In 1959, Ross was brought to the attention of Milton Jenkins, the manager of the local doo-wop group The Primes, by Mary Wilson. Primes member Paul Williams convinced Jenkins to enlist Ross in the sister group The Primettes, which included Wilson, Florence Ballard and Betty McGlown.
In 1976, Billboard magazine named her the female entertainer of the century. In 1993, The Guinness Book Of World Records listed her as the most successful female artist ever (the title is now attributed to Madonna), partly due to her combined total of eighteen number-one singles, six of them recorded solo and the remaining dozen from her work with the Supremes.
Ross was also one of the few pop singers to find modest success in the acting world winning an Academy Award nomination for her role as Billie Holiday in the 1972 film, "Lady Sings the Blues" as well as having hits with other film roles such as "Mahogany", "Out of Darkness" and "Double Platinum", not to mention her role in "The Wiz".
Ross has been awarded many lifetime achievement accolades from many organizations and media outlets: she has been featured on BET, Soul Train, and awarded multiple times at the NAACP Image Awards, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2007 and given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement in 2011.
Ross' professional vocal collaborators have included the following during her career: Marvin Gaye, Lionel Richie, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Julio Iglesias, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, and Smokey Robinson, among many others.
Imagine
Diana Ross Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace, you
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world, you
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one
The lyrics of Diana Ross's song Imagine is a wonderful exploration of a world without borders, religions, possessions, greed, or hunger. It begins with the idea of a world without religion, a world without the heaven/hell divide. This line is followed by the concept of a world without countries, without any need to fight or die for. The song paints a picture of a world where everyone lives for today and without any worries about the past or the future.
The singer then introduces the idea of a world without possessions, where there is no need for anything but the basic necessities of life, and no one owns anything more than the other. The song encourages a brotherhood of man where all people share the world and work together towards a common goal. Diana Ross sings of a world living life in peace, where people can simply exist, as people, without any labels, restrictions or limitations. As she sings about a world of equality and freedom, she acknowledges that many might view her as a dreamer, but that she is not alone in this vision of a utopian world.
Overall, Diana Ross's Imagine is a beautiful celebration of peace, love, and unity. It inspires people to imagine a better world, one that is free from hate, division and greed. It encourages people to look beyond their perceived differences and to see themselves as part of a larger global community, united by a common thread of humanity.
Line by Line Meaning
Imagine there's no heaven
Visualize a world without the concept of heaven
It's easy if you try
It's a simple idea to grasp if you think about it
No hell below us
In this imagined world, there is no place for eternal punishment beneath us
Above us only sky
The only thing that exists above us is the open, limitless sky
Imagine all the people living for today
Picture a world where people live in and enjoy the present moment
Imagine there's no countries
Think about a world without geopolitical borders
It isn't hard to do
This idealized world isn't far-fetched or difficult to envision
Nothing to kill or die for
In this imagined world, people have nothing worth fighting or sacrificing their lives for
And no religion too
Religion does not exist in this utopian world
Imagine all the people living life in peace, you
Envision all humans coexisting peacefully and harmoniously
You may say I'm a dreamer
Others might call me an unrealistic idealist
But I'm not the only one
I'm not the sole believer of this alternate world
I hope some day you'll join us
I have faith that more people will share this vision and work towards it
And the world will be as one
In this ideal world, everyone is united and shares a common bond
Imagine no possessions
Imagine a world that doesn't value material goods
I wonder if you can
I question if it's possible for everyone to imagine living without possessions
No need for greed or hunger
In this world, there is no desire to accumulate wealth or suffer from a lack of food
A brotherhood of man
A connected community where humans share equal status and respect each other
Imagine all the people sharing all the world, you
Envision all people equally sharing and coexisting on this planet
You may say I'm a dreamer
Others may still believe the idea of a world without possessions and greed is unrealistic
But I'm not the only one
But I know that there are others who also believe in this world
I hope some day you'll join us
I hope that more people will come to share this belief
And the world will be as one
And with more believers, this world without possessions and greed can become a reality
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind