Social Commentary Paper On “Imagine” And “Let It Be”

Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Title/Section Submission Date Social Commentary Paper on “Imagine” and “Let it Be” I. Introduction Alas, the perpetual battle between utilitarianism and ideologues pervades every bit of contemporary society. Should humankind fight vigorously for an unattainable utopia or should they let go and find a happy ‘complacency’ in our grim world? Maybe these are outdated, oversimplified tracks of thought; however, the question still stands: Can a perfect world be achieved? Or do we, as humans, make a happy collective sigh and say ‘oh well.’ McCartney and Lennon were discussing these polemics in Imagine and Let it Be. The dichotomy of their reasoning is not only suggestive of their personal turmoil but their ideological differences as well. II. Issue Discussion The two songs, “Imagine” and “Let it Be” were composed just a year apart, throughout and after the chaotic split-up of the Beatles which was preceded by the disputed Let it Be/Get Back Sessions (Fricke 58). Imagine, composed in 1971 on Lennon’s first solo album and Let it Be, composed during these sessions in 1970 could easily be construed as a discourse between the two on their diametrically contrasting worldviews (Roberts 292). McCartney’s “Let it Be” is a song that urges its listeners to forget and let it go. In life, many individuals find themselves stressed, worried, and eventually overwhelmed by life’s many occurrences. In a sense, Let it Be asserts that people should live without thinking, or rather, over thinking, and let things fall into place as they have been predestined by a higher power (Blaney 50-51). The conventional wisdom is that McCartney composed this song for his late mother but in reference to song facts, an image of his mother talking to him was the inspiration behind the song. At the time Let it Be was being composed, McCartney was a worried and anxious man due to the division within the band. The dream itself was impressive. His late mother appearing to him and telling him not to worry about everything was very supernatural (Levy 87). It brought him the peace he much needed and composing the song further encouraged listeners to lead lives free of anxiety and worry. In Lennon’s “Imagine,” the song screams peace. Imagine openly asserts that Lennon desires peace between earth’s inhabitants and the song was an effective way of delivering this message globally (Harry 382). Once more, in reference to song facts, the song was intended to portray the message of peace. Imagine contains a political message which is sugarcoated with melodious tunes. Lennon chose this softer approach to appeal to a wider audience hoping they would listen to the message (Tim 288). The music video for this song successfully portrays this message. In the video, Yoko Ono dressed as an Indian and Lennon dressed as a cowboy. This wardrobe strategically says that everyone, alike or different, needs to come together, disregarding the past and all the differences, and become one. III. Comparison of Songs Imagine is a discourse of optimism for an illusory, quixotic world, free of famine, religious strife, and war. Imagine is ardently anti-capitalist, anti-religious, and anti-nationalistic. It is easily depicted as a sequel to Plato’s Republic in which the beauties of society prevail, and there are perfect spiritual, political, and social orders. Nonetheless, this song does not advocate a ‘solution’ or an ‘answer,’ it merely abets the listener to ‘imagine’ these things. Let it Be has a deep cultural impact but delivered in a different way. Many Catholics highly regard the song because they misinterpret the intro lyrics, “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me.” The reference does not stand as an ode to Christ’s mother; rather, it stands as an ode to McCartney’s mother, who succumbed to cancer when he was fourteen years old. Pressure over division among the Beatles during album sessions, McCartney had a dream in which his mother visited and informed him “It will be alright, just let it be.” Nevertheless, the theistic elements of the song cannot be denied. Let it Be visualizes a flawed universe where little control is exercised other than to find resignation and acceptance. Listeners are told “there will be an answer” but are not told where the answer will derive from. Simply wait. It will fall from above. Strangely enough, the word ‘Amen’ translated into English is ‘let it be.’ McCartney laments that, “When all the broken hearted people living in the world agree, there will be an answer.” Could this possibly mean that the ‘answer’ lies upon the consensus of all ‘broken-hearted individuals?’ This, however, leaves the listener with more questions than answers. Let it Be further does a clandestine job of exhibiting the spirit of The Serenity Prayer whereby one is urged to petition the Lord to “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Nonetheless, Let it Be heavily relies not only on Judeo Christian but Buddhist tendencies also. Let it Be embraces detachment just as many Hindu and Buddhist doctrines recommend release from worldly expectations and desires, a viewpoint that can be interpreted as apathetic. Although both songs have many similarities, they still have their differences. They both have strong meanings but the meanings are different to each songwriter. Lennon’s “Imagine” sends out a concise message that each person stands up and possibly do something about a universal issue that has been in occurrence since time began and sadly has not been mitigated. McCartney’s “Let it Be” sends out a different concise message. He encourages his listeners to let go of things and not dwell o...