{{Infobox Single |
| Name           = Imagine
| Cover          = JohnlennonImagine.jpg
| Artist         = John Lennon 
| from Album     = Imagine
| B-side         = It's So Hard [US]<br/>Working Class Hero [UK]
| Released       =  11 October 1971 <br>  24 October 1971
| Format         = 7" vinyl
| Recorded       = 1971
| Genre          = Soft rock
| Length         = 3:01
| Label          = Parlophone
| Writer         = John Lennon
| Producer       = Phil Spector, John Lennon Adam McCabe and Yoko Ono
| Certification  = 
| Chart position = * #6 <small> (UK Oct. 1975);</small>#1 <small>(UK Dec. 1980)</small>
* #3 <small>(U.S. Oct. 1971)</small>
* #1 <small> (Australia), (Ireland)
* #19 <small> (Sweden)
| Last single    = "Power to the People"<br>(1971)
| This single    = "Imagine"/"It's So Hard"<br>('''USA''', 1971)
| Next single    = "Happy Xmas (War is Over)"/"Listen, the Snow is Falling"<br>(1971)
| Misc ={{Extra chronology 2
  | Artist      = 
  | Type        = single
  | Last single = "Stand by Me"<br/>(1975)
  | This single = "Imagine"/"Working Class Hero"<br/>('''UK''', 1975)
  | Next single = "(Just Like) Starting Over"<br/>(1980)
  }}}}"'''Imagine'''" is a song by 1971 album, ''Imagine''. 
The song was produced by Billboard charts, and number six in the United Kingdom.

In 2004, ''third greatest song of all time.<ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time], Rolling Stone. Retrieved on U.S. president 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."<ref>[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6439233 Carter helps monitor Nicaragua presidential election], Debbie Elliott. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.</ref> 

In the book ''Lennon in America'', written by anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic song, but because it's sugar-coated, it's accepted."<ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/johnlennon/articles/story/8898300/lennon_lives_forever  Lennon Lives Forever: John Lennon], Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2006-12-02.</ref>
Lennon also described it as "virtually  the Communist Manifesto".<ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595848/imagine Rolling Stone]</ref>

The lyrics were thought to be inspired by Lennon's hopes for a more peaceful world, though their origins are not known for certain. In 1963 Lennon penned the lyrics to "The Guardian'', primordial versions of the song's refrain can be found in her 1965 book ''Grapefruit'', where she penned lines such as, "imagine a raindrop" and "imagine the clouds dripping."<ref>[http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1505281,00.html Age becomes her], The Guardian. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.</ref>
==Composition and lyrical intent==
The following is a quote by John Lennon on the message of "Imagine", interviewed by David Sheff for Playboy magazine in 1980:

: '''Sheff:''' On a new album, you close with "Hard Times Are Over (For a While)". Why? <br> '''Lennon:''' It's not a new message: "Give Peace a Chance" — we're not being unreasonable, just saying, "Give it a chance." With "Imagine," we're saying, "Can you imagine a world without countries or religions?" It's the same message over and over. And it's positive.<ref>[http://members.tripod.com/~taz4158/playboy.html Playboy Interview: John Lennon and Yoko Ono], David Sheff. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.</ref>

Yoko Ono said that the lyrical content of "Imagine" was "just what John believed — that we are all one country, one world, one people. He wanted to get that idea out."<ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595848/imagine Imagine], Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.</ref>

==Nutopia The Country of Peace==
Nutopia is a  conceptual country created by John Lennon and Yoko Ono on April 1st 1973. This nation was supposed to live up to the standards set by the song "Imagine". 

In the official declaration of Nutopia, it is stated that it
:"has no land, no boundaries, no passports, only people. Nutopia has no laws other than cosmic. All people of Nutopia are ambassadors of the country. Citizenship of the country can be obtained by declaration of your awareness of Nutopia."
 
The War'',
an example of this can be seen on the video version of U2's live album ''Sunday Bloody Sunday", which, interestingly, shares the same title as a song from Lennon's album ''Some Time in New York City''.  

The seal of Nutopia is a picture of the marine animal of the same name, a seal.  The "Nutopian International Anthem" was included on John Lennon's album ''Mind Games'', and consisted of a few seconds of silence.

A plaque engraved with the words "NUTOPIAN EMBASSY" was duly installed at their home at green card"  through her previous husband, Tony Cox. Lennon had been denied permanent residence status.) 

In 2006 a Nutopia website<ref>[http://www.joinnutopia.com Nutopia website]</ref> was created by Lions Gate Entertainment,<ref>[http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp Perform a search for ''www.jointutopia.com'' here]</ref> the producers of the documentary ''The U.S. Versus John Lennon''.

