| "Imagine" | ||||
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 UK picture sleeve | ||||
| Single byJohn Lennon | ||||
| from the albumImagine | ||||
| B-side | "It's So Hard" | |||
| Released | 11 October 1971 (1971-10-11)[1] | |||
| Recorded | 27 May – 4 July 1971 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:03 | |||
| Label | Apple | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| John Lennon US singles chronology | ||||
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| John Lennon UK singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "IMAGINE. (Ultimate Mix, 2020) - John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band (with the Flux Fiddlers) HD" onYouTube | ||||
"Imagine" is a song by British musicianJohn Lennon from his 1971album of the same name. The best-selling single of his solo career, the lyrics encourage listeners to imagine a world of peace, withoutmaterialism, without borders separating nations and withoutreligion. Shortly before hisdeath, Lennon said that much of the song's lyrics and content came from his wife,Yoko Ono, and in 2017, she wanted to receive a co-writing credit.[3][2][4]
Lennon and Ono co-produced the song withPhil Spector. Recording began at Lennon's home studio atTittenhurst Park, England, in May 1971, with finaloverdubs taking place at theRecord Plant, in New York City, during July. In October, Lennon released "Imagine" as a single in theUnited States, where it peaked at number three on theBillboard Hot 100. The song was first issued as a single in Britain in 1975, to promote the compilationShaved Fish, and reached number six on theUK Singles Chart that year. It later topped the chart followingLennon's murder in 1980.
"Imagine" has consistently been widely praised since its release, while also garnering controversy due to its lyrics.BMI named "Imagine" one of the 100 most performed songs of the 20th century. In 1999, it was ranked number 30 on theRIAA's list of the 365 "Songs of the Century", earned aGrammy Hall of Fame Award, and was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll". A 2002 UK survey conducted by theGuinness World Records British Hit Singles Book named it the second-best single of all time, whileRolling Stone ranked it number 3 in its 2004 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time", repositioned to number 19 in the 2021 revision. Since 2005, event organisers have played the song just before the New Year'sTimes Square Ball drops in New York City. In 2023, the song was selected for preservation in the United StatesNational Recording Registry by theLibrary of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
"Imagine" has sold more than 1.7 million copies in the UK. More than 200 artists have performed orcovered the song, includingMadonna,Stevie Wonder,Joan Baez,Lady Gaga,Elton John andDiana Ross. After "Imagine" was featured at the2012 Summer Olympics, the song re-entered the UK Top 40, reaching number 18, and was presented as a theme song in theopening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics. The song remains controversial, as it has been since its release, over its request to imagine "no religion too".[5]
Several poems fromYoko Ono's 1964 bookGrapefruit inspired Lennon to write the lyrics for "Imagine"[7]—in particular, one whichCapitol Records reproduced on the back cover of the originalImagine LP titled "Cloud Piece", reads: "Imagine the clouds dripping, dig a hole in your garden to put them in."[8] Lennon later said the composition "should be credited as a Lennon/Ono song. A lot of it—the lyric and the concept—came from Yoko, but in those days I was a bit more selfish, a bit more macho, and I sort of omitted her contribution, but it was right out ofGrapefruit."[9] When asked about the song's meaning during a December 1980 interview withDavid Sheff forPlayboy magazine, Lennon told Sheff thatDick Gregory had given Ono and him aChristian prayer book, which inspired the concept behind "Imagine".
