Lennon's political activities put him on Nixon's famous 'enemies list,' and although the Beatles during their heyday were welcomed with screaming and adoring fans in America, Lennon eventually had to fight the U.S. government to avoid being deported from his beloved city of New York, because of his opposition to the administration. "A campaign of harassment by Nixon-era conservatives...was overturned by the courts in 1976" ("John Lennon," Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame, 1994).

Today, the blending of entertainment and politics is accepted, but when Lennon first spoke out, it was unheard of, especially in Cold War America. Artists were supposed to back away from any strong stances, especially unpopular ones. As early as 1966, a reader could hear the sentiments espoused later in "Imagine" in an interview with Maureen Cleave in the London Evening Standard. Lennon said: "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with...
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