John Lennon, an Unlikely Ally of Socialism

Photo by Dim 7 on Unsplash

The Beatles are the biggest band in history, no doubt about it. Not only that, they are also the most marketable musicians of all time. This article by The Independent puts the Fab Four (no, not the tribute band) at the top of their 50 best-selling music artists of all time, surpassing the likes of Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, and Michael Jackson. Throughout the mere 7 or 8 years they were together, and in the subsequent years after their disbandment, they have successfully sold over 178 copies of their albums, more than the figures achieved by rock music legends such as Elton John and Pink Floyd combined.

With such a huge mark on the music industry, one may be forgiven for thinking that The Beatles — and their members — are supporters of capitalism. Moreover, their looks — especially during the the first half of their career — with their tailored suits and mop-top haircut, seems to invoke the image of preppy, almost posh kids. However, that may not be the case for the four lads from Liverpool (again, not the tribute band).

Good luck convincing people that they were poor
Photo by Hulton Archive on Getty Images

For starters, all four of the band members — John, Paul, George, Ringo — were born in working-class families. While John might have spent a large chunk of his childhood and adolescent years in a more middle-class upbringing thanks to his Aunt Mimi, he was still a working-class kid in nature. The Beatles were certainly anything but posh.

Politically, The Beatles were certainly not as active as Bob Dylan. Although mostly known for their love songs rather than their political views, the band were certainly not shy of including political ‘easter eggs’ in their works. The album cover for the critically-acclaimed Sgt. Pepper’s Lone Hearts Club Band featured the face of one particular Karl Marx, the proponent of communism, and perhaps a prophet of sorts for edgy college students around the world. However, he was only one of the many faces of famous historical figures that graced the iconic cover.

Must be a busy day for the photographer

One song may cross one’s mind when talking about The Beatles and socialism. We are talking, of course, of the iconic Back in the U.S.S.R., which was the first track in their ninth studio album, the self-titled The Beatles, also known as the White Album. However, with lyrics such as “Moscow girls make me sing and shout”, it’s hard to think of the song as a philosophical take on the ideology rather than a tongue-in-cheek parody.

“Georgia’s always on my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my mind”

One Beatle, however, might have been an ally of the cause. The Beatle in question was none other than the legendary John Lennon. With a preppier upbringing than the rest of his bandmates, it may be hard to see him as a leftist at first glance. However, with a discography consisting of songs such as Give Peace a Chance and Working Class Hero, his left-leaning political ideology may become clearer for others to see. His opposition to Vietnam War, which led to bad blood with former President Nixon, may be another evidence to John’s leftist ideology.

One song that comes to one’s mind when talking about John Lennon is, without a doubt, Imagine. The song, which was released in 1971, is certainly his most popular song post-Beatles era. At first glance, the song may be seen as apolitical and sometimes, with messages that encourages the listener to imagine a world with “no heaven” and “no religion too”, anti-religion. However, if we take a deeper look at the second part of the song, the socialist connotation becomes clear as day. Take a look at these lyrics:

“Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world”

Isn’t the whole point of socialism a struggle to abolish individual possessions? Isn’t the whole point of socialism a struggle for the people to share their resources with one another? When we look at the song that way, we can safely say that John was, in some way, a socialist.

The fact that the song unites and is sung by so many people, regardless of their political belief, is a testament of John’s songwriting genius. A number of musicians have covered the timeless piece in various occasions all around the world. And, with the song being played at the closing ceremony of an Olympic Games, perhaps one of the most world-unifying events in the world, it’s safe to say that the song has transcended the barrier of political ideologies.

Socialism may not be very popular in most parts of the world. But as Imagine is played by people across the globe, we can at least be certain that its ideas will be subconsciously ingrained in the minds of everyone who listens to it regardless of their political ideology. And that, I think, is a win for socialism, albeit a little.

“…and while Lennon read a book on Marx”
-Don McLean in “American Pie”, 1971.