== Criticism ==
Despite its popularity, "Imagine" has received critiques over the years, some of which have perceived the lyrics in a negative light, typically in response to how ironic or even hypocritical it is that such a rich man as Lennon would write "Imagine." 

Journalist and broadcaster Robert Elms said "Imagine" was written by a "multi-millionaire with one temperature-controlled room in his Manhattan mansion just to store his fur coats."<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/10/12/robert_elms_beatles_feature.shtml The not-so Fab Four?], Robert Elms. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.</ref> Elvis Costello also commented satirically on the song in "The Other Side of Summer", wherein he asks the question, "Was it a millionaire who said 'Imagine no possessions'?"

Lennon, during an interview with Playboy magazine, was criticized on a similar note for his wealth, and defended himself by pointing out how difficult it is to leave a materialist world behind once you are caught up in it, comparing this to leaving the Beatles:

: '''PLAYBOY:''' "Why does anyone need $150,000,000? Couldn't you be perfectly content with $100,000,000? Or $1,000,000?"
: '''LENNON: '''"What would you suggest I do? Give everything away and walk the streets? The Buddhist says, 'Get rid of the possessions of the mind.' Walking away from all the money would not accomplish that. It's like the Beatles. I couldn't walk away from the Beatles. That's one possession that's still tagging along, right? If I walk away from one house or 400 houses, I'm not gonna escape it."<ref>[http://www.geocities.com/~beatleboy1/dbjypb.int2.html Playboy Interview: John Lennon and Yoko Ono], David Sheff. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.</ref>

Some have been critical of the song's anti-religion stance, and some artists have even changed the line "and no religion too" into "and one religion too" in their cover versions (the change itself has faced criticism from people who agree with the anti-religious message or who think Lennon's vision should be respected).

{{Infobox Musique (œuvre)
 | charte             = single
 | titre              = Imagine
 | artiste            = John Lennon
 | album              = ''Imagine''
 | face B             =  ''It's So Hard'' <br />  ''Working Class Hero'' 
 | sorti              =   <br />   
 | enregistré         = 1971
 | format             = 45 tours
 | label              = Apple
 | genre              = Pop
 | durée              = 3:01
 | auteur             = 
 | compositeur        = John Lennon
 | producteur         = 
 | classement         = 
 | single précédent   = ''Stand by Me''
 | single suivant     = ''(Just Like) Starting Over''
 | chanson précédente = 
 | chanson suivante   = ''Crippled Inside''
}}

'''''Imagine''''' est une chanson « utopique » de Imagine''. Bien que créditée seulement de Lennon, la contribution de son épouse Yoko Ono à la chanson a été largement reconnue. Produite par Phil Spector, la chanson est réapparue comme numéro un des ventes au Royaume-Uni en janvier 1981, John Lennon étant décédé en décembre 1980.

''Imagine'' est considérée comme une des meilleures chansons pop jamais créées, le magazine ''troisième plus grande chanson de tous les temps<ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time], ''Rolling Stone''.</ref>.

== Composition ==

thumb|Le [[Strawberry Fields (mémorial)|mémorial Strawberry Fields, à New York.]]
Les paroles ont été inspirées à Lennon par l'espoir d'un monde en paix, dont il dira lui-même : « Ce n'est pas un nouveau message : avec ''Give Peace a Chance'', nous ne sommes pas déraisonnables, nous disons juste « donnez une chance à la paix ». Avec ''Imagine'', nous disons « Pouvez-vous imaginer un monde sans pays ou religions ? » C'est le même message, encore et encore. Et c'est positif. »<ref>[http://members.tripod.com/~taz4158/playboy.html Playboy Interview: John Lennon and Yoko Ono], par David Sheff.</ref>

Yoko Ono a expliqué que les paroles d' ''Imagine'' étaient « juste ce que John croyait - que nous étions tous un pays, un monde, un peuple. Il voulait faire ressortir cette idée<ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595848/imagine Imagine], ''Rolling Stone''.</ref> ».

Lennon commenta aussi que la chanson était « anti-religieuse, anti-nationaliste, anti-anticapitaliste, mais qu'elle était acceptée parce qu'elle était enrobée de sucre » <ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/johnlennon/articles/story/8898300/lennon_lives_forever  Lennon Lives Forever: John Lennon], ''Rolling Stone''.</ref>
Lennon la décrit également comme « virtuellement le ''Manifeste du Parti communiste'' »<ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595848/imagine ''Rolling Stone'']</ref>