John Lennon's son Julian Lennon performs 'Imagine' for Ukraine

Julian Lennon had vowed he would only sing the song if it was "the End of the World". Photo / YouTube

John Lennon's son Julian Lennon has performed his father's song "Imagine" for the first time.

The Too Late for Goodbyes hitmaker posted a link to a YouTube video of the candlelit live rendition of the 1971 song - written by the former Beatle and his stepmother Yoko Ono - to raise money for the ongoing "unimaginable tragedy" and humanitarian crisis happening in Ukraine following Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion in February.

In a Twitter thread on Friday, the 59-year-old musician wrote: "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. So today, for the first time ever, I publicly performed my Dad's song, IMAGINE."

Julian explained why he was breaking his previous vow that he "would only" sing the song if it was "the 'End of the World" but was making an exception to make "love and togetherness" appear, if only briefly.

He said: "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. Because within this song, we're transported to a space, where love and togetherness become our reality, if but for a moment in time ..."

Okay, this made me teary eyed.

Happy Birthday @JulianLennon ✌️❤️ https://t.co/z92TV8Vfvg

— Charlie Ashby 🔜 #SWCA (@CMWAshby) April 8, 2022

I cannot believe how emotional this has made me feel 😢 https://t.co/TIVhjTxekt

— Caths22🌳 (@cathdaqueen) April 8, 2022

Julian said: "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."

Julian concluded his thread with a plea to "world leaders and everyone who believes in the sentiment" of the song to do something for the millions of people displaced by the conflict, such as donating to refugee aid providers Global Citizen.

He said: "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."