37 Responses to “David Archuleta sings Imagine on American idol”

1. Betsy, on February 26th, 2008 at 10:33 pm Said:

   Freakin’ spine chilling

2. lkohler, on February 27th, 2008 at 12:32 am Said:

   I agree with Betsy. It was like watching an older man singing in a young kid’s body. This guy is unbelievable.

3. David Archuleta sings Imagine on American idol | The Idols, on February 27th, 2008 at 12:50 am Said:

   [...] the original post here: David Archuleta sings Imagine on American idol Posted February 26th, 2008 American [...]

4. Christie, on February 27th, 2008 at 1:32 am Said:

   this 32 year old is STILL playing that back on DVR - it reminds me of high school, listening to a song in the dark over and over. This guy has just made is career with that song.

5. Celeb, on February 27th, 2008 at 6:49 am Said:

   He sang the same song on television 4 years ago with an acoustic guitar backup. This kid has done star search and television since he as 6. I think if he was 6 feet tall and not quit so shy/goofy he would have been signed to a record deal years ago. Just my opinion.

6. ra, on February 27th, 2008 at 9:46 am Said:

   I’m absolutely disgusted by the performance. I think he should be ashamed for leaving out the more important messages of the first two verses. What a total cop out. Lennon is rolling in his grave at this abomination.
   The fact is David is a mormon and Lennon was against religion and patriotism - two things mormons blindly embrace. As someone who strongly believes in the first verses of the song I think it was kick in the face to those of us who know religion and patriotism are just a powerful means of brainwashing. He lost my votes and my respect.

7. Transient_Pretense, on February 27th, 2008 at 11:11 am Said:

   I completely agree with you, ra! Lennon’s song is a social commentary on the trouble with capitalism, classism, religion, etc., and I was completely offended by its appropriation by a Mormon teenager looking only to invoke the warm, fuzzy message of a “brotherhood of man”. His performance disgraced the song and disgraced John Lennon’s legacy.

8. daniel, on February 27th, 2008 at 11:34 am Said:

   ra, transient pretense- this is not a competition based on who you are when you sing a song. david cook reads crossword puzzles and sings rock stars. if david archuleta is a mormon and singing a song that is a symbolic piece about how we shouldn’t divide out cultures by religion and possessions.. well, i think that makes sense.
   no one will deny that imagine IS john lennon’s song, and no one will ever ever ever sing it like he did. BUT david archuleta did sing it, and he sang it better than anyone else i’ve ever hear try to cover it. why don’t you two take your heads out of the sand, and just listen to this show as a competition of talent, not song choice.

9. erika, on February 27th, 2008 at 2:43 pm Said:

   YOU PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ANYTHING!!!!HE WAS AMAZING!HE’S GONNA WIN!!!IT’S NOT A RELIGIOUS SINNGING CONTEST!!!!HE’S 17 AND LOOK HOW AMAZING HE IS!!!!!!!!I GUESS WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE PEOPLE KNOCKING THE GREAT ONES!AND BY THE WAY JOHN LENNON IS LOOKING DOWN ON HIM SMILING!!

10. erika, on February 27th, 2008 at 2:45 pm Said:

    I LOVE THIS KID!!!HE’S GONNA WIN THE COMPOTITION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

11. ra, on February 27th, 2008 at 2:48 pm Said:

    Daniel: The song is largely about how religion is a dividing force in mankind. What he did is like taking a quote out of context to turn the meaning around. I understand your point about it being a singing competition. I’m simply pointing out the irony in his leaving out the context of the text in light of his religious beliefs. When he provided his reason for choosing the last verse instead of the first 2 that was a lie. He skipped the first verses because they are anti religion and he’s religious. SImple as that. Lennon wouldn’t be happy about it I suspect. I bet yoko isn’t either.

12. Transient_Pretense, on February 27th, 2008 at 3:21 pm Said:

    Again, ra, you’ve said it all. Couldn’t agree with you more. I have no need to add to your comment because it expresses my sentiments precisely.

13. Christie, on February 27th, 2008 at 4:13 pm Said:

    Will you guys give it a rest already!!! Jesus this is American Idol, not a socio-political commentary show. It’s just a beautiful song, sung beautifully. Go swap your dogmas somewhere else.

14. cokebeatspepsi, on February 27th, 2008 at 4:45 pm Said:

    Hello? He only had time for one verse! Remember? Maybe later in the show he will sing the whole thing. I personally hope so. I hope they release it on cd. I personally think it is better then Lennons. Our kids could use a guy like David to admire rather then Brit or Paris. The show chooses the theme and the amount of time to sing the chosen song. Maybe you should complain to American Idol. Don’t blame David.

15. Nash, on February 27th, 2008 at 5:29 pm Said:

    ra,transientpretense.

    who cares about the original meaning of the song? what matters is what the song means to him ! that’s call singing with soul. it’s from the HEART!

    n THAT is why his performance was just fantastic!

