Fans Say This 1971 Song Is the Greatest Ever—But Critics Strongly Disagree
Music fans have named a 1971 track the "greatest song of all time" in a new poll. Despite its legendary status, not everyone agrees with the choice. Instead, some consider John Lennon's "Imagine" to be one of the most overrated songs ever released.
Who Named John Lennon's 'Imagine' the 'Greatest Song of All Time'
In December 2025, a book by Carolyn McHugh titled "The 100 Greatest Songs of All Time," ranked "Imagine" by John Lennon at No. 1. On February 24, 2026, Parade published an article about the book and ran a poll asking readers to decide which track deserved the top spot. Voters could choose from the book's top four: "Imagine" by John Lennon, "Yesterday" by The Beatles, "Life on Mars?" by David Bowie, or "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley. They could also choose Other if they felt that none of those tracks was the best song ever. After nearly five thousand votes were registered, there was a very clear winner.
Parade Readers Voted On the Greatest Song of All Time. The Poll Results in Percentages:
- "Imagine" by John Lennon - 39%
- Other - 26%
- "Yesterday" by The Beatles - 19%
- "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley - 11%
- "Life on Mars?" by David Bowie - 5%
In the comment section of the Parade article, readers shared their thoughts on "Imagine" being ranked No. 1, with sevreal agreeing with the decision. The reader G8tor praised the choice. "I think Imagine is an excellent choice." Batdude kept their response simple. "I can agree on that."
Another supporter, robertosart, offered a detailed take on the choice. "Yes, i totally agree with the authors assessment, but let’s not forget the Lennon tuned the white grand piano to the proper frequency of 432hz instead of the commonly improper frequency of 440hz. The 432 tuning make a tremendous improvement in how listeners perceive the music in a magical way. It’s because the perfect 432 tuning is in complete harmony with your bodies harmonics."
Critics Have Pushed Back, Calling John Lennon's 'Imagine' Overrated
Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images
While John Lennon's Imagine has earned praise from music lovers for decades, it also has a lot of detractors who can be very vocal about their critiques of the track. For example, a May 2020 Medium article branded it the "most pretentious song ever written." Similarly, a vote from the readers of TheTopTens ranked it the 7th most overrated song of all time. One of the website's readers labeled it "whiny," while another criticized it for having "a lifeless, uninteresting beat."
The comment section for Parade's article also featured comments from readers who argued against "Imagine" being considered the greatest song. The reader Welzien wrote that the track made them uncomfortable. "I personally find it distressing." Oliver Mellorz criticized the song in a colorful way. "Not even Lennon's best song let alone the best song in history, a plink plonk rhythm, banal and trite lyrics." One reader, asharp, wrote that the choice made them sick. "Vomit!!! So wrong. Massively hypocritical song he wrote on a 10k grand piano."