Song by Song: "Imagine" Trivia Quiz

Answer: false

"Imagine" was released on John Lennon's second studio album, "Imagine," in 1971. The song was also released as a single with "It's So Hard" on the B-Side in the U.S. and "Working Class Hero" on the B-Side in the U.K.

Answer: Yoko Ono

John Lennon was inspired by "Cloud Piece" and several other poems from "Grapefruit," a 1964 collection by Yoko Ono. She eventually received credit for co-writing the song in 2017. She also helped to co-produce the song, along with Phil Spector and Lennon. Lennon and Ono also released a film featuring footage of themselves to promote the "Imagine" album in 1972.

Answer: A Christian prayer book

In a 1980 interview for Playboy magazine, John Lennon said that American comedian and Civil Rights activist Dick Gregory gave him and Yoko a Christian prayer book that helped inspire this song. Lennon said the "concept of positive prayer" lay behind the composition of what would turn out to be a humanist, rather than religious, song. That prayerbook, combined with Yoko Ono's poetry, sparked Lennon's imagination in writing the song.

Answer: Taxes

"Imagine there's no countries," Lennon sings, "And no religion, too." He also sings, "Imagine no possessions, / I wonder if you can."

Klaus Voormann played bass on "Imagine," while Alan White supplied drums and the Flux Fiddlers supplied strings.

This song was named one of the 100 most-performed songs of the 20th century by BMI, and it earned a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.

Answer: The Communist Manifesto

In the 2007 book, "Lennon and McCartney: Together Alone," John Blaney quotes John Lennon as saying that the song, which asks the listener to imagine there is no private property, religion, or borders "is virtually the Communist Manifesto." However, Lennon went on to note that he is "not particularly a Communist." Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx wrote "The Communist Manifesto" in 1848.

Answer: A piano

In 1971, Lennon composed the piano ballad on a Steinway piano in the key of C major at his home in Berkshire. The original release of the song peaked at number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and at number one on the singles charts in Australia, Canada, and South Africa.

Answer: No anger in the land

"Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too

...Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man."

Anger is nowhere mentioned in the song.

Rolling Stone magazine calls "Imagine" a "serene melody" with "pillowy chord progression," and "22 lines of graceful, plain-spoken faith in the power of a world, united in purpose, to repair and change itself."

In 1999, the Recording Industry Association of America ranked "Imagine" number 30 on its list the "Songs of the Century."

Answer: a dreamer

"You, you may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you will join us
And the world will live as one."

A 1975 re-release of "Imagine" sent the song spiraling up the Irish Singles Chart, where it peaked at number one. The same year, it hit number six on the U.K. Singles (Official Charts Company) chart. "Imagine" once again re-entered the Top 40 charts in the U.K. after begin featured at the 2012 Summer Olympics. At that time, it peaked at number 18.

Answer: Matthew

"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... Aha-ah..."

In October of 1998, Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student, was beaten, tortured, and left to die. At the time, it was debated what role Shepard's sexual orientation had to play in the murder, and attention to the story inspired hate crime legislation and the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Lady Gaga altered Lennon's lyrics during her performance to make it more suitable to the occasion of the equality march.

Answer: world

This is the penultimate verse of the song. "Imagine" has been covered by artists as diverse as Eva Cassidy, Avril Lavigne, Elton John, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Joan Baez, and Madonna. In 2001, Neil Young delivered a moving performance of the song, backed by a strings section, for the "Tribute to Heroes" telethon.