16. Speedmonkey, on February 27th, 2008 at 7:29 pm Said:

    yeah he’s an ass for leaving the ‘religious’ part out…but the good news is, digital downloads of the song will sky rocket, so some kid out there will tune in and and turn on…

17. Intolerance, on February 27th, 2008 at 9:27 pm Said:

    Wow..just wow

    Because that’s what a 17 year old boy is trying to do right? Twist the antireligious song and proselytze all of us, not trying to win American Idol instead, right?

    Doesn’t the very fact that he chose an antireligious song to perform despite his faith show that he’s more open-minded and tolerant than you are?

18. That Brian Guy, on February 27th, 2008 at 9:55 pm Said:

    Both John Lennon’s song (as well as his politics) were speaking the divisiveness, polarity and conflict that is often associated with religion. I can’t speak to how John Lennon would feel about your strong anti-religion stance, but to me, it might as well be classified in the same divisive, conflict oriented class as he was speaking toward religion. And don’t forget, John Lennon wrote the whole song, not just the first verse, I’m pretty sure the second half wasn’t just “tacked on”, but was just as important of a message to him.

    And as for somehow knowing what David REALLY meant by picking the second verse instead of the first verse, all i have to say is life must be pretty tough when you can’t trust what someone says and have to make up some alternate reality. Isn’t it completely possible a) he had to pick half the song to sing and b) the second verse is his favorite, just like he said? Instead of reading between the lines, how about just reading them.

    Thoroughly agree with all who said David’s performance was amazing.

    Signed, An Athiest.

19. Rosanna, on February 27th, 2008 at 11:23 pm Said:

    Archuletta’s TAKE - and that’s what it was and THAT’s what performers do, they give TAKES - on Lennon’s “Imagine” was pretty darn good. Any discussion about the “meaning” of this song or any other is pointless. Music, unlike painting, etc., is ALWAYS opened to a new TAKE, a new SPIN, a new interpretation.

    I do agree, though, that Archuletta’s a bit immature and that’s becoming annoying. If he “grows up” during the show, though, watch out. He could be BIG - or we could tie of his “sound” pretty quickly.

20. Celeb, on February 27th, 2008 at 11:31 pm Said:

    Rosanna -
    that is what I am saying. The kid seems like scared kid. Remember doolittle last year with that deer in headlights look? That was cute and everyone said she is so humble, but people got sick of it. If this kid can’t take a few 13 year old girls yelling for him during this round forget it. He needs some personality to go with a voice.

21. Alaricnj, on February 27th, 2008 at 11:35 pm Said:

    Ra – before you make accusations try to research a little. On this same webpage they put 2 videos; one from American idol and the other from a time before American idol. This second video was taped at a local Utah station. In the second video he sings the entire song; unedited.
    The American Idol show is on strict time limits; they don’t allow contestants time to sing entire songs, only parts.
    I don’t think you have it right at all.

22. Mare, on February 28th, 2008 at 5:13 pm Said:

    GET OVER IT PEOPLE. ITS CALLED ENTERTAINMENT. WHAT THE HELL DOES IT MATTER WHAT VERSE HE SANG. HE IS AWESOME, AND IT THE LONG RUN, IT DOESNT REALLY MATTER WHAT WE THINK. HE WILL LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK. MORE POWER TO YOU DAVID. YOU ARE ALREADY A STAR.

23. daniel, on February 29th, 2008 at 12:18 am Said:

    Alaricnj…
    I was about to post that same thing.. enough said.

24. Kayla, on February 29th, 2008 at 2:07 am Said:

    To anyone who is bashing David Archuleta for being MORMON and choosing to sing this song, and do a fantastic job, you are the ones who are being close-minded. This isn’t about religion, and just because he’s religious, whether you are or not…this does not take away from the fact that this kid is insanely talented. This is a BEAUTIFUL performance.

25. Jack, on February 29th, 2008 at 8:34 pm Said:

    There is no doubt that David is very talented and will go very far in the Idol competition. However, it was wrong of him to edit “Imagine” by leaving out the first two political verses and only singing the third, more generic one. By doing this he turned a song that is both beautiful and meaningful into a bland “Save the Children” infomercial. Yes, he performed it very well, but at the cost of completely changing the song’s meaning.

    (In response to earlier posters, this was not just “his take” on the song - taking out those lines completely changes the meaning of the song. Yes, he was limited in time and could only sing one verse - but he didn’t pick the first verse, did he?)

26. CJ, on March 2nd, 2008 at 3:47 pm Said:

    DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THERE IS ANYWHERE I CAN FIND DAVID’S SINGING THE ENTIRE SONG “IMAGINE”? IT WAS THE MOST AMAZING & MOVING PERFORMANCE I’VE EVER HEARD!

27. E-Dogg, on March 8th, 2008 at 6:04 pm Said:

    The kid is immensely talented, but again, religion creeps in and filters out free thought. David has been immersed in the mind control of organized religion since birth and has apparently been lost to the dark side. I’ve seen it in my wife’s family… the children aren’t ALLOWED to think for themselves. My wife has been subtlely ostracized for not “belonging” anymore. Conditional love. Religion is, as Lennon implied, divisive and basically destructive. At it’s base level it has many good points, but the “devout” take it, twist and pervert it into some form of popularity contest. “My club’s bigger than YOUR club, so I’m right!” It’s really despicable.

