Avril Lavigne, ‘Imagine’ – Terrible Classic Rock Covers

One of the things that made John Lennon’s 1971 single, ‘Imagine,’ such a powerful song was that it was sung by a man who actually believed in peace. Sure, having been in probably the most famous rock band in the history of the world -- the Beatles -- also doesn’t hurt. But ‘Imagine’ lives on as one of the greatest songs of all time not only because of its message, but also its messenger.

So in 2007, when it was decided that a covers album should be released whose proceeds went, in part, to help support the disaster/genocide that had been happening in Africa’s Darfur region (a hot-button issue at the time), including ‘Imagine’ made a whole lot of sense. Having it covered by spunky Canadian pop singer Avril Lavigne of ‘Sk8er Boi’ and ‘Complicated’ fame? Not so great an idea.

We’ll give Lavigne this much -- she keeps it plain, respectable, and dull, which in a way, is a good thing; had she added a bunch of production or AutoTune or heavy guitars around it, it would’ve caused an outcry. But her version is devoid of the soul Lennon gave it -- the sadness (and hope) in his voice.