Yoko Ono: 'Imagine' tune is bigger than expected

[November 02, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Yoko Ono says John Lennon's iconic "Imagine" wasn't initially embraced by the public.

She says the song, released in 1971, "was not really accepted ... it wasn't 'Wow!'"

Ono, who is listed as a co-producer on the track, says she remembers when Lennon created it, calling that time "really beautiful."

Lennon's 78-year-old widow made the comments at the launch of Hard Rock and WhyHunger's "Imagine There's No Hunger" campaign in New York City's Times Square on Tuesday. The global campaign aims to raise money and awareness for childhood hunger and poverty in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Imagine" at No. 3 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time."

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Online:

http://www.hardrock.com/

http://www.whyhunger.org/

[Associated Press; By MESFIN FEKADU]

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