"Imagine" turns 50: Disarming simple, incredibly strong.

The messages from "Imagine" have appeared today on the Berlin Wall and on digital billboards in Times Square in New York and near the historic Nihonbashi bridge in Tokyo. 50 years on, Imagine as a song is as powerful as ever.

When working every day on creating the sound for some of the most inspiring and iconic brands in the world, I have in mind some important lessons from "Imagine", which influence my creative work every day:

• Use an inclusive, accessible musical language to reach the heart of the people
• Use the extraordinary power of your craft and the love for detail to add depth to what you create, without adding unnecessary weight
• Don't be afraid to transport the (brand) message in an unmistakable and confident way

It took just a couple of days in the house at Tittenhurst Park and then with Phil Spector recording the strings, to create this masterpiece. Beyond the incredible number of artists who interpreted one of the most iconic songs ever, such as Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Ray Charles, Madonna, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Diana Ross, Herbie Hancock and Lady Gaga, among others, this is a demonstration about how?a simple composition can transport strong messages and emotions.

Imagine is often used to teach piano students, but it would be a mistake to think it is just a simple, soft rock, piano ballad: It has an incredible depth in the composition and in the production. This perception is due to Lennon’s highly effective crafting. As a peace anthem, the song appears simple, but dig a little deeper, and you find layers of complexity and nuance.

Tension and Release

Why the simple scheme of Imagine works so well with us? Because of its "momentum". In songwriting, momentum is the quality of music that causes us to want to keep listening to a song. It is a pleasant kind of “tension” in the music, where we sense that something needs to be resolved. And when it's resolved, it creates a feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction.

The verse progression is a simple one, moving back and forth between the tonic chord (C) and the IV-chord (F). The quality of musical tension comes from the melody, which?sits mainly on the 5th note of the key, called the dominant note: G. Musical tension is being created by the fact that even though the chord progression continues to return to the tonic chord, the melody avoids moving toward the tonic note almost entirely throughout the verse. The note G is the most important one, at least for the first part of the verse.

For the latter part of the verse, we do get more occurrences of the tonic note in the melody, but?never partnered with the tonic chord.

Simple yet distinctive

Perhaps the most distinctive part of Imagine is the short piano riff between the vocal lines. This riff uses just three notes — A, A# and B — called “chromatic passing notes”. Your ear thinks these notes will go up again, to the C chord. Instead, Lennon brings the listener’s ear down to the G melody note, creating a gentle sense of unpredictability.

The soft mood delivers the message

The mood reinforces the purpose of the song. John Lennon uses a soft melody to capture the hearts of many Americans while delivering them a revolutionary, utopic message. This fantastic way to package the message of the song, is key to understand the genius touch of Lennon: In twenty-two lines of lullaby rhyme, Lennon combined pungent social argument — imagine a world without artificial divisions of faith, politics and greed — with a solace and promise in his voice and piano that could cut through utter gloom.

Lennon finished composing "Imagine" one morning in early 1971, on a Steinway piano, in a bedroom at his Tittenhurst Park estate in Ascot, Berkshire, England. Yoko Ono watched as he composed the melody, chord structure and almost all the lyrics, nearly completing the song in one brief writing session. Incredible, if you think that Imagine would become Lennon’s best-selling single of his solo career. In 2004, Rolling Stone labeled Imagine third on its list of the greatest songs of all time, saying “we need it more than he ever dreamed”.

Michele Arnese, CEO and Creative Director of amp sound branding

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Thanks to these inspiring sources: Gary Ewer in https://www.secretsofsongwriting.com/, https://theconversation.com/john-lennons-imagine-at-50-a-deceptively-simple-ballad-a-lasting-emblem-of-hope-167444, https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/imagine-the-anthem-of-2001-83559/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagine_(John_Lennon_album)