To many growing up in the ‘60s, the Beatles’ revelationary music
grew into revolutionary passion as the decade progressed.
Although John Lennon became an icon of peace and love, glorified
in popular culture through events like the “bed in” for peace as
much as his martyrdom by senseless violence, his place in the
music scene was more revolutionary and incendiary than Middle
American. The “more popular than Jesus Christ” comment is only
one pop culture example of the way that John Lennon could
attract global public attention with his message. Yet this
message often made even his ardent followers a bit
uncomfortable, not only by the way in which the message was
delivered, but because it would require them to actively change
their lives—and the direction of global politics. Many people
revere their idealized version of John Lennon, but few today
seem inclined to take his political message to heart. The same
is true of Lennon’s iconic song, “Imagine”. In the decades since
his death, “Imagine” ironically has becom