A popular political protest song I chose to write about is “Imagine” by John Lennon. The political purpose of this song was that we as a society can achieve peace in the world if we imagine it. A way in which listeners added their own political purpose to it, is that every listener is from a different country around the world. Bringing a mix of backgrounds can ironically unite everyone since peace is a factor we all want in our lives, no matter where we are from. This song falls under the category of rock music for genre. It also has some aspect of blues, since it has augmented chord changes, and sudden shifts in musical direction. One stanza of lyrics that stood out to me was the following: 

“You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will live as one”

This stanza refers back to the idea of peace. John Lennon is trying to explain how positive thinking and determination can make a political change. If we can imagine a new world, we can achieve it. There are so many different religions and countries that can blur out this concept (similarly to how the music video began), but that is exactly why we need everyone’s contribution. He as a singer has a role of authority to write this song since the ex-Beatle would work with leading figures of the British Left, including Tariq Ali, who interviewed him for the influential Marxist magazine Red Mole. The first musical characteristic I realized was the rhythm. Throughout the song there is a steady beat that is heard. The measures have a group of strong beats, and the tempo is played with two beats in measure.