    I don’t vote in the karaoke contest that is American Idol since I’m a professional musician and it’s simply a joke, but until that little bit of editing and show of mind control I was a big fan of the little singer. No more. I’m not interested in cheering for robots. David… it’s not too late… think for yourself… and if your parents don’t love you because you decide to do that, well guess what? That’s conditional love and you don’t need out. Break free…

28. Teresa, on March 10th, 2008 at 1:15 pm Said:

    All this negative talk for a kind, genuine kid. It amazes me. He is only 17 years old. He has a beautiful voice, a gift. Just enjoy it and stop trying to be “right” at his expense. You are the very thing you despise.

    And for the person above who thought Yoko would be unhappy. You are wrong. She took the time to contact AI to give David a message that she loved it. Not a good idea to try and speak for someone else, dead or alive.

29. Jabbe, on March 10th, 2008 at 4:34 pm Said:

    Lennon’s song is a utopia about a world that is not divided by religions, nations or wealth differences. So, the message is just as much against nationalism and capitalism as it is against religions. I think the third verse worked just great alone. It doesn’t really matter very much whether or not David agrees with Lennon that world without religions is a better place because he definitely seemed to agree with Lennon about the message of the last verse and interpreted it beautifully!

30. Jo-Ann, on March 12th, 2008 at 1:09 pm Said:

    Hope David is still working up to his full capabilities. He’s amazing, however, I think he may be slipping and it seems it started right after all the high kudos. Is he feeling self conscious? A comment from him, I believe three weeks ago, was something in reference to this being a competition. Keep it going David, reach for those stars.

31. Sage, on March 26th, 2008 at 5:59 pm Said:

    Oh shut up about the patriotism, n religion part.Lennon was against it .So what? DOes that mean everyone has to be against it.Does that mean that only those who think like him can like him or have been his friend when he was alive. Grow up u damn fools.The brainwashers r u all who want everyone to be against it. The kid is religious n sang his fav. part with the message of brotherhood.It’s still a good message n he only had enough time for what he sang. If u see his earlier yrs u will hear him sing the complete song.

32. Meg, on March 27th, 2008 at 3:34 pm Said:

    Ra? You’re an idiot. Obviously you know nothing about music or you would realize that this was one of the most amazing vocal performances ever done live. This 17 year old child has one of the most wholesome and pure voices I’ve ever heard. The fact that you’d bash him for not singing the first 2 verses when he felt an emotional attachment to the last verse is absolutely insane. He didn’t pick the verses YOU liked so you have to make fun of him and tear him down. I don’t get it. Let him sing and just try to enjoy it. I happen to think that Lennon enjoyed hearing such an amazing rendition of one of the greatest songs ever written. Grow up.

33. Jamie, on April 10th, 2008 at 4:10 pm Said:

    David Archuleta Rocks!! So what with the song choice crap!!AI only lets u sing parts of songs!!! Davids gonna win if u like it or not!!!

34. jelywater, on May 14th, 2008 at 5:36 pm Said:

    ra, you are so retarded! I agree with Sage and Meg completely! Also, I am a Mormon Republican and that was some pretty offensive stuff you said! You should just leave people alone to believe in God or this country if they want to.
    Also, I agree with Jamie. Go David!

35. alex, on May 21st, 2008 at 12:18 am Said:

    Gah, he completely butchered this song. The kid has no respect for other’s work, and selectively removed bits that he didn’t like in order to play on other’s emotions (to win), without invoking backlash for the true sentiments of the song, this is all very dishonest. Yes, he sang it well, but he also butchered a beautiful song and twisted it to try and win.

36. Voice of Reason, on May 22nd, 2008 at 10:52 am Said:

    First things first: David is a great singer, has an amazing voice, and seems like a very nice person who would give you the shirt off his back. A good person and a good citizen of our wonderful country.

    Now, for the next: I noticed immediately that he corrupted the song by his selective choice of lyics, and knew immediately it was due to his religious beliefs. Stop it with the ‘but Idol only allowed one verse’…he has never sung the whole song, and never will. Such censorship and re-imagining are a slap to Lennon, his family, his fans, and his body of work. If you can’t square with the whole song then don’t sing it. It you do anyway (it still kindof is a free country, sort of), then have the professionalism and respect to give each audience for each rendition a 15-30 second disclaimer stating that your rendition deletes the first two verses because their ideas are contrary to your religion. That is honesty, which is a Mormon value (and also a value for most other religious, and oh my goodness, even Atheist people!). This country has way too much subtle and not-so-suble video/audio editing to change meanings already…witness the Tennessee Republican Party’s ad bashing Michelle Obama where they blatantly deleted the word ‘really’ right out of the middle of her clip, changing the meaning. To my Mormon friends: my and the other’s comments are not an attack on your religion. They express a contempt for Orwellian media manipulation and for dishonesty. Oh, and Jelywater, leave your political party affiliation and huffy ‘God and Country’ diatribe at the door please. David, make the brief disclaimer before your rendition. Best of luck to you.

37. Linsey, on May 28th, 2008 at 4:00 pm Said:

    He would have had to sing the song at like four times the original speed to get all the verses in there. He had to pick just one verse.

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