In front of a packed and illuminated Baku Olympic Stadium in Azerbaijan, Lady Gaga took the stage in a glamorous white dress and sat at a piano covered in bright flowers and green foliage. She had been invited to be one of the acts to perform live for the opening ceremony of the 2015 European Games – the first-ever competition of the European Games. Music Man fans will love to see how Lady Gaga brought the spirit of multinational sport to her performance.
International sporting events are often seen as events that champion inclusion and work to break down barriers, which made Lady Gaga’s choice to cover John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ at the opening ceremony in Azerbaijan a poignant one. Using her signature powerful vocals, Lady Gaga transformed the simplistic song into a performance that stunned viewers around the world. The online video of her performance has received over 24M views, with one amazed fan commenting, “Did anyone else get chills?”
Music Man fans will be blown away by the power behind Lady Gaga’s voice as it rings around the stadium. However, this was not the first time she performed the song. She originally performed John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ in 2009, and this time, her vocal performance stayed closer to the simplicity of the original as she let the lyrics of the song shine. Invited to perform at the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner, Gaga chose to use the opportunity to speak on an issue close to her heart.
As an openly bisexual woman, Lady Gaga has been vocal about her support for LGBTQ+ rights. In her performance, she changed the lyric “above us only sky” to “only Matthew in the sky” – a reference to Matthew Shepard, a gay man whose murder in 1998 spurred hate crime legislation. While an adjustment to the original, it’s likely John Lennon would have approved of the change due to his own support of the gay rights movement, such as contributing to The Gay Liberation Book in 1973.
Whether inspiring countries to come together in peace or honoring those who have been lost in the fight for progress, John Lennon and Lady Gaga have both acted as champions for the universal ideals of togetherness and equality. John Lennon’s song continues to live on as his lyrics encapsulate a philosophy that continues to inspire people across the world today. More than 40 years after his passing, performers like Lady Gaga continue to carry his message forward, ensuring that it continues to inspire and warm the hearts of all who hear it.
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