In 1971, John Lennon released what would become one of the defining songs of his solo career. Fifty-five years later, "Imagine" has not only endured, it has been ranked the greatest song of all time.

"Imagine" was released as a single in the United States on Oct. 11, 1971, following the September release of Lennon's album of the same name.

More than five decades later, author Carolyn McHugh put the song at No. 1 in her book "The 100 Greatest Songs of All Time: Create Your Ultimate Playlist," released in December 2025.  McHugh's book ranks 100 songs spanning pop, rock, soul, folk and funk, with "Imagine" beating out every other track for the top spot. In fact, Lennon narrowly beat his former bandmates: The Beatles' "Yesterday" landed at No. 2.  The Beatles also placed "I Want to Hold Your Hand" at No. 7 and "Hey Jude" at No. 39.

McHugh describes "Imagine" as one of Lennon's most enduring works, praising its "powerful message of hope, peace and unity," as well as its "simple, yet profound lyrics" and "hauntingly beautiful melody."

The song's origins stretch back to Lennon's years with The Beatles. According to HISTORY, Lennon began writing "Imagine" while he was still a member of the band, although he didn't record it until after their breakup.

Yoko Ono had a significant influence on the song. Lennon later said its lyrics and concept came from Ono's 1964 book "Grapefruit." In 2017, Ono was officially added as a co-writer of "Imagine."

Lennon recorded the song at Tittenhurst Park, the English country estate he shared with Ono, with Phil Spector producing alongside Ono.

Despite becoming one of the most recognizable songs of Lennon's career, "Imagine" never reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It peaked at No. 3 in the United States, while its original U.K. release reached No. 6. Following Lennon's murder in December 1980, the song returned to the British charts and spent four weeks at No. 1.  Its legacy ultimately grew far beyond its original chart performance.

"Imagine" has been used at major events around the world, including the 2012 London Olympics and 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. It has also become part of New York City's New Year's Eve tradition, performed shortly before midnight in Times Square.

Source: yahoo.com/Andrea Reiher

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The Beatles made their first single three separate times in 1962, and on each of those three days a different man was sitting behind the drums. This is not a fan theory anyone had to reconstruct: the liner notes on the band's own Anthology state it flatly that "The Beatles recorded Love Me Do three times in 1962 – on 6 June, and 4 and 11 September 1962 – on each occasion with a different drummer."
The Lost Pete Best Session

The first attempt came on Wednesday, June 6, 1962, in Studio Two at EMI's studios on Abbey Road, with Pete Best on the kit. George Martin, the Parlophone A&R man who had agreed to meet the group on the reasoning that he had nothing to lose, got four songs onto tape that night: "Besame Mucho," "Love Me Do," "P.S. I Love You" and "Ask Me Why."

None of the four was released, and only two of them survived in EMI's vaults at all, which meant that the "Love Me Do" recorded that evening—slower than the one you know, with John Lennon's harmonica opening it—sat unheard by anybody outside the building for the next three decades.

Ten weeks later, Best was gone. On the morning of August 16, road manager Neil Aspinall drove him into Liverpool and dropped him in Whitechapel, and at 10 o'clock Brian Epstein delivered the news in his office above the NEMS record shop: "The boys want you out and Ringo in." When Best asked why, Epstein gave him two reasons, and they were the same reason twice. "They don't think you're a good enough drummer, Pete," he said. "And George Martin doesn't think you're a good enough drummer."
Ringo Starr vs. Andy White

Ringo Starr's first session with the band came on September 4, by which point the contract was signed—"By this time we did have a contract," Paul McCartney said later—and the group put down around fifteen takes of the backing track. Martin made one call in the room that outlasted the day: Lennon could not sing the words "love me do" with a harmonica in his mouth, so the line went to McCartney, and his nervousness at being handed it is audible on the finished record.

Source: mentalfloss.com/Matt Hoffman

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Hundreds of Beatles and John Lennon fans and dozens of musicians today came together to celebrate Lennon’s birthday in Strawberry Fields, singing, dancing, leaving flowers and otherwise paying tribute to the man and the music that continues to echo daily here.

Although Strawberry Fields is already a Guinness Book of World Records music marathon, musicians from New York and around the globe gathered for a kind of all-day John Lennon jam session.

Lennon was born on October 9, 1940, and died on December 8, 1980, just blocks away, with singers programmed now daily in Strawberry Fields, although today performers were welcomed to join in the jam.

“Today, there’s nobody booked on the list,” said David Muniz, the keeper of the list who programs performers daily. “Anybody can come here and play today. We have bands that show up regularly on the anniversary.”

