoyed seeing the ‘60s pop icons team up again in the 2020s, and added comments such as “It’s fantastic to see these stars of my youth! A tribute to John Lennon – wonderful, great musicians forever!” and “Imagine all the world living life in peace. Probably one of the most iconic lines of any song ever.” Lennon’s songs have inspired artists of all generations, with one hit cover of “Imagine” being Lady Gaga’s live take on the song, which drew 24 million views on YouTube.
Lennon released “Imagine” on October 11, 1971, as the sole single from his 1971 album of the same name. It won’t surprise The Music Man readers to hear that it was his biggest solo hit and remains his most popular solo song, with 698 million streams on Spotify. The lyrics of “Imagine” make reference to unity between all people and have been widely celebrated by critics and artists over the years. The song has frequently been listed as one of the greatest songs ever written and was ranked third on Rolling Stone’s 2004 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
If you would like to learn more about John Lennon, you can visit his official website here or subscribe to his YouTube Channel for more incredible music.