The concept of positive prayer ... If you canimagine a world at peace, with no denominations of religion—not without religion but without this my God-is-bigger-than-your-God thing—then it can be true ... the World Church called me once and asked, "Can we use the lyrics to 'Imagine' and just change it to 'Imagineone religion'?" That showed [me] they didn't understand it at all. It would defeat the whole purpose of the song, the whole idea.[7]
With the combined influence of "Cloud Piece" and the prayer book given to him by Gregory, Lennon wrote what author John Blaney described as "a humanisticpaean for the people".[9] Blaney wrote, "Lennon contends that global harmony is within our reach, but only if we reject the mechanisms of social control that restrict human potential."[10]Rolling Stone'sDavid Fricke commented: "[Lennon] calls for a unity and equality built upon the complete elimination of modern social order: geopolitical borders, organised religion, [and] economic class."[11]
Lennon stated:"'Imagine', which says: 'Imagine that there was no more religion, no more country, no more politics,' is virtuallyThe Communist Manifesto, even though I'm not particularly aCommunist and I do not belong to any movement."[10] He toldNME: "There is no realCommunist state in the world; you must realise that. TheSocialism I speak about ... [is] not the way some daft Russian might do it, or the Chinese might do it. That might suit them. Us, we should have a nice ...British socialism."[10] Ono described the lyrical statement of "Imagine" as "just what John believed: that we are all one country, one world, one people."[12]Rolling Stone described its lyrics as "22 lines of graceful, plain-spoken faith in the power of a world, united in purpose, to repair and change itself".[12][nb 2]
An original piano musical motif, later called "John's Piano Piece", close to the final one was created in January 1969 during theLet It Be sessions.[14] Lennon finished composing "Imagine" one morning in early 1971, on aSteinway piano, in a bedroom at hisTittenhurst Park estate inAscot, Berkshire, England. Ono watched as he composed the melody, chord structure and almost all the lyrics, nearly completing the song in one brief writing session.[12] Described as apiano ballad[15] performed in thesoft rock genre,[16] the song is in thekey ofC major.[17] Its 4-bar piano introduction begins with a C chord then moves to Cmaj7 before changing to F. Each repetition of this pattern is rounded with a short, distinctive piano riff that ascends chromatically from A to B. The 12-bar verses also follow this chord progression, with their last 4 bars moving from Am/E to Dm and Dm/C, finishing with G, G11 then G7, before resolving back to C.[17] The 8-bar choruses progress from F to G to C, then Cmaj7 and E before ending on E7, a C chord substituted for E7 in the final bar. The 4-baroutro begins with F, then G, before resolving on C. With a duration of 3 minutes and 3 seconds and atime signature of 4/4, the song's tempo falls around 75beats per minute.[17]
Lennon and Ono co-produced the song and album withPhil Spector, who commented on the track: "We knew what we were going to do ... It was going to be John making a political statement, but a very commercial one as well ... I always thought that 'Imagine' was like the national anthem."[18] Lennon described his working arrangement with Ono and Spector: "Phil doesn't arrange or anything like that—[Ono] and Phil will just sit in the other room and shout comments like, 'Why don't you try this sound' or 'You're not playing the piano too well' ... I'll get the initial idea and ... we'll just find a sound from [there]."[19]
Recording took place on 27 May 1971 atAscot Sound Studios, Lennon's newly built home studio at Tittenhurst Park, with string overdubs taking place on 4 July 1971 at theRecord Plant, in New York City.[20] The sessions began during the late morning, running to just before dinner in the early evening. Lennon taught the musicians the chord progression and a working arrangement for "Imagine", rehearsing the song until he deemed the musicians ready to record.[9] In his attempt to recreate Lennon's desired sound, Spector had some early tapings feature Lennon andNicky Hopkins playing in different octaves on one piano. He also initially attempted to record the piano part with Lennon playing the whitebaby grand in the couple's all-white room. However, after having deemed the room's acoustics unsuitable, Spector abandoned the idea in favour of the superior environment of Lennon's home studio.[10] They completed the session in minutes, recording three takes and choosing the second one for release.[21] The finished recording featured Lennon on piano and vocal,Klaus Voormann on bass guitar,Alan White on drums and the Flux Fiddlers on strings.[22] The string arrangement was written byTorrie Zito.[23]
