1971 Hit Ranked Among 'Greatest Rock Songs of All Time' Sparked A Global Controversy

Two years after leaving The Beatles, English rock star John Lennon released one of the most influential—and controversial—songs ever recorded. "Imagine" was a chart-topping single that took the rock world by storm with its sharp, provocative lyrics and simple musicianship.

"Imagine" was the lead single to Lennon's 1971 album of the same name, which was his second full-length outing as a solo artist. His first album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, had been a moderate success with critics but failed to spawn any commercial hits.

"Imagine" peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon release and went to No. 6 on the U.K. Singles Chart—it was pushed up to No. 1 following Lennon's death in 1980. The song marked Lennon's first major commercial hit since leaving the Beatles, but its lyrics rubbed many critics the wrong way.

The song discusses the growing influence of materialism, religion, and authoritarian governments in the modern world, inviting the listener to imagine a society without these things—ultimately concluding "the world will be as one" when this is achieved.

Naturally, religious communities were among the first to take issue with Lennon's call for a secular society—but even atheistic critics began to condemn the song for its attempts at social commentary without offering a clear solution to the world's many problems.

Thankfully, most critics have now come around on the track and begun to see how important and truly ahead of its time the songwriting was. DigitalDreamDoor ranked the song No. 18 on their list of the 600 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time, while it also appears at No. 3 on Rolling Stone's similar list from 2004.

"Imagine" became the best-selling single of Lennon's solo career, selling over 1.7 million copies in the United Kingdom and upwards of 3 million in the United States.

The song has been covered countless times by other mainstream artists, including Lady Gaga, David Bowie, and Elton John. Mental Floss estimates it to be the sixteenth-most covered song of all time. Ironically, two Beatles songs written by Paul McCartney—"Yesterday" and "Eleanor Rigby"—sit at No. 1 and No. 5.