Comments: 17

• Seventh Mist from 7th HeavenOne account I read said that in 1978, Christine McVie was driving her car and happened to have the radio on when the song was mistakenly played at 45 rpm. Supposedly, she became angry, stopped at a payphone and called the other members, telling them that Nicks had recorded a solo record without telling them. They angrily confronted her the next day before hearing what had actually happened. Might not be true, but it’s definitely funny.
• Marnie from Kansas City, MoThis is one of my favorite songs of the late 70’s/early 80’s. It is sad & so poignant, but lovely. I don’t think of it in so much a sexual way as a way to fulfill your longing for love. ARS is brilliant!
• Dave from OrlandoAt 3:03 Hammond does not say "get out of the water Stevie" - he said "Cat Wildenstein", the infamous NY socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein, referred to in some circles as Catwoman. This was 11 years prior to Jocelyn's bitter divorce from billionaire husband Alec Wildenstein and way before she became so horribly disfigured.
• Jon from Atlanta At 3:02, Ronnie says, "(Get) outta tha (Wat)er (Stev)ie". At 3:15, he is singing, "I have imagined...oh what a lovely sight".
• Richard Skelly from Victoria, Bc CanadaSpeaking of pastime, anyone with a copy of the ARS album Champagne Jam can have some fun. Simply speed up Imaginary Lover from 33 1/3 to 45. To most ears, Ronnie Hammond’s voice will sound like...Stevie Nicks!
  
  For those without the album, simply google ‘Imaginary Lover sounds like Stevie Nicks’. YouTube plays of the speeded up song should be on offer.
• Brooks from Tallahassee, Fl, UsaI'd love to know what he's saying at the end, "I have imagined no other lover beside???" Probably something easy that will just hit me someday. There have been songs I've heard for years where a line will just suddenly click and I actually understand what they're saying.
• Lynn from South CarolinaI was told another story behind the "Get out (of) the water, Stevie" reference in the song. It had to do with Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" from "Songs In The Key Of Life". The album was brand new while the ARS was recording the "Champagne Jam" album and they had been listening to it at the time. In "ISL", Stevie is in the bathtub with his daughter and she's splashing in the water and Stevie says, "Get out of the water, baby". Ronnie ad-libbed the line and it was left in the song. That's he told me.
  
• Lynn from South CarolinaMore simply put, this song is about masturbation. I was personal friends with the ARS songwriters and asked specifically about this and other songs of theirs. Even more proof was singer Ronnie Hammond's stage intro to the song: "This song is about a great American pastime. It's not baseball, but it does have to do with balls!" Ronnie used to casually stroke his hand on the mike stand and look over at me during the shows when I'd be standing in the wings. It's was our little joke and he never failed to do it when I was there. I really miss Ronnie. R.I.P., my friend.
• Brad from Okefenokee, Ga@ Jason - Charleston, Sc, Usa - I always wondered what he was saying during that section also. I asked him in 2002 what he was saying as my mind was in the gutter and I thought he was saying "Can't watch Dean" (Dean the keyboardist), as in Masturbation. lol He said the exact phrase is " get outta the water Stevie" in reference to Stevie Wonder wearing "High water" bell bottoms back then. He said it was an inside joke with the band and he just backed away from the mic as he mumbled it. lol He was a really nice guy. He Left us a little too early.
• Jason from Charleston, Sc, UsaIt sounds like he's saying Cap Watstein during the solo but I'm not sure. Can anyone else hear it?
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn February 26th 1978, "Imaginary Lover" by the Atlanta Rhythm Section entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #70; and on May 28th it peaked at #7 (for 1 week) and spent 17 weeks on the Top 100...
  It spent 4 weeks on the Top 10; started out at #10, then to #9, next was #8, and finally to #7...
  Between 1974 and 1981 the sextet had fourteen records on the Top 100; with two making the Top 10, and its other Top 10 record, "So In To You", also reached #7 on the Top 100.
• Rick from Belfast, MeAnother "classic" hit from the 1970's!......rock on
• Dan from Winthrop, MaR.IP. Ronnie Hammond
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyARS had two records to make the Top 10; and both were lucky sevens. 'Imaginary Lover' and 'So In To You' both peaked at No. 7!!!
• Larry from Wayne, PaYou don't have a gutter mind, Ron - the lyrics do make it seem like that's what the song is about.
• Ron from Auburndale, FlI guess I have a gutter mind, but I always interpreted this song to be about masterbation.
• Phil from Philadelphia, PaShortly after this song came out, someone at WMMR in Philadelphia discovered that if you played the song off the album at 45rpm, the vocal had a striking resemblance to Stevie Nicks.

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