With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
John Lennon Released 'Imagine' The Same Year NPR Debuted Original Programming
Listen
• 3:51
A crowd rallying for John Lennon, in a scene from the film <em>Imagine: John Lennon.</em>
(
Michael Ochs Archives
/
Getty Images
)
We're celebrating NPR's 50th anniversary by revisiting cultural milestones from the year we began broadcasting.
"My mother and father believed very much in the power of conceptual thinking," Sean Ono Lennon, John Lennon and Yoko Ono's son, explains of the inspiration for his parents' song. "We're listening to someone who isn't naive, and isn't saying these things from a kind of arrogance, or ignorance."
On this day, 50 years ago, John Lennon's album Imagine — along with its utopian title track — was released. Let's listen back.
Listen to the broadcast of this story in the player above.
Support for LAist comes from
Copyright 2025 NPR
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Kevin Lacy has an obsession with documenting California’s forgotten and decaying places. -
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures. -
It will be the second national day of protest against President Donald Trump. -
The university says the compact, as the Trump administration called it, could undermine free inquiry and academic excellence. -
This is the one time you can do this legally! -
Metro officials said it will be able to announce an opening date “soon.”
Best of LAist