ROOTS TO RAP

TRACIE COMBER AND SHELISE VANDAL

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IMAGINE
COMPARITIVE
ANALYSIS

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Contents
Introduction........................................................................................................... 2
John Lennon Imagine........................................................................................... 2
Musical Scene of the 60s...................................................................................... 2
A Perfect Circle and Kids United............................................................................. 3
Conclusion............................................................................................................. 3
Reference List........................................................................................................ 4
Appendix................................................................................................................ 5
Appendix A......................................................................................................... 5
Appendix B......................................................................................................... 5
Appendix C......................................................................................................... 6
Appendix D......................................................................................................... 6
Appendix E......................................................................................................... 6

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Introduction
This comparative analysis aims to provide a detailed musical examination of the
song Imagine. Originally performed and recorded by John Lennon and later
reimagined in 2004 by A Perfect Circle and again in 2015 by Kids United. The
structure, lyrics, instrumentation and stylistic indicators which place each version
of the piece within their eras will be investigated. Also to be discussed is a brief
background on each of the performers and their place on the music scene at the
time of recording. Further inspection will shed light on the social trends shown by
the artists with regards to appearance, presentation and promotional material
such as album covers.

John Lennon Imagine

John Lennons Imagine
was released in 1971 and outsold all other singles
released by the artist. It has incredibly deep lyrics and a structure unlike most
others. The song is known as a soft rock ballad, with its instrumentation
comprising mainly of piano as well as strings, bass and a basic rock beat on the
drum kit. Placing 15th in the RPM top 100 singles of 1971 (appendix E) it is fairly
unique in comparison to all other songs in the top 20, being the only song to
feature a piano so strongly and to have such a peaceful message. Lennon
composed the song after finding inspiration in several poems from Grapefruit, a
book of poems written by Lennons wife Yoko Ono in 1964. He drew stimulus
specifically from the poem Cloud Piece which read Imagine the clouds dripping.
Dig a hole in your garden to put them in. (REFERENCE OR APPENDIX??). His
lyrics inspire the listener to imagine a world where there are no social constraints
such as race, religion or material possessions.
Recording methods of the time???
More lyric bullshitting

Musical Scene of the 60s

Every artist is indubitably influenced by the era in which they are recording their
work. For instance the great depression which occurred between 1929 to the late
30s saw the closure of many a business ranging from wheat fields right through
to Wall Street, this in turn birthed inspiration for decades of music. Imagine was
recorded and released in 1971, therefore Lennons main inspirations would have
stemmed from the 60s.
John Lennon was a lead singer of The Beatles from 1960-1969, whom were
arguably the most influential band of the decade. John Lennon was quoted as
saying that Before the Elvis there was nothing. What his words tell us is that to
him as his countless contemporaries, Elvis Presley rock n roll appeared as a
sudden excitement out of nowhere, a cultural force that eclipsed and made
irrelevant previous popular music. Curiously, there is a parallel to be found in
Lennons own career. ("John Lennon Imagined", 2016) The sudden boom of
success that Elvis found is parallel to the Beatles. Richard Peterson (1990) states
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that it was not the range of individual artists or demographic changes such as
the generation of baby boomers that created the opportunity for rock n roll to
emerge in the United States, as is often claimed. Rather, it was a consequence of
systematic changes in the structure of mechanisms and assumptions of the
culture industry. ("Why 1955? Explaining the Advent of Rock Music on JSTOR",
2016)
In Britain the changes took longer to emerge than the United States and it did
not end the monotonously consistent nature of the popular music industry. There
were only two major recording companies in Britain at that time, Decca and EMI,
which dominated the music distribution and was tightly controlled by the state
owned BBC.
The sixties gave the Western world a sense of rejuvenating freedom and it had a
lot had to due with pop rock dominating the music scene at the time. Before
1955, the music scene in Brittan had been mostly about preserving classical and
jazz music and the breakthrough of pop that the Beatles heavily influenced
helped paved the soaring optimism that sparked the hippy culture of the late
sixties. However, although there was lots of talk about social change there were
many who pointed the finger and called the social upheaval of the sixties as
nothing more than a fashion parade. John Lennon, in particular was an advocate
for social and economical change and in 1970 talking to Rolling Stone he said
Everyone dressed up but nothing changed To Lennon, the sixties and The
Beatles seemed to have been divorced from reality: middle-class daydreams
funded on unprecedented affluence and fuelled by delusive drugs. Now, insisted
the therapised and detoxified ex-Beatle, the dream was over. ("Why 1955?
Explaining the Advent of Rock Music on JSTOR", 2015)
After separating from the Beatles, adopting a different style fashion and
musically John Lennon aimed to strive for more than happy go lucky lyrics. He
wanted his songs to question social structure and spark an uproar for political
and economical change. Thus, Imagine was created in 1971 which has become
an anthem for world peace across generations.

