Keith Urban was part of the opening ceremonies at the start of the Tokyo Games on Friday, July 23. The country singer was joined by artists from around the globe, including John Legend, Angélique Kidjo, Alejandro Sanz and the Suginami Junior Chorus as they sang John Lennon’s “Imagine” in a pre-recorded performance. The music for the performance was arranged by Hans Zimmer.
While the video played, athletes from each country stood on the stage below and drones formed the Olympic logo and then a globe above the stadium. Urban previewed his involvement in the ceremonies with a video posted to social media Friday morning. The clip shows the singer recording the Olympics video while talking about the importance of the Olympics and “Imagine.”
‘It’s just alway been there,” Urban said of the song. “It’s a spiritual classic. It’s almost more of a hymn than a song. What lyrics stand out to me in the song? Just the ones between the beginning and the end. It’s an amazing song.”
“Some of the deceptively simple lines, I think, (sings) ‘You may say I’m a dreamer,’ that’s an extraordinary, powerful line that speaks to me,” he continued. “The real definition of optimism and hope right there in that one line. Even if you don’t speak English and you don’t know what’s being said in ‘Imagine,’ you can feel it.”
Urban also shared his excitement for being involved in the games in a caption alongside the video. “Soooooo excited to be a part of the #Tokyo2020 @olympics Opening Ceremony!!!! #StrongerTogether #Olympics”
Yoko Ono Lennon, who wrote the song alongside Lennon, tweeted about the famous tune prior to the ceremony.
“IMAGINE. John and I were both artists and we were living together, so we inspired each other. The song ‘Imagine’ embodied what we believed together at the time. John and I met – he comes from the West and I come from the East – and still we are together,” she shared.
The opening ceremony also featured a fireworks display, tributes to those lost in the pandemic, a parade of the games’ athletes, and more. Eventually, the games were officially declared open when Tennis player Naomi Osaka lit the cauldron as more fireworks went off. Olympic events start today with many ramping up over the rest of the weekend.