A big band, mostly people joining for the day, played Beatles songs, beneath lights set up for the night, with a brown paper bag not collecting money, but filled with guitar picks for musicians and memories, on the mosaic.

The Core Seven, key musicians in the day-long marathon, including many from Queens, took positions at the front, bouncing from one Beatles song to another, as listeners packed the park.

“Anyone with a guitar can show up,” Jamie Rivera, one of the Core Seven, said after singing “Eight Days a Week” with lines like “Eight days a week is not enough to show I care.”

Source: amny.com

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Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell celebrated 15 years of marriage on Oct. 9. “Happy Nanniversary to all of us!” the Beatles musician wrote in a post on Instagram.The couple married in a small London ceremony in 2011 after meeting in the Hamptons in 2007

Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell are celebrating 15 years as husband and wife.

The Beatles legend, 84, paid tribute to his wife, 66, in a heartfelt post on Instagram, sharing a photo of them out for a boat ride to commemorate the occasion. This marks 15 years of marriage for the couple, who wed in 2011.

In the photo, McCartney donned a blue-and-white striped button-up beneath a black zip-up hoodie and blue slacks, while Shevell opted for a yellow floral blouse, a matching silky shawl and cream-colored pants for the breezy outing.

Last year, for their 14th anniversary, McCartney once again kept his affectionate message short and sweet: “Happy Anniversary to my lovely missus, Nancy - Paul,” he wrote in a post on Instagram.

McCartney and Shevell first met in the summer of 2007 while staying at their respective properties in the Hamptons, PEOPLE previously reported. At the time, a source told PEOPLE the couple was “clearly well-suited, well-matched,” as they both enjoyed quieter social lives.

Months later, the pair were spotted kissing on a walk along the beach in the Hamptons in November, and the following year, McCartney and Shevell took a series of trips together, including to a private island in the Caribbean, on a road trip down Route 66, to a Beatles show in Tel Aviv and to Paris for a fashion show.

By May 2011, McCartney had proposed to Shevell, who showed off the ring at the Met Gala that year, and that October they tied the knot in a simple town hall ceremony in Old Marylebone. Following the union, the couple headed to McCartney’s home for an intimate celebration with loved ones, and included a toast to McCartney’s Beatles bandmate John Lennon on what would have been his 71st birthday.

Source: people.com/Rachel Raposas

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Fans of music legend John Lennon are marking what would have been his 86th birthday today, October 9. The Beatles songwriter was murdered on December 8, 1980, when he was shot outside his Manhattan residence by Mark David Chapman. He was rushed to hospital in the back of a police vehicle, but was pronounced dead upon arrival. He was 40 years old.

The Liverpool music legend was departing his home with his wife Yoko Ono when Chapman, who was later jailed for life and remains behind bars to this day, seized the moment to shoot him, later citing John's controversial remark about the Beatles being 'more popular than Jesus' as his primary motivation.

The killing sent shockwaves across the globe, particularly affecting his former Beatles bandmates, who have subsequently spoken candidly about losing their friend. During a 1981 interview with Barbara Walters, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr recalled the devastating moment he learned John had been shot while talking on the telephone with his wife Barbara Bach's daughter Francesca Gregorini while they were in Barbados, reports the Express.

"And so, that drove me crazy," Ringo said, before explaining his initial assumption was that he'd been shot in the leg or the arm. "And then, they came back and they said, he's uh, he's dead."

Source: express.co.uk/Alice Sjoberg, Ian Craig

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Fans of music legend John Lennon are marking what would have been his 86th birthday today, October 9. The Beatles songwriter was murdered on December 8, 1980, when he was shot outside his Manhattan residence by Mark David Chapman. He was rushed to hospital in the back of a police vehicle, but was pronounced dead upon arrival. He was 40 years old.

The Liverpool music legend was departing his home with his wife Yoko Ono when Chapman, who was later jailed for life and remains behind bars to this day, seized the moment to shoot him, later citing John's controversial remark about the Beatles being 'more popular than Jesus' as his primary motivation.

The killing sent shockwaves across the globe, particularly affecting his former Beatles bandmates, who have subsequently spoken candidly about losing their friend. During a 1981 interview with Barbara Walters, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr recalled the devastating moment he learned John had been shot while talking on the telephone with his wife Barbara Bach's daughter Francesca Gregorini while they were in Barbados, reports the Express.

"And so, that drove me crazy," Ringo said, before explaining his initial assumption was that he'd been shot in the leg or the arm. "And then, they came back and they said, he's uh, he's dead."

Source: express.co.uk/Alice Sjoberg, Ian Craig

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