A poignant video presentation