The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Lennon tells of ‘dread’ at covering Beatle dad’s famous song Imagine
Singer song-writer Julian Lennon has said he was “dreading” the day he would have to perform his father’s famous song, Imagine.
Lennon, 59, the son of Beatles legend John Lennon and his first wife Cynthia, performed the song in April to honour those suffering in wartorn Ukraine.
Speaking to Sir Elton John’s Rocket Hour radio show, Lennon said: “Since I’ve been in the business, I’ve kind of been dreading the day... because I’d always said that I would only actually sing it if it felt like it was the end of the world, in many respects.”
He added: “And after watching what’s been going on over the past couple of years, and especially recently with Russia and Ukraine, the people of Global Citizen said, ‘Got anything up your sleeve?’ And I’ve been watching the horrors on TV... I just felt, this is it.
“And once I’d said yes, if you thought I had anxiety before, once I’d said, yes, I went, ‘Oh my God, how am I going to do this, that honours it, and is different and is my own take, but still respects it in every way, shape or form’.”
Lennon explained his approach to covering the song, and said it will be released as a single, with proceeds going to Ukraine and global refugee groups.
He told Sir Elton: “For me, the only way I could do that was take it away from the piano, the plunky piano, and do it as raw, as unproduced as possible and as heartfelt as possible.”
Lennon is releasing his seventh album later this year, titled Jude as a nod to his father’s band.
Elton John’s Rocket Hour is available on Apple Music 1.