Cee-Lo Green singing Imagine (VIDEO)

Here’s the video of CeeLo Green doing a controversial cover version of John Lennon’s “Imagine” for New Year’s Eve. Not the worst performance from Cee-Lo even if there were some struggles in the high notes. But Cee-Lo also offended some John Lennon fans by changing one of the song’s key lyrics, when he changed “and no religion too” to “and all religion is true.” I gotta agree it’s kind of a shame for Cee-Lo to edit Lennon’s words here. I always admired how Lennon’s songs can be so irresistibly loving and positive, giving them a universal appeal for any audience, while also being so cynical and subversive at times in their substance. See Cee-Lo Green’s performance of “Imagine,” with lyrical alterations, below,

(source here lyrics after the cut.)

John Lennon “Imagine” lyrics (as sung by Cee-lo Green here)

Imagine there’s no heaven
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
Nothing to kill or die for
And all religion is true [originally: 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 live as one