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TL;DR:

  • The Beatles’ producer used a lyric from John Lennon’s “Imagine” to criticize drugs.
  • He asked why people in the music industry were willing to work with drug users.
  • Notably, the producer in question had nothing to do with “Imagine.”
John Lennon wearing blue during his "Imagine" era
John Lennon | Ron Howard/Redferns

The Beatles’ producer wanted people who used drugs to be shunned from the music industry. In addition, he used a lyric from John Lennon‘s “Imagine” to make his point. Notably, “Imagine” became a hit twice in the United Kingdom.

The Beatles’ producer said the industry should shun drug users

The Fab Four will forever be associated with the 1960s drug culture thanks to songs such as “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” Those tunes and many of The Beatles’ other songs were produced by George Martin.

According to a 1998 article from MTV News, Martin took a hardline stance against drugs. “I do hope that people recognize what the problems are and that they will make it very clear that they will not knowingly, wittingly, use people who are known to be drug abusers,” he said.

Martin anticipated a negative reaction to his comments. “I can hear some record-company executives saying, ‘You must be out of your mind. Do you want to ruin our business?'” Martin said. “But they must
ask themselves, is it the future of the youth of this country or their bottom line?”

The Beatles’ producer used a line from John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ to convey his vision of a better world

Then, Martin reappropriated a lyric from “Imagine” to express his views. “I may be a dreamer, but where do we start?” he said. “If I am asked what we can do, can anybody give me a better idea? Because I would like to hear it.” For context, Martin did not produce “Imagine.” Instead, the track was one of John’s many collaborations with Phil Spector and Yoko Ono from his solo career.

Martin proposed a reason why the music industry was willing to work with drug users. “If money is the root of it, if people are saying we will not do this because it is going to damage our revenue, because it is going to hurt our industry, then I would like them to say that publicly,” he added.

How ‘Imagine’ performed on the charts

“Imagine” became a hit in the United States. It reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for nine weeks. The tune appeared on the album Imagine, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a single week. The album lasted a total of 47 weeks on the chart. It spent a longer amount of time on the Billboard 200 than any of the singer’s albums besides Double Fantasy.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Imagine” initially reached No. 1 for four weeks in the United Kingdom and stayed on the chart for 42 weeks. Subsequently, a rerelease of the song accompanied by “Jealous Guy” reached No. 45 and lasted on the chart for five weeks.

Meanwhile, the album Imagine topped the U.K. chart for two of its 101 weeks on the chart. Imagine became John’s most popular solo album in the U.K. by a longshot.

John imagined a world without religion and Martin imagined a world without drugs.

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