Cee Lo Green Changes Lyric to “Imagine,” Angers John Lennon Fans

How much of an artistic creativity license does a singer have when doing a cover song? Considering some covers turn out abhorrent (see Miley Cyrus’ take on Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”) or better than the original (compare the success and sound of Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” to the original 1965 Gloria Jones version), exercising creative judgment has wildly differing results. So, where does Cee Lo Green’s take on John Lennon song “Imagine,” performed at Times Square on New Year’s Eve, fall? If fans are the judge, Green’s version significantly tarnishes the original, as if it were the musical equivalent the Gus Van Sant remake of Psycho.

Sounds aside, however, Green altered the lyrics to “Imagine,” changing the original line "nothing to kill or die for / and no religion too" to "nothing to kill or die for / and all religion's true." Who would’ve thought two word changes would ignite an internet firestorm? Fans, in general, find that the lyrical change alters the entire meaning of “Imagine.”

In response to Green’s Saturday performance, one John Lennon fan @geekysteven tweeted: "The whole point of that lyric is that religion causes harm. If 'all religion's true' it would be a pretty bleak place."

A commenter on RollingStone.com also posted, courtesy of The Globe and Mail: “If he wanted to make the statement that he claims he thought he was making, he should have written his own song… If I don’t like the colour in a Picasso painting, I’m sure people wouldn’t be okay with me painting over it to look ‘prettier.’ The same should hold true for music.”

Taking to Twitter himself, the “Forget You” singer wrote: "Yo I meant no disrespect by changing the lyric guys! I was trying to say a world were [sic] u could believe what u wanted that's all."

Green, however, has since removed the post.

Watch Green’s performance below. What do you think of lyrical liberties?