Issued byApple Records in the United States in October 1971, "Imagine" became the best-selling single of Lennon's solo career.[24] It peaked at number three on theBillboard Hot 100[25] and reached number one in Canada on theRPM national singles chart, remaining there for two weeks.[26][27] Upon its release the song's lyrics upset some religious groups, particularly the line: "Imagine there's no heaven".[28] When asked about the song during one of his final interviews, Lennon said he considered it to be as strong a composition as any he had written withthe Beatles.[12] He described the song's meaning and explicated its commercial appeal: "Anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional,anti-capitalistic, but because it is sugarcoated it is accepted ... Now I understand what you have to do. Put your political message across with a little honey."[29] In anopen letter toPaul McCartney published inMelody Maker, Lennon said that "Imagine" was"'Working Class Hero' with sugar on it for conservatives like yourself".[30] On 30 November 1971, theImagine LP reached number one on the UK chart.[31] It became the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed album of Lennon's solo career.[32]
In 1972, Lennon and Ono released an 81-minutefilm to accompany theImagine album which featured footage of the couple in their home, garden and the recording studio of theirBerkshire property atTittenhurst Park as well as in New York City.[33] A full-length documentary rock video, the film's first scene features a shot of Lennon and Ono walking through a thick fog, arriving at their house as the song "Imagine" begins. Above the front door to their house is a sign that reads: "This Is Not Here", the title of Ono's then New York art show. The next scene shows Lennon sitting at a white grand piano in a dimly lit, all-white room. Ono gradually walks around opening shutters that allow in light, making the room brighter with the song's progression.[34] At the song's conclusion, Ono sits beside Lennon at the piano; they gaze at one another, and then kiss briefly.[35]
Several celebrities appeared in the film, includingAndy Warhol,Fred Astaire,Jack Palance,Dick Cavett andGeorge Harrison. Derided by critics as "the most expensive home movie of all time", it premiered to an American audience in 1972.[33] In 1986,Zbigniew Rybczyński made amusic video for the song, and in 1987, it won both the "Silver Lion" award for Best Clip atCannes and the Festival Award at theRio International Film Festival.[36]
Released as a single in the United Kingdom in 1975 in conjunction with the albumShaved Fish, "Imagine" peaked at number six on theUK Singles Chart. The photograph on the sleeve was taken byMay Pang in 1974.[37] FollowingLennon's murder in 1980, the single re-entered the UK chart, reaching number one, where it remained for four weeks in January 1981. "Imagine" was re-released as a single in the UK in 1988, peaking at number 45, and again in 1999, reaching number three.[38] As of June 2013, it had sold over 1.64 million copies in the UK, making it Lennon's best-selling single there.[39] In 1999, on National Poetry Day in the United Kingdom, the BBC announced that listeners had voted "Imagine" Britain's favourite song lyric.[28] In 2003, it reached number 33 as the B-side to a re-release of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)".[40]
Rolling Stone described "Imagine" as Lennon's "greatest musical gift to the world", praising "the serene melody; the pillowy chord progression; [and] that beckoning, four-note [piano] figure".[12]Robert Christgau called it "both a hymn forthe Movement and a love song for his wife, celebrating a Yokoism and aMarcusianism simultaneously".[41]Record World said it was "perhaps [Lennon's] most beautiful composition to date."[42]
Included in several song polls, in 1999,BMI named it one of the top 100 most-performed songs of the 20th century.[43] Also that year,it received theGrammy Hall of Fame Award[44] and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.[45] "Imagine" ranked number 23 in the list of best-selling singles of all time in the UK, in 2000.[46] In 2002, a UK survey conducted by theGuinness World Records British Hit Singles Book ranked it the second best single of all time behindQueen's "Bohemian Rhapsody".[47]Gold Radio ranked the song number three on its "Gold's greatest 1000 hits" list.[48]
