Номер 3, страница 20 - гдз по английскому языку 11 класс учебник часть 1 Демченко, Бушуева

3. Read the text and say what made John Lennon compose the song? Report to the class.

Half a century of Imagine:

Interesting facts about John Lennon's peace anthem

After Anuka Roy

Over the years, Imagine has been recognised by many as an outstanding song for peace. Since 2005, it has also been played just before the New Year's Times Square Ball drops in New York City. We look back on how it was made and the legacy it created.

Ever since the song released in 1971, it has been a fixture in shows that were hosted to commemorate a tragedy or in performances where the central idea was to promote peace. Its simple lyrics, "You may say I'm a dreamer / But I'm not the only one / I hope someday you'll join us / And the world will live as one", make for a moving.

Lennon and the song have a huge fan following throughout the world. Even today, the composition tops many music charts and music streaming services. The winner of a Grammy Hall of Fame award was also included in the list of 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As this important song completed 50 years in 2021, here are some interesting facts about what went into making it.

The inspiration

The song was composed in 1971. The inspiration behind this song came from several poems from Lennon's wife Yoko Ono's 1964 book Grapefruit. Reportedly, during a BBC interview Lennon had said, "Actually that should be credited as a Lennon-Ono song because a lot of it – the lyric and the concept – came from Yoko. But those days I was a bit more selfish, a bit more macho, and I sort of omitted to mention her contribution. But it was right out of Grapefruit, her book." Finally, in 2017, the National Music Publishers' Association announced that Yoko Ono would be given credit as a songwriter for Imagine.

Lennon was also inspired by a Christian prayer book which was given to him by comedian and activist Dick Gregory.

Writing and recording the song

The song was composed on a Steinway piano, at his Tittenhurst Park home in Ascot. Ono was present when Lennon, reportedly in one short writing session, composed the melody, chords, and most of the lyrics, and nearly completed the whole song. Lennon and Ono co-produced the song with Phil Spector. In a later interview with Rolling Stone, Spector remembered the time Lennon played the piano lick for the first time, and said: "There was no question that this was going to be a statement and it was going to be very commercial." Ono, in the same interview, had commented, "It's not like he thought, 'Oh, this can be an anthem.' It was just what John believed – that we are all one country, one world, one people. He wanted to get that idea out."

Fun fact: Singer George Michael paid around £1.67m for the Steinway piano on which this historic song was composed. He purchased the piano so that it won't go out of the country and as a report in Independent mentions, he had said that it eventually go back to "the museum in Liverpool where I think it rightly belongs."

The legacy

After its release, Imagine was among the top songs in almost every music chart across the globe. Lennon's last live performance was in 1975. After Lennon's murder in 1980, the single again entered the top slot in most music charts and stayed there for weeks. Until today, it remains one of Lennon's best-selling singles as a solo artist.

Since 2005, the song is played just before the New Year's Times Square Ball drops in New York City. Until 2009–2010, the original recording was played; since 2010–2011, the song has been performed by the headlining artist. This song is routinely covered by famous artists – the list includes Elton John, David Bowie, and Dolly Parton.

In 2018, Ono released her own version of the song. It was unveiled on the late musician's 78^th birthday, and was part of Ono's album Warzone.

3. Прочитайте текст и скажите, что побудило Джона Леннона написать эту песню? Расскажите классу.

Ответ: The inspiration for the song came from several poems from his wife Yoko Ono's 1964 book Grapefruit. Lennon was also inspired by a Christian prayer book given to him by comedian and activist Dick Gregory.

Перевод: Вдохновением для песни послужили несколько стихотворений из книги его жены Йоко Оно «Грейпфрут» 1964 года. Леннона также вдохновил христианский молитвенник, подаренный ему комиком и активистом Диком Грегори.