Sunday, January 1, 2012

Imagine ALL the People

    Happy 2012 all! For those of you who saw the ball drop last night, do you remember Cee Lo Green singing "Imagine" by John Lennon? Not too bad a rendition if I do say so. I was admittedly apprehensive when I saw who was singing, but the soulful version Mr. Green brought to New York wasn't bad. He did catch some flack for changing the lyrics, saying "all religion true" instead of Lennon's original "no religion too" but these are the times when we must seek mass appeal (but that's another blog entry). What pissed me off about the ceremony was the attire of Cee Lo in context.
    If you were paying attention, you would have seen the singer in a black fur coat decked out in gold accessories. Which is fine for a artist trying to appeal to urban listeners, but "Imagine" is what he's there to sing! Does he have any idea what the song is about? It really struck me when he sang the line "imagine no possessions/I wonder if you can." ...Well I know someone who can't imagine 'no possessions.' Any meaningfulness that might've been brought to the song was obliterated by the blatant opulence.
    In all honesty, I don't begrudge Cee Lo Green for having money or nice things. Just recognize and respect the message of the song you're singing for Christ's sake. The outfit would've been fine if the song was his classic "Fuck You," but not for an idyllic utopian song about how humanity as a whole could come together and share the world as equals. All I'm saying is that some people are dreamers, and some people are paid to pretend to be dreamers; I don't think Lennon would've counted Cee Lo Green among dreamers with which to join. Certainly not based on the evidence presented.

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