A Perfect Circle and Kids United

Since the release of Lennons hit, multitudes of covers have been produced,
especially given the new wave of technology which enables just about anyone
with internet access to put themselves out there and contribute to the world of
music making. Two covers in particular however, have been carefully selected for
comparative purposes. A Perfect Circle and Kids United took on the daunting task
of covering such a legendary song. The lyrics were left unaltered by both of the
groups, however each band took a very different approach towards
instrumentation, mood, tonality and more.
Who are kids united 150 words
Formed in 2015, Kids United is a musical group of youths aged from eight to
sixteen from France. The six minors are immeasurably passionate about singing
songs of peace and hope. Profits from the sale of their music go towards the
United Nations Childrens Emergency Fund. Kids United released their debut
album Un monde meilleur, which translates to a better world. Their album cover
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(Appendix D) depicts the artists Carla, Erza, Gloria, Esteban, Gabriel, Gloria and
Nilusi each standing in front of a plain, pastel coloured background. Unlike
Lennons album cover which was quite blurry, the singers are all in high
resolution, when taken into account, this small detail truly highlights the
difference in eras. Its fascinating how the same song, with the same lyrics can
be painted to emote such a differing state of mind from the listener. The
arrangement of Kid Uniteds Imagine wills the listener to envision a safer world
for children in need which differs to the much broader audience which Lennon
aimed for when he targeted breaking down walls for issues such as racism and
religious bigotry.
Who are perfect circle 150 words
A Perfect Circle is a group originating from Los Angeles, California in the United
States of America. They are greatly known for their contribution to the genres
alternative rock, alternative metal and hard rock. The band formed in 1999
before taking a hiatus in 2004 after the release of their third album Emotive. The
album was released on Election Day in the United States, the 2 nd of November,
2004 and features many anti-war songs, one of which was a reworking of
Lennons Imagine.
Key, instrumentation, Presentation, appearance, promo material, album covers
for each

Conclusion
Shit happened.v

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Reference List
https://monoskop.org/images/2/2a/Ono_Yoko_Grapefruit_A_Book_of_Instructions_
and_Drawings_by_Yoko_Ono_S_and_S_edition_excerpt.pdf
Yoko Ono cloud poem
John Lennon Imagined. (2016). Google Books. Retrieved 12 May 2016, from
https://books.google.com.au/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=HESlHkg_pRoC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&ots=u9PRIzhcCv&sig=5Xx52Mb
lxTgHspy6eMVb54vl43Y#v=onepage&q&f=false
Revolution in the Head. (2016). Google Books. Retrieved 13 May 2016, from
https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=7SFeU_cRP4C&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=the+beatles+influence&ots=lW4A1GiuOC
&sig=_TWAsvTP6RS1zCaWRSxfy2lLkhU#v=onepage&q=the%20beatles
%20influence&f=false
Why 1955? Explaining the Advent of Rock Music on JSTOR. (2016). Jstor.org.
Retrieved 13 May 2016, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/852886?
seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

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Appendix
Appendix A
"Imagine" Lyrics
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...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Appendix B
John Lennon Imagine album cover

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Appendix C
A Perfect Circle Emotive Album Cover

Appendix D
Kids United Album Un monde meilleur Cover

Appendix E
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?
&file_num=nlc008388.7590&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=u9874ano8k0c5

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