Rolling Stone ranked "Imagine" number three on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", describing it as "an enduring hymn of solace and promise that has carried us through extreme grief, from the shock of Lennon's own death in 1980 to the unspeakable horror ofSeptember 11. It is now impossible to imagine a world without 'Imagine', and we need it more than he ever dreamed."[12] Despite that sentiment, Clear Channel Communications (now known today asiHeartMedia) included the song on itspost-9/11 "do not play" list.[49][nb 3]
On 1 January 2005, theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation named "Imagine" the greatest song in the past 100 years as voted by listeners on the show50 Tracks.[51] The song ranked number 30 on theRecording Industry Association of America's list of the 365Songs of the Century bearing the most historical significance.[51]Virgin Radio conducted a UK favourite song survey in December 2005, and listeners voted "Imagine" number one.[52] Australians selected it the greatest song of all time on theNine Network's20 to 1 countdown show on 12 September 2006. They voted it eleventh in the youth radio networkTriple J's Hottest 100 Of All Time on 11 July 2009.[53]
Former US PresidentJimmy Carter said, "in many countries around the world—my wife and I have visited about 125 countries—you hear John Lennon's song 'Imagine' used almost equally with national anthems."[54][nb 4] On 9 October 2010, which would have been Lennon's 70th birthday, the Liverpool Singing Choir performed "Imagine" along with other Lennon songs at the unveiling of theJohn Lennon Peace Monument inChavasse Park,Liverpool.[56] Beatles producerGeorge Martin praised Lennon's solo work, singling out the composition: "My favourite song of all was 'Imagine'".[57] Music criticPaul Du Noyer described "Imagine" as Lennon's "most revered" post-Beatles song.[58] Authors Ben Urish and Ken Bielen called it "the most subversive pop song recorded to achieve classic status".[59] Fricke commented:"'Imagine' is a subtly contentious song, Lennon's greatest combined achievement as a balladeer and agitator."[11]
Urish and Bielen criticised the song's instrumental music as overly sentimental and melodramatic, comparing it to the music of the pre-rock era and describing the vocal melody as understated.[59] According to Blaney, Lennon's lyrics describe hypothetical possibilities that offer no practical solutions; lyrics that are at times nebulous and contradictory, asking the listener to abandon political systems while encouraging one similar tocommunism.[10] Author Chris Ingham indicated the hypocrisy in Lennon, the millionaire rock star living in a mansion, encouraging listeners to imagine living their lives without possessions,[60] a sentiment thatElvis Costello echoed in his 1991 single "The Other Side of Summer".[61][nb 5] Others argue that Lennon intended the song's lyrics to inspire listeners to imagine if the worldcould live without possessions, not as an explicit call to give them up.[60] Blaney commented: "Lennon knew he had nothing concrete to offer, so instead he offers a dream, a concept to be built upon."[10]
Blaney considered the song to be "riddled with contradictions. Its hymn-like setting sits uncomfortably alongside its author's plea for us to envision a world without religion."[10] Urish and Bielen described Lennon's "dream world" without a heaven or hell as a call to "make the best world we can here and now, since this is all this is or will be".[59] In their opinion, "because we are asked merely to imagine—to play a 'what if' game, Lennon can escape the harshest criticisms".[59] Former BeatleRingo Starr defended the song's lyrics during a 1981 interview withBarbara Walters, stating: "[Lennon] said 'imagine', that's all. Just imagine it."[59]
Stereogum contributors Timothy and Elizabeth Bracy did not include "Imagine" as one of Lennon's top 10 solo songs, saying "Lennon's astounding facility for writing instantly memorable hooks meets head on with his occasional weakness for pandering polemics on 'Imagine,' resulting in a tune that everyone can sing along with, even as many can't believe the trite silliness of the lyrics in question. This is yet more proof of Lennon's capacity as a master craftsman, but it doesn't necessarily make it a great song or one that has aged well outside of its vintage."[63]
