It looks like the video of Stephen Harper and Maria Aragon singing John Lennon’s “Imagine” (a clip that both amused and confused us) has been pulled from YouTube. The page says it was removed “due to a copyright claim by Lenono music”—the publishing company behind Lennon and Yoko Ono’s music. We don’t know if Ono herself took the thing down, but she has a history of making sure conservatives don’t use her late husband’s song (back in 2008, she went to court to try to stop a creationist film from doing just that). So maybe the sight of Canada’s Conservative prime minister singing Lennon’s lyrics was a bit much. The person we feel bad for here is Maria Aragon, the young YouTube sensation from Winnipeg who sang with Harper. Then again, thanks to Lady Gaga she’s already way more popular than Harper.
Just that thought of Harper performing that song demostates
April 6, 2011 at 9:35 pm | by Lennon fanhow insincere he really is, his intent and actions are the opposite of what Lennon was saying. Thank you Yoko.
GO YOKO GO ! LOL..This MADE My Day After Reading Many Tragic Sad ‘stories’ of REAL GRIEF OVER LOSS OF LOVED ONES
April 6, 2011 at 10:19 pm | by JBi dont feel the slightest bit sorry for her….if you play around on the gutter you might get a little shit on you..she should learn to steer clear of any politicians looking to exploit her talents.
April 7, 2011 at 6:59 pm | by JeffHe is the guy who wants to take out the meagre check we writer get for copyrights, he doesn’t deserve to have even have one single member of his party elected, he should run in the USA foer Republicans, not here. I urge Canadians to flush him out for good!
April 8, 2011 at 1:17 pm | by Jean GuernonIt almost made me sick to watch Harper sing it. You’ve got to earn the right.
http://njnnetwork.com/2011/04/yoko-ono-cant-imagine-stephen-harper-singing-lennon/
April 8, 2011 at 7:14 pm | by Stephen PateThank you Yoko, you’ve made my day! Using such a beautiful song to further that agenda, while doing the opposite of what the song portrays is beyond the usual dishonesty of politicians even.
This is a small victory, but one that should remind us that they do not need to hold all the power. We give it to them. Get out and vote! Make an informed vote. And for the sake of all of us, don’t let the media choose for you. Toronto, you are already feeling what happens when you do that – and this should be a lesson. There will be many other candidates than those in the spotlight(yes,even the Green party). Make sure you choose who “YOU” feel is right, whatever that is.
April 11, 2011 at 10:48 am | by AIV TorontoYoko Ono is nothing but a spoil-sport. Her visual art is pretty junkie old hippie stuff, and she has no sense of humor at all. … There are a million spin-off of that silly song anyway.
Harper was very smart to play this. The song is ridiculous claptrap and he reaction just shows she still doesn’t know how to ‘imagine’. Serves her right for making John break up the Beatles anyway.
April 12, 2011 at 12:05 am | by Another Artistmisspelling… its “her reaction just shows… “
April 12, 2011 at 12:06 am | by Another ArtistIf you think that we ought to have intellectual property in the first place, she’s got as much right to use it as anyone else does. If we stop Disney and Sony from hassling people over copyright, I’m sure she’d be happy to get with the postcapitalist program.
April 17, 2011 at 5:48 pm | by KenAt least another Beatle’s song, “Fool on the Hill” is still an option for Harper’s next youtube photo-op. Talk about your Narcissistic personality disorder. The publishing company was right to pull the video.
May 4, 2011 at 12:53 am | by CosmicMy election/ post-election song on this topic.
May 5, 2011 at 11:47 am | by Howard GladstoneHarper got his wish – “Imagine, there’s no liberals.”
http://www.youtube.com/howardgladstone
Howard Gladstone, Toronto