Imagine cover art

Imagine

The Story of a Song

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Imagine

By: Charles J. Shields
Narrated by: Brian Troxell
Try Premium Plus free

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $4.99

Buy Now for $4.99

About this listen

From the acclaimed literary biographer of Kurt Vonnegut and Harper Lee comes the life story of a song, one of the most iconic ever written: John Lennon's "Imagine".

"Twenty-two lines of graceful, plain-spoken faith in the power of a world to repair and change itself," said Rolling Stone. Only 183 seconds long, the simple melody and poetry captured the wounded hopefulness of its moment - and transcended its time to inspire generations that followed.

Charles J. Shields traces the song's origins - from the fire-bombing of Tokyo during Yoko Ono's youth to the violent death of Lennon's mother during his adolescence, from Lennon's post-Ed Sullivan skepticism to John and Yoko's Bed-Ins of 1969 - and unearths the secrets of its lasting import. If music can change the world, "Imagine" came as close as any song might. This is its story.

©2014 Charles J. Shields (P)2014 Audible Inc. Music Celebrity
All stars
Most relevant
I loved this audiobook for its short and sweet story about a beautiful song and one of my favourites, Imagine.

Short and Sweet

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.