The morning after theNovember 2015 Paris attacks, German pianistDavide Martello brought a grand piano to the street out in front of theBataclan, where 89 concertgoers[64] had been shot dead the night before, and performed an instrumental version to honour the victims of the attacks; video of his performance wentviral.[65][66] This led Katy Waldman ofSlate to ponder why "Imagine" had become so frequently performed as a response to tragedy. In addition to its general popularity, she noted its musical simplicity, its key of C major, "the plainest and least complicated key, with nosharps orflats" aside from one passage with "a plaintivemajor seventh chord that allows a tiny bit ofE minor into thetonic". That piano part, "gentle as a rocking chair", underpins lyrics that, Waldman says, "[belong] to the tradition of hymns or spirituals that visualise a glorious afterlife without prophesising any immediate end to suffering on earth". This understanding is also compounded by the historical context of Lennon's own violent death, "remind[ing] us that the universe can run ramshod over idealistic people". Ultimately, the song "captures the fragility of our hope after a violent or destructive event ... [bu]t also reveals its tenacity".[65]
In June 2017, the USNational Music Publishers Association awarded "Imagine" a Centennial Song Award and recognised Lennon's desire to add Yoko Ono as a co-author of the song.[2][67]
"Imagine" was selected by theLibrary of Congress for preservation in theNational Recording Registry in 2023.[68]
Three New York City radio stations have played the song prior to switching longtime formats:WABC upon moving to a talk format from popular music in 1982,[69]WPLJ when transitioning from popular music toK-Love in 2019,[70] and WCBS-AM before signing off its all-news format and becoming sports radioWHSQ in 2024.[71]
Elton John performed the song regularly on hisworld tour in 1980, including at his free concert inCentral Park, a few blocks away from Lennon's apartment inThe Dakota.[72] On 9 December 1980, the day after Lennon's murder,Queen performed "Imagine" as a tribute to him during theirWembley Arena show inLondon.[73] In 1983,David Bowie performed it inHong Kong during hisSerious Moonlight Tour, on the third anniversary of Lennon's death.[74] On 9 October 1990, more than one billion people listened to a broadcast of the song on what would have been Lennon's 50th birthday.[75]Ratau Mike Makhalemele covered the song on an EP of Lennon covers in 1990.[76] In 1991–92,Liza Minnelli performed the song in hershow atRadio City Music Hall.[77]Stevie Wonder gave his rendition of the song, with theMorehouse College Glee Club, during the closing ceremony of the1996 Summer Olympics as a tribute to the victims of theCentennial Olympic Park bombing.[78] In 2001,Neil Young performed it during the benefit concertAmerica: A Tribute to Heroes.[79]Madonna performed "Imagine" during the benefitTsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope.[80][nb 6]Peter Gabriel performed the song during the2006 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.[82]Herman Cain, then the CEO ofGodfather's Pizza, performed a parody of "Imagine", identified as "Imagine There's No Pizza", before the Omaha Press Club in 1991, which became a viral video when heran for President of the United States 20 years later.[83][84]
Since 2005, "Imagine" has been played at 11:55 p.m before theNew Year's Eveball drop atNew York City'sTimes Square.[85] Beginning in 2010, the song has been performed live by the headlining artist; first byTaio Cruz, then in 2011 byCeeLo Green, in 2012 byTrain, in 2013 byMelissa Etheridge, in 2014 byO.A.R., in 2015 byJessie J, in 2016 byRachel Platten, in 2017 byAndy Grammer, in 2018 byBebe Rexha, in 2019 byX Ambassadors, in 2020 byAndra Day, in 2021 byKT Tunstall, in 2022 byChelsea Cutler, in 2023 byPaul Anka, and in 2024 byMickey Guyton. However, Green received criticism for changing the lyric "and no religion too" to "and all religions true", resulting in an immediate backlash from fans who believed that he had disrespected Lennon's legacy by changing the lyrics of his most iconic song.[86] Green defended the change by saying it meant to represent "a world [where you] could believe what [you] wanted".[86] The event got media attention outside of the US, with Britain'sThe Guardian stating "Lennon's original lyrics don't praise pluralism or interchangeable religious truths—they damn them".[87]
Numerous artists have recordedcover versions of "Imagine".[88]Joan Baez included it on 1972'sCome from the Shadows andDiana Ross recorded a version for her 1973 album,Touch Me in the Morning.[89] In 1995,Blues Traveler recorded the song for theWorking Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon album[90] andDave Matthews has performed the song live with them.[89] American singer and guitaristEva Cassidy recorded a version for her 2002 albumof the same name;[91] this version failed to reach the top 100 in the United Kingdom but peaked at number 35 on theUK Indie Chart.[92]Dolly Parton recorded the song for her 2005 covers albumThose Were the Days.[93]David Archuleta reached number 36 in US and number 31 in Canada with his rendition.[94] A cover version of the song, performed by Italian singerMarco Carta, entered the top 20 in Italy in 2009, peaking at number 13.[95]
Seal,Pink,India.Arie,Jeff Beck,Konono Nº1,Oumou Sangaré and others recorded a version forHerbie Hancock's 2010 albumThe Imagine Project.[96] In February 2011, the recording won a Grammy award forBest Pop Vocal Collaboration.[97]
"Imagine" was performed as part of theclosing ceremony of the2012 Summer Olympics. Performed by the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir and the Liverpool Signing Choir, the choirs sang the first verse and accompanied Lennon's original vocals during the rest of the song.[98][nb 7] A cover performed byEmeli Sandé was also used by theBBC for a closing montage that ended its coverage.[99] "Imagine" subsequently re-entered the UK Top 40, reaching number 18.[100]
In 2014, to celebrate 25 years ofUNICEF'sConvention on the Rights of the Child, the organisation launched an initiative using the song. Performers including Ono,Hugh Jackman andABBA announced the initiative at an event at the UN General Assembly in New York, with the intention of spreading the message that every voice matters. To do this, various celebrities and singers recorded cover versions of the song, which can be played on a downloadable app for people around the world to virtually sing with the celebrities and then share the videos on social media with related hashtags.[101]
In 2015, American singer and songwriterLady Gaga performed the song at the2015 European Games opening ceremony. The song was played for 70,000 people inBaku,Azerbaijan, that served as host of the event.[102] In 2018, the song was performed at the2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony inPyeongchang (South Korea).[103] The same yearYoko Ono released a solo rendition of the song, the first since she received credit as co-writer.[104]
In 2020, amid the firstCOVID-19 lockdowns,Gal Gadot and a number of other celebritiesperformed an online version of the song intended to raise morale in the face of thepandemic.[105] The performance was poorly received by audiences, many of whom criticized it for being a tone-deaf message from a group of socialites and members of the international elite who were largely unaffected by the pandemic.[106][107] In June 2020, actorChris O'Dowd, who appeared in the online version of the song, said the criticisms of the project were "justified", referring to the video as "creative diarrhoea".[108]
A pre-recorded version of the song performed byJohn Legend,Keith Urban,Alejandro Sanz andAngélique Kidjo, with musical arrangement byHans Zimmer, was featured in the opening ceremony for the2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in July 2021,[109] and another pre-recorded cover version again as a theme song in theopening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing in February 2022.[110]
During the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Lennon's sonJulian Lennon for the first time covered his father's song, calling on world leaders and everyone who believes in the song's sentiment of hope and peace to stand up forrefugees.[111]
Garth Brooks andTrisha Yearwood covered the song in November 2023 during the funeral for FormerFirst Lady of the United States,Rosalynn Carter. On January 9, 2025, Brooks and Yearwood covered the song again during theState Funeral of Former PresidentJimmy Carter.[112]
Weekly charts[edit]Original release[edit]
1975 release[edit]
Posthumous releases[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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All-time charts[edit]
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[157] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[158] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI)[159] | Gold | 250,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[160] sales since 2009 | Platinum | 50,000‡ |
| Japan | — | 118,000[118] |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[161] | 2× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| South Africa | — | 25,000[162] |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[163] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[164] 1975 release | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[165] 2007 release | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[166] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
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