I had hoped that after Gal Gadot & Friends’ bowel-stirring rendition of Imagine failed to bring an end to the coronavirus pandemic, the song would once and for all be taken out back to the woodchipper and turned into a pile of organic compost that might one day nurture a far better peace anthem, one that doesn’t sound like a funeral dirge and reek of unwashed Amsterdam Hilton bed sheets. However, according to The Huffington Post, John Lennon’s first-born son, Julian Lennon, has broken his vow to never perform his dad’s hit song unless it’s the “End of the World.” But Julian dusted it off in the name of helping the people of Ukraine.
HuffPo reports:
John Lennon’s first-born son Julian performed his dad’s famous song “Imagine” for the first time publicly to benefit war-torn Ukraine and its people.
He sang the song Saturday as part of the Global Citizen’s social media rally, Stand Up For Ukraine.
Julian Lennon, 59, had vowed never to perform his dad’s song, which imagines an ideal world of peace and love, free of hunger and pain, created through human intention.
But the “unimaginable tragedy” in Ukraine moved him to respond in the “most significant way I could,” he wrote on YouTube. “So today, for the first time ever, I publicly performed my Dad’s song, ‘Imagine,’” he added.
“I had always said that the only time I would ever consider singing ‘Imagine’ would be if it was the ‘End of the World’ … Because within this song, we’re transported to a space, where love and togetherness become our reality, if but for a moment in time,” Lennon explained. “The song reflects the light at the end of the tunnel that we are all hoping for.”
Lennon called on the world to support Ukraine — and all refugees.
Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Billie Eilish, and Madonna all took part in the Global Citizen’s rally as well, which raised an impressive $10 billion in pledges over the weekend. Here’s Julian singing Imagine in the same studio that The Police filmed the video for Wrapped Around Your Finger. That’s right, it’s Britney’s gym!
Pic: YouTube