John Lennon may well be one of the most prolific songwriters of all time. What’s so exciting about his music is the journey you’re on when you listen to songs at the start of his career and compare them to those he wrote later. You don’t just hear growth, but you can hear his freedom of expression growing as he is given permission to change the way he writes, depending on who he is working with.
When he first started working with The Beatles, he and Paul McCartney started out writing the kind of pop music that was popular at the time. This was evident in the songs that helped them skyrocket to fame in the United States, such as ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’. That’s not to say the song is simple or predictable in any way, but it certainly isn’t one of the band’s most groundbreaking.
When he became more exposed to people like Bob Dylan, he wrote the songs we hear on Rubber Soul, as Lennon used his platform in a bid to tell the listener more about himself through his music. This became an issue within The Beatles, as he felt like he couldn’t wholly tap into the truth of his music, where the band were pressured to write more songs which fit the iconic Lennon-McCartney sound. Eventually, they split up.
When that happened, while it was a devastating time for a lot of Beatles fans, it also ushered in a new era of Lennon, one where he could write completely unfiltered and tell the story of his life through tracks such as ‘Mother’, ‘Working Class Hero’ and ‘Imagine’. Some of these songs divided fans, as they were either too political or revealing. Lennon was at a point in his career where this kind of criticism didn’t deter him, as he liked making music that was an honest reflection of himself.
Because of the amount of versatility on display throughout his career, it won’t surprise people that many different artists have performed covers of his songs. Regardless of the kind of music an artist makes, there is always room for them to cover a John Lennon song at some point, as his music covers so many different emotions. There are some excellent John Lennon covers out there, but without a doubt, one of the most beautiful is Neil Young’s rendition of ‘Imagine’.
The first thing that stands out about this performance is how excellent it sounds. Neil Young performs on a piano, his iconic and unique-sounding vocals dancing over Lennon’s lyrics as if they were written for him. He does justice to the original song, but also gives it his own spin: the markers of a good cover. On top of Young’s excellent performance, a string section in the background adds another layer to the track. It truly is a stunning listen that stands out when compared to all the other John Lennon covers out there.
The context of this song adds another layer of beauty to it. Granted, this beauty comes with sadness, but the way in which Neil Young handles both these aspects of the performance is truly spellbinding. He performed the track during the televised event America: A Tribute To Heroes. This was a telethon that was held shortly after the attacks on September 11th, 2001. The money raised therein was donated to victims’ families in a bid to support them through such a troublesome period.
The pain and vulnerability with which Neil Young sings create an atmosphere that many people needed to be exposed to at the time. On the one hand, it mourns the victims of that tragedy, but it also inspires hope—hope that things will be okay in the long run, and that no matter how bleak the situation, good will prevail. This is a lot more than just a cover, and therefore, it’s the most beautiful rendition of a John Lennon song ever.