Ugh. Three friends, knowing my opinion of John Lennon’s most fatuous, annoying, stupid song (and he had others), called to tell me that Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood were singing “Imagine” at our 39th President’s funeral. My friends apparently like making my head explode.
The song has no business being played or sung anywhere except at a “Bad Pop Music” festival, and thinking that it is profound is, I am quite certain, signature significance for an idiot. Lennon once admitted in an interview that even he wasn’t sure what the song was saying. However, featuring this nihilistic, anarchist tripe at any President’s funeral (“Imagine there’s no countries”—it’s there ARE no countries, you illiterate dolt!) but especially one so overtly religious (“and no religion, too”) as Jimmy Carter is offensive.
I wonder if whoever was responsible actually read the lyrics. It’s also a dim-witted communist/world government screed: Imagine no possessions, nobody goes hungry, the world as one, all the people sharing in the world. Just bite me, John. Why didn’t you and Yoko just give all of your millions to the citizens of Chad or Haiti? I know why: you didn’t believe what you wrote for a second. John was, however, quite certain that were enough ignorant saps out there who would think his drivel was inspiring. There still are.
I suppose the plus side of today’s latest genuflection to this moronic anthem to imaginary idealism is that it’s the perfect musical accompaniment to the nation’s dawning realization that so much of progressivism is based on lies, posturing, fantasy and delusions. Maybe “Imagine” should be officially named the anthem of The Great Stupid. I can’t think of a better one.
Ethics Alarms 
Not much to say on this.
The only news I heard coming out of it was Michelle Obama’s absence:
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/where-is-michelle-obama-and-why-was-she-not-at-jimmy-carters-funeral/3641826/
I don’t know if that is a big deal or not.
-Jut
As a musician who has made decent money singing at funerals, I can assure you that “Imagine” is not the worst that will be sung at a funeral, even that of a former president. I do not want to think about what we’ll here at Biden’s or Trump’s.
I have sung at funerals that were not Catholic, but the VAST majority of my experience has been singing at Catholic funerals. I am Catholic, and that’s what I understand the best. Now I am not poking fun at any religions here, but when it comes to the traditional, the rigid, as well as the smells and bells, there are few religions as strict as the Catholic one for what can and cannot be played at a funeral. Even with all our rules about what is allowed, priests sometimes slip in judgement, especially when the funeral docket is full and the priest is coming off of the Triduum. Then there are the family members who break into my haven of a tiny choir loft to demand that I play XYZ before/during/after something that may or may not be priest approved, with 5 minutes before it needs to be done. Some priests handle that well. Some do not.
Songs that I have been asked to sing/play at funeral Masses and have been approved include Imagine (not at a non-denominational Christian service, but a Catholic Mass), Good Night, Irene (listen to those lyrics), and my “favorite”, Madame Butterfly. All of those were allowed only as instrumental pieces, but still, they are pretty awful. As you can imagine (no pun intended), the list of songs that has gone unapproved is even more egregious. There have been people refusing to pay me if I didn’t play some heavy metal monstrosity during the reception of the Holy Eucharist or who would absolutely insist that I sing very inappropriate (and maybe unofficial) lyrics to a song that Father agreed sounded pretty if it were only instrumental. Anything that either the deceased routinely enjoyed, or some friend or relative thinks they would have enjoyed if… is fair game at many funerals.
So while I am speaking to Rationalization number 41, “It’s not the worst thing,” Lenon’s song at a Christian funeral is literally, not the worst thing I’ve seen. At least they don’t have Metallica up there singing Scandanavian death metal, and I’ll bet there have been a few people in the congregation who would have an argument for “it’s what he would have wanted.”
That being said, as a defense of this practice as the norm, my verdict agrees with yours. Yech! I have my funeral planned already (did that at 30) and those are not appearing at my funeral if I can help it (I can’t).
Interesting. My sisters (who are Catholic) asked me what music I want at my funeral.
The only songs I could think of was “Battle Cry of Freedom “, and “Battle Hymn of the Republic “.
The hymns at my Dad’s funeral in the Arlington National Cemetery Chapel were “Onward Christian Soldiers” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
Do you mean, “Good Night, Irene” by Ledbelly? With these lyrics:
I love Irene, God knows I do
I love her ’til the sea runs dry
If Irene turns her back on me
I’m gonna take morphine and die?
Yikes.
My brother died three year ago. He was a monster UFO fan, and quite a gifted musician. We played a recording of UFO’s “Lights Out” at this funeral – with blessings of the priest and the parish coordinator but I had to submit it to them in advance. Father Jay said he liked the guitar solo. Ms. O’Leary, though, (who generally gave me that look that made ice run through my veins) thought it was not inappropriate (I’ll take it), and she liked that I placed his creme-colored 1976 Gibson Flying V on the altar in the wedding chapel. She wouldn’t let me bring his Marshall stack in, though. A fair compromise in my mind.
jvb
That would be the EXACT Good Night, Irene. Yikes indeed. I always tried to follow the rules, guidelines, etc, but Father had final say and sometimes he allowed things that I would not have.
We played the song during the eulogy, not during the actual funeral Mass, which came at the conclusion of the service.
jvb
The version made a hit by “The Weavers” was quite a bit toned down.
I am a Catholic Church musician, too. In the DC Metro area, which includes northern VA and Maryland DC suburbs, most of the churches I know of or have made music at hew to the church documents pretty darn closely. When working with bereaved family members, I have always maintained a pastoral, sensitive, compassionate attitude, and sometimes you have to do that while telling them “no.” It’s all about appropriate place and time. Church funerals have specific liturgical norms to be followed, including many regarding music. There are to be no secular songs. There is to be no recorded music. There are no readings of poems or chapters from Gibran’s “The Prophet.” What we explain to the bereaved is that all of those things (and many more) can be appropriate at the repast, or reception. But a church service is about the deceased’s (ang hopefully the family’s) relationship with the sacred.
By the standards of that last sentence, “Imagine” is definitely not appropriate. The problem with state funerals (or those of important people) is that the ordinary people are not invited to any private repast where more secular things could happen, and so many nowadays are not at all connected to anything sacred that a church service, per se, is lost on them. They get no inspiration from readings from the scriptures or the poetry of hymnody. Maybe the answer is to have the sacred service private but create a public event where people could feel that they are honoring the deceased.
…and they are not honoring Jimmy Carter by singing “Imagine.”
They actually played “Imagine” at a funeral in the National Cathedral, a Christian church?
Seriously?
What were they thinking?
I would bet money someone high up in the decision making process said at least one of these:
”It’s what he would have wanted.”
”It was his favorite song.”
”He hummed/whistled/sang it often.”
”It typifies/describes/honors his life/goals/beliefs/desires.”
”It would have meant so much to him.”
If I had a penny every time someone claimed one of those for a desired song inappropriate for a funeral, I’d have to report it as an income stream to the IRS.
The National Cathedral is an Episcopalian Church.
Per the Babylon Bee:
Anglican
Pro: Can have a beer & cigar with your priest
Con: Decent chance your priest is a drag queen
Episcopalian
See Anglican, but read it in an American accent
Uh, Episcopalian Churches are another denomination of Christian Churches.
Quote…
“As Episcopalians, we believe in and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world.”
Look it up.
Sorry, my comment was incomplete. I should have included that Episcopalians are quite liberal these days so playing “Imagine” in the Cathedral is not all that surprising to me.
If the Cathedral were Baptist, though….
It shouldn’t matter how far to the left or right their political ideology lies, the core beliefs if Episcopalians, Baptists, Lutherans, Catholics, etc, etc, are all Christian.
As I said in a Facebook reply a few minutes ago to a friend that asked my why not play the song…
The reply I got back was, “I see what you are saying, to me, it’s just a song written by someone wondering if people could just ever live in peace… period.”
I wonder if that person will ever think of that song in the exact same way ever again.
Lennon already wrote THAT song: It’s called “Give Peace a Chance.” (Peace has had thousands of chances.) If that’s what he thinks that “Imagine” says, he can be conned into anything. The song literally says that if there’s no disagreements, no differing ideas, no emotions, no needs, no beliefs or loyalties, then there would be peace. Duh. But humans aren’t like that. It’s essentially the same philosophy the pod people had in “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”
Jack,
You’ll get no disagreement from me on those points. It’s a very old friend that I really want to keep in the loop, so after their reply I chose to end it with something really simple, “Striving for peace is a good and noble thing.”
Yikes! Imagine is not only inappropriate for any funeral, it is especially so for Carter’s as he is well-known for his Baptist Christian faith. I would hope his family register their complaint to the powers that be.
See, this is what John was talking about. If we can just automatically agree with what everybody does and not have an preferences at all, we’ll have peace, love and harmony everywhere, all the time. Chill out, man! It’s all good. Everything is good.
I’d spend maybe five minutes in Theatre History II talking about Nietzsche. I always included that he was the guy who declared “God is dead,” and then added that a few years later God declared Nietzsche dead… and he could prove it.
Can’t “imagine” south Georgia Southern Baptist J.E Carter requesting that song.
(Aside: Once invited to attend a Sunday school class in Plains, to be taught by Carter. Declined…probably should have accepted just for the experience.)
(Aside 2: Ironic not only that Lennon, besides being a millionare by the time he wrote that, was from the most well-to-do family of the Beatles. Ringo was dirt-poor, with a mostly absent (seaman) father, and lived in the equivalent of “the projects”. Harrison wasn’t too much better off.)
(Aside the third: Anyone see the interesting optics of the service? Trump and Obama were sitting side-by-side, at one point grinning and chatting with each other. “Dr. Jill” and Kackles were side-by-side, grim-faced, not looking at or speaking to the other. Harris once turned the other way, looking behind and seeming to give Trump a dirty look. Hillary looked like half-warmed-over death.)
Looks like there was a real pot-pourri of music associated with the funeral. Some good. Some bad. Some inappropriate. Some meh. The full order of service follows:
https://www.11alive.com/article/news/politics/jimmy-carter/order-service-jimmy-national-funera-washington-national-cathedral/85-96fee9ca-dbb8-4a3f-9f9b-a39234d33348
For every “Climb Every Mountain” (really!) at least they sang a piece that will be requested at my demise: The Navy Hymn – “Eternal Father, strong to save.” A piece that turns on the waterworks simply thinking about it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD3rPWmi1VA (Choral)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txJdkU3vaT4 (Organ)