John Legend made waves on social media after he and Keith Urban made surprise appearances Friday, July 23, during the Opening Ceremony at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. 

Both singers featured in a pre-recorded performance of John Lennon's 'Imagine' alongside Spanish performer Alejandro Sanz, Beninese singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo and the Suginami Children's Choir. The rendition was reportedly arranged by legendary composer Hans Zimmer. Social media users chimed in to comment on the performance, with some poking fun at Legend's model wife Chrissy Teigen over her recent controversies.

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The unique group of crooners was seen in the video singing against a white background as athlete representatives from each country gathered on the opening ceremony stage. Event organizers reportedly deployed 1,800 drones above the Olympic Stadium to form the Tokyo 2020 Games logo before making the globe.

The late John Lennon's widow, 88-year-old songstress Yoko Ono, tweeted about the song shortly before the ceremony. Lennon was tragically assassinated at age 40 in 1980. "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," the Tokyo-born Ono wrote.

Meanwhile, Legend commented in a behind-the-scenes video, "What a beautiful group of artists to come together to celebrate the idea that we're bound together as human beings. And this is the perfect song for us to sing together." 

While many on social media lauded the 'All of Me' hitmaker's performance, some poked fun at his wife in light of the recent controversies she was embroiled in. "Chrissy Teigen’s husband @johnlegend is up there singing and stuff. #Tokyo2020," reporter Jonah Gilmore tweeted. "At which point Legend's wife tweeted that all the female athletes were ugly and they should all go home and compete in dog shows instead," a Twitter user joked, reacting to the performance. "Japan doesn’t have any performers?," another curious Twitter user asked. "I can’t even sing John Legend All of me at the karaoke bar anymore cuz it’s about Chrissy Teigen and she’s canceled," another added. "Too bad Chrissy Teigen doesn’t represent peace and harmony like her husband, John, who eloquently sang 'Imagine,'" a comment read. "Thank you sweet Jesus for not including Chrissy Teigen when John Legend was singing Imagine," another chimed in.

The virtual performance was one of Legend's first major performances since his wife faced backlash for her resurfaced tweets that targeted then-teenager model Courtney Stodden, as well as claims of cyberbullying from designer Michael Costello. Teigen was forced to write an open letter apologizing for her past remarks. 

 

This isn't the first time 'Imagine' has been performed at the Olympics. Stevie Wonder covered it at the 1996 Atlanta Games, followed by a children's choir rendition a the 2012 London Games' Closing Ceremony. Keith Urban, who performed the song with Legend, described the popular 1971 track as "just one of those songs that feels like it's always been there," Urban added. "It's almost more of a hymn than a song." Pop-rock legend Lennon himself had once said about the song, “We’re not the first to say ‘Imagine no countries’ or ‘Give peace a chance,’ but we’re carrying that torch, like the Olympic torch, passing it hand to hand, to each other, to each country, to each generation. And that’s our job.