The 2020 Summer Olympics are getting started today, and they began, as they always do, with a grandiose Opening Ceremony. This year, singers from around the world came together to sing the John Lennon classic “Imagine” (a song, by the way, that features the lyric, “Imagine there’s no countries / It isn’t hard to do”).
Participating in the pre-taped performance were Keith Urban (representing Oceania), John Legend (America), Coro Suginami (Asia), Angelique Kidjo (Africa), and Alejandro Sanz (Europe). During the performance, a fleet of drones was positioned in the sky to form an image of a globe of Earth. As CNN notes, a guide to the ceremony explains, “Imagination has the power to unite and to move us forward. By singing this much-loved song in relay, we will spread its powerful message all over the world.”
John Legend performs his part at #Tokio2020 pic.twitter.com/J1UMAPJ2in
— Haydn Dunn (@HaydnDunn) July 23, 2021
Keith Urban and John Legend are part of the opening ceremony as part of the Imagine performance of the #Tokyo2020 Olympics!! pic.twitter.com/6aJVvBVvPa
— Joey Tran (@joeydtran) July 23, 2021
Angelique Kidjo performs her part of John Lennon’s- Imagine #Tokyo2020
pic.twitter.com/OAN0Ay6ExP— Haydn Dunn (@HaydnDunn) July 23, 2021
Stunning aerial art at #OlympicGames #OpeningCeremony
of drones in a globe above the stadium accompanied by John Lennon&Yoko Ono’s ‘Imagine’ by Sukhoi (?) Junior Choir (Asia),Angelique Kidjo (Africa),Alejandro Sanz (Europe),John Legend(Americas)&Keith Urban (Oceania).Emotional! pic.twitter.com/2vVrLI0QhW— AnAllyToMany (@AnAllyToMany) July 23, 2021
In an interview clip Urban shared, he said, “It’s one of those songs that feels like it’s just always been there. It’s sort of like a spiritual classic. It’s almost more of a hymn than a song, you know? What lyrics stand out to me? Just the ones between the beginning and the end [laughs]. It’s an amazing song! […] Even if you don’t speak English and you don’t know what’s being said in ‘Imagine,’ you can feel it. You can feel that song.”
Soooooo excited to be a part of the #Tokyo2020 @Olympics Opening Ceremony !!!! Find out where to watch at https://t.co/wBTZFHRAQS. #StrongerTogether #Olympics pic.twitter.com/J8gxThOX8F
— Keith Urban (@KeithUrban) July 23, 2021
Watch some clips from the performance above.