John Lennon: Imagine

 

 

Journalist: Yoko, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band was recorded at EMI Studios. IMAGINE was recorded at your Tittenhurst Park home studio in Ascot. How did recording¹ at home affect IMAGINE?

Yoko: Well, a beautiful warm feeling. I think that John  Lennon/Plastic Ono Band is a very ¹⁾artistic² album, but it’s kind of ²⁾gritty and - it certainly is not a very warm album. Almost sad, in a way. IMAGINE just turned out to be a very warm, kind of beautiful album because we were together at home and we felt relaxed, you know.

Journalist: The Imagine sessions³ were very well documented on film. Why did you choose these sessions to, to film?

Yoko: It was a ³⁾fluke, you know. And we didn’t think it was going to be - that important or anything. He said ＂why don’t we film it?＂ ＂Okay, let’s do it.＂ And then afterwards we thought that we did something really silly because... the people, the business people were saying, ＂Well, nobody wants to watch, you know, a film that’s a - it’s boring to watch a film of just - going on and on and rehearsing and making a - an album. So this is not ⁴⁾commercial.＂ So we said ＂Okay＂. And we just ⁵⁾chucked it. Well, chucked it meaning it was sitting in storage.

Journalist: The utopian idealism of the song ＂IMAGINE＂, John claimed that this vision⁴ had its roots in your book, ＂⁶⁾Grapefruit＂. How do you think that you influenced it?

Yoko: Well, we were close together, and you know two artists living together, of course we’re going to influence each other. Some of the things that I did ⁷⁾rubbed off on him. And that was ＂IMAGINE＂ I think.

Journalist: Do you remember the first time you heard ＂IMAGINE＂?

Yoko: Well yes, I was there. We were in the bedroom, in our bedroom in Ascot.

Journalist: Did you have an ⁸⁾inkling of - how the song was going to affect people?

Yoko: I knew it was a very important song, and - we were both hoping that people would understand it and it would communicate widely. But we didn’t believe it, you know. I mean, part of us didn’t believe that it’s going to be a big song.

John Lennon: When I was singing and writing this and working with her, I was ⁹⁾visualizing all the people of my age group. I’m singing to them. I’m saying, ＂Here I am now. How are you? How’s your relationship going? Did you get through it all? Wasn’t the ‘70s a ¹⁰⁾drag, you know? Here we are. Well, let’s try and make the ‘80s good, you know.＂ It’s not out of our control. I still believe in love, peace. I still believe in positive thinking. While there’s life, there’s hope. Because I always consider my work one piece and I consider that my work won’t be finished until I’m dead and buried. And I hope that’s a long, long time. CE

 

11、约翰·列农的“想象”

 

记者：洋子，约翰·列农的《顺从洋子乐队》是在EMI录音室录制的。《想象》则是在亚斯科的提腾哈思公园你家里录的。在家录音对《想象》专辑有什么样的影响？

感觉很美好很温情。我认为约翰·列农的《顺从洋子乐队》是张艺术性很强的专辑。比较粗放--绝对不是温情的唱片，还有一点伤情。《想象》却是非常温情、美好的唱片，因为我们一起在家里，觉得很放松。

记者：《想象》给拍摄得非常好。你们为什么挑了这张专辑来拍摄呢？

洋子：那是意外造成的。我们原来并不知道它会那么重要。他说：“我们何不把它拍下来呢？”“好吧，那就拍吧。”接着后来我们觉得这个举动好傻，因为……有些人，有些商业人士说：“没人想看这样的影片，太无聊了，去拍不停地排练做专辑。这样的片子无利可图。”所以我们就说“好吧”。我们停工了，停工就是说把它束之高阁。

记者∶《想象》这首歌描述了一个乌托邦理想，约翰称它源自你的书《葡萄柚》。你认为是怎样的影响？

洋子∶我们很亲密，你知道当两个艺术家共同生活时，自然会彼此影响。所以我做的一些事情会影响他。我想那就有了《想象》。

记者∶你还记得第一次听《想象》时的情形吗？

洋子∶记得，当时我也在场。我们俩在卧室里，在亚斯科的卧室里。

记者∶当时你是否略有所知--这首歌会怎样地影响人们？

洋子∶我知道这是首很重要的歌，而且--我们俩都希望人们能理解它，希望这首歌能广为传播。可我们当时并不确信，我的意思是，我们并不完全确定这首歌会有那么大的影响。

约翰·列农∶我和她一起工作，边唱边写下这首歌，我在想象中看到与我同龄的所有人们。我在为他们而歌。我说：“我在这儿。你们好吗？你们的爱情好吗？全都还顺利吧？七十年代太不怎样了，是不是？现在我们在这儿，一起努力把八十年代过好。”情况并非不由我们控制。我仍然信仰爱与和平。我仍然相信积极的思考。有生命就有希望。我总忙于工作，我想我会工作不息，直到死亡被埋葬。我希望工作时间能有很长，很长。CE

 

 

1) artistic [a:5tistik] a. 艺术的，有美感的

2) gritty [5griti] a. 有沙砾的，勇敢的

3) fluke [fluk] n. 侥幸的成功，意外的失败

4) commercial [kE5mE:FEl] a. 以获利为目的的，商业的

5) chuck [tFQk] v. [英国俚语] 停下来

6) grapefruit [5greipfru:t] n. 葡萄柚

7) rub⁵ off on sb. 由于密切习惯、品质、看法等而影响另一个人

8) inkling [5iNkliN] n. 略知

9) visualize⁶ [5vizjuElaiz] v. 形象化，想象

10) drag [drAg] n. 障碍物，极为讨厌的人或事物

 

1 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

2 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

3 sessions   

n.（尤指法庭、议会等）开庭( session的名词复数 )；（自发或俱乐部的）聚会；会期；（进行某活动连续的）一段时间

参考例句：

• A few sessions talking to a counsellor should straighten him out. 跟辅道员谈几次就会使他改正过来的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sessions will enable you to discuss problems with fellow asthma sufferers. 这些环节让你和其他哮喘病患者一起讨论问题。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 vision   

n.视觉，先见之明，光景，视力，眼力，幻想，影像；vt.幻想

参考例句：

• The wall cuts across our line of vision.那面墙挡住了我们的视线。
• Much reading has impaired his vision.大量读书损害了他的视力。

5 rub   

n.摩擦，困难，障碍，难点，磨损处；vt.擦，搓，摩擦，惹怒；vi.摩擦，擦破

参考例句：

• Don't let the wire rub up against the pipe.别让电线碰到管子上。
• He used to rub up against many famous movie stars.他过去经常偶然碰到许多有名的影星。

6 visualize   

vt.使看得见，使具体化，想象，设想

参考例句：

• I remember meeting the man before but I can't visualize him.我记得以前见过那个人，但他的样子我想不起来了。
• She couldn't visualize flying through space.她无法想像在太空中飞行的景象。