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In 2022, John Lennon's son performed 'Imagine' for the first time after swearing he never would

"Within this song, we’re transported to a space, where love and togetherness become our reality, if but for a moment in time."

via Julian Lennon/YouTube and Wikimedia Commons

John and Julian Lennon both performing "Imagine."

In 1971, a year after the break-up of the Beatles, John Lennon released his most important piece of music, his single “Imagine.” The song is an appeal to humanity’s goodness and urges the listener to "join us" in visualizing a world without war, hunger, or greed.

The song provides a glimmer of hope in that if we can visualize a perfect world, then maybe one day it will be achievable. Over the past 50 years, the song has become a secular hymn that can conjure hope in the aftermath of the most tragic events. The song was played by Queen at Wembley Arena after Lennon was murdered in 1980. Steve Wonder sang it at the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Olympics to honor the lives of those lost at the Centennial Olympic Park bombing. Neil Young played it at the 9/11 Tribute to Heroes concert. And who could forget the infamous celebrity singalong to "Imagine" in 2020 barely a week into the initial COVID pandemic shutdown?

“Imagine” is widely seen as Lennon’s signature song that encapsulates his artistic persona, which is no small feat given the earth-shattering effect the songs he wrote with the Beatles have had on the world.

John Lennon, Beatles, musician, Imagine, magnum opusimagine the beatles GIFGiphy

Given the song’s incredible power, Lennon’s son Julian vowed never to perform it in public. Julian has had success as a musician over the years, most notably with his 1984 hit, “Too Late for Goodbyes.” He’s also a philanthropist who has produced numerous documentaries.

The war in Ukraine pushed Julian to break his vow and he performed a beautiful rendition of “Imagine” as part of Global Citizen’s social media rally, “Stand Up For Ukraine” on April 8, 2022. The campaign worked to raise money for the war-torn country, a cause Julian still adamantly supports three years into the conflict.

During the 2022 performance, Julian was accompanied by guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, who is best known as the lead guitarist of the Boston rock band Extreme and a member of Rihanna's touring band.

"The War on Ukraine is an unimaginable tragedy... As a human, and as an artist, I felt compelled to respond in the most significant way I could," Lennon wrote in the video's description in 2022. "So today, for the first time ever, I publicly performed my Dad’s song, IMAGINE. 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’…But also because his lyrics reflect our collective desire for peace worldwide."

Watch:

- YouTubeyoutu.be

Lennon went on to say he was influenced to sing the iconic song "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…

“As a result of the ongoing murderous violence, millions of innocent families, have been forced to leave the comfort of their homes, to seek asylum elsewhere,” Lennon concluded his message. “I’m calling on world leaders and everyone who believes in the sentiment of IMAGINE, to stand up for refugees everywhere! Please advocate and donate from the heart. #StandUpForUkraine.”

John Lennon, Imagine, song, piano, musicianJohn Lennon recording at the piano. via Wikimedia Commons

Lennon’s decision to never play “Imagine” was a wonderful way to honor his father’s legacy by respecting the power of his song, but John would probably be proud if he knew that he sang it at a time when we all need to imagine “all the people living life in peace.”

Julian Lennon continues to advocate for those suffering in the world by raising awareness and offering help through his charity, The White Feather Foundation, which was established in 2007 and exists "for the Conservation of Life" and provides aid for the environment, the preservation of Indigenous cultures, and access to clean water, education, and health.

In 2023, The White Feather Foundation launched an emergency campaign alongside World Central Kitchen to feed those in need in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict. And earlier this year, Lennon and The White Feather Foundation donated a split $10,000 to MusiCares and FireAid in response to the Los Angeles wildfires in January.

Clearly in all that Lennon does to help the world and others, whether through his philanthropy or his music, he's supporting the vision of "Imagine" and making his father proud.


This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.

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Women and children are struggling in war-torn Ukraine. Here’s how you can help.

Photo courtesy of CARE.org
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You may be surprised to learn the following facts about the leading cause of death worldwide:

  1. It affects women far more than men
  2. It’s a completely preventable problem
  3. It’s hunger.

    Nearly a year has passed since Russian forces arrived in Ukraine, sparking one of the largest military conflicts since the end of World War II. Civilian suffering is by far the greatest casualty of this war; the United Nations estimates that 17.6 million people in Ukraine will require humanitarian assistance in the coming months.

    Over half are women and girls.

    Photo courtesy of CARE.org

    Honestly, it makes sense: it is women who are tasked with fleeing from their war-torn homes with children and elderly family members in their care. In times of crisis, it is women who are called to hold together the tattered shreds of civilization, to create a home from a dank basement or a trench, to maintain some sense of normalcy in the middle of trauma. Women and girls are especially susceptible to starvation when food is scarce—they often eat less, and last.

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    Your CARE Package gift can help provide the most urgent needs.Photo courtesy of CARE.org

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    Science

    Escaped Ukrainian chimpanzee is safely lured back home with a raincoat and a bike ride

    Who let this chimp watch Curious George?

    Canva

    Chimp goes home with a raincoat and bicycle.

    Some stories are just too cute to keep to ourselves and this one about an escaped chimp is one of them. Ukraine has been locked in a battle with Russia for months now, which obviously decreases the foot traffic of civilians. But the traffic decrease at the zoo in Kharkiv, Ukraine, had Chichi, a 13-year-old chimpanzee, so bored that she escaped to wander around the city.

    One could assume that she was looking for the people. After 13 years in a zoo where people come to you to tell you how pretty you are, a chimp is bound to miss the attention. Chichi escaped on September 5, certainly giving unsuspecting onlookers a shock. Thankfully, her escapades didn't last too long, although if I personally ran into a chimpanzee while trying to grab a cup of coffee, 15 seconds would've been too long. Chichi was caught after about two hours in Kharkiv's Freedom Square not far from the zoo, according to NBC.

    Chichi had a nice day out and you may think the story ends there, but the way that they lured her back to the zoo is like something out of a "Curious George" book. In the viral video you see that the zookeeper, Victoria Kozyreva, brought her raincoat to Freedom Square and then sat and chatted with the chimp. After a few minutes of catching the zookeeper up on her fugitive shenanigans, the chimp slipped on the yellow raincoat before hitching a ride on a bicycle back to her enclosure.

    Kozyreva told NBC, "It wasn’t difficult to convince her, all that's needed is negotiations. There was rain. I talked to her and invited with my jacket, helped to put it on and gave her a hug." Chimpanzees are extremely intelligent animals; they're able to solve puzzles and learn to communicate with sign language so it's no surprise Chichi was able to escape her enclosure without much difficulty. According to NBC, Kozyreva has known the chimp since it was in childhood … or would that be chimphood? Either way, she's known the chimp a long time, which could have played a part in it being willing to negotiate.

    Surely Chichi has an amazing story to tell the other chimps at the zoo and hopefully none of them get the same idea from her adventures. The sight of a chimpanzee in a raincoat preparing for a ride on a bicycle will certainly bring a smile to just about anyone's face. Whoever's been reading the chimps "Curious George" books, keep it up because this is the cutest capture the internet has ever seen.

    While the war continues in Ukraine, it's easy to forget the animals caught in the middle of conflict and their caregivers possibly unable to access everything they need. If you'd like to help efforts to care for the zoo animals in Ukraine you can donate through the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums. If you'd like to help domestic animals in Ukraine you can reach out to the Humane Society International for ways to help.

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    Family

    People rally around 12-year-old boy who was paid with a fake $100 bill at his lemonade stand

    People have stepped up big time.

    via Everett Police Department and GoFundMe

    An unknown man scams an 11-year-old boy for $85.

    There are few things more despicable than robbing a child’s lemonade stand. That’s probably why people in Everett, Washington, and around the country are rallying around 12-year-old Jeremy Ryzhonkov.

    According to a report by the Everett Police Department, Jeremy was selling lemonade and snacks on the street when he was approached by a man who asked for $15 worth of drinks but only had a $100 bill. Jeremy gave the man $85 change from his allowance but after the man left, the boy noticed the bill looked a little strange.

    “The numbers looked different on each color and the hundred dollar bill was smaller and the color was kind of different,” Jeremy told King 5 News.

    Jeremy ran the bill over to a gas station where the attendant told him it was a fake. The gas station attendant called the Everett police who put a call out for the man on Facebook.

    What makes the suspect’s actions even more awful is that half of the proceeds from the lemonade stand were going to help families in war-torn Ukraine. So he stole from a child and struggling families.

    “I felt really bad that they have to suffer through this,” said Jeremy.

    However, the crime didn’t stop the young entrepreneur from running his business. He set up his stand again the next day to sell lemonade to his neighbors. One of them gave him a marker to help detect fake bills and others stopped by to support his stand and help him recoup the lost money.

    After news of the story got out, Jeremy’s neighbor, Amy Steenfott, put together a GoFundMe campaign for the boy asking for $250 to help offset his losses and raise some capital for his small business.

    “Jeremy is 11 years old and quite the entrepreneur,” she wrote on the website (he’s had a birthday since the post). “He is a hard-working boy between his lemonade stand, which is so much more than just lemonade (If you're ever craving cotton candy you know who to see), mowing neighbors' yards and shoveling snow in the winter. He has dreams of owning his own vending machine business in the future.”

    The campaign went viral and since being started on August 4 it has raised nearly 100 times the original request. As this article is being written, the campaign has raised more than $24,000. What a blessing for Jeremy and the families in Ukraine.

    "Needless to say I, as well as Jeremy’s family, are overwhelmed,” Steenfott wrote in an update to the GoFundMe campaign. “Jeremy doesn’t know the amount of love and support you all have sent just quite yet. We are trying to figure out how to do this."

    The Everett police haven’t made any announcements about whether the suspect has been apprehended or not.

    Even though it appears as though the man hasn’t been brought to justice, the incident was a wonderful lesson to teach young Jeremy. Even though there are some bad people out there, they are wildly outnumbered by good-hearted ones who won’t stand for kids being victimized.

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