The rock anthem that set fire to Bono: “Different ways of seeing the world”
Bono has never shied away from praising the rock idols who came before him. Despite his reputation as one of rock music’s more grandiose figures, the U2 frontman acknowledges his influences, citing everything from punk to Elvis Presley as paving the way for his band’s success. While Presley may have taught Bono his first rock star moves, it was John Lennon’s solo catalogue that truly ignited his passion.
Then again, nearly every rock band that followed The Beatles holds them in high regard. The Fab Four didn’t earn their reputation as one of history’s greatest rock bands by chance. Every song Lennon wrote with Paul McCartney consistently took the music scene in new and unexpected directions.
Once the everglow faded after The Beatles’ breakup, though, Lennon was on a quest to figure out who he was. He had spent years living in the bubble of what his old band was, and his first solo ventures with Yoko Ono on albums like Plastic Ono Band was a way for him to deconstruct what he thought he was becoming in the pop sphere.
If fans were heartbroken by the split, then Lennon was the one who helped usher everyone back down to Earth, reminding them that it was only a dream and that it was time for a change. That kind of tough love wouldn’t please everyone, though, so ‘Imagine’ was a better look at the kind of practices Lennon had in mind.
Despite having a political agenda from the first few lines, Lennon asks his fans to think of a world where everyone can live together in peace. It’s a radical idea for sure, but if you think about the ethos behind the song, it’s not calling for politicians to lay down their agendas. All it’s trying to do is to get everyone to take a look at their fellow man and try to imagine a world where we didn’t have to worry about any kind of strife.
For Bono, that kind of hope was what got him through the first few years as a musician, telling Rolling Stone, “I really remember John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’. I guess I was 12; that’s one of my first albums. That really set fire to me. It was like he was whispering in your ear–his ideas of what’s possible. Different ways of seeing the world.”
Then again, that mentality of rockstar being used as a preacher did come back to bite Bono in the ass more than a few times. He may have taken the piss out of his own rockstar status when adopting the role of ‘The Fly’ during Achtung Baby, but even for the group’s hardcore fanbase, it’s hard to look at pieces of Rattle and Hum and not throw up in your mouth a little bit, especially when Bono goes on a long rambling speech and then chastising the audience for being bored by his political agenda.
Not everyone wants to attend a concert only to be subjected to a sermon halfway through a song, but Lennon’s intent wasn’t strictly to preach. He sought to envision a better world, and despite his sometimes divisive approach, Bono has endeavoured to carry on this vision of a brighter future for everyone.
