Julian Lennon covered his father John Lennon’s iconic song “Imagine” this week in a new video recorded for Global Citizen’s Stand Up For Ukraine benefit event. The performance marks the first time the 59-year old Lennon has publicly performed the song written by his late father and Yoko Ono.
You can watch and listen to the cover now in the video player below.
“The War on Ukraine is an unimaginable tragedy…,” Lennon wrote in the video’s description on YouTube. “As a human, and as an artist, I felt compelled to respond in the most significant way I could.”
“Why now, after all these years? – I had always said, that the only time I would ever consider singing ‘IMAGINE’ would be if it was the ‘End of the World’… ” Lennon continued. “But also because his lyrics reflect our collective desire for peace worldwide. Because within this song, we’re transported to a space, where love and togetherness become our reality, if but for a moment in time… The song reflects the light at the end of the tunnel, that we are all hoping for…”
Lennon ended by encouraging world leaders and everyone “who believes in the sentiment of IMAGINE” to advocate for refugees and “donate from the heart”.
Joining Lennon on guitar and backing vocals for the cover is Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt.
Lennon is set to release his seventh solo album later this year. The first two singles from the album, titled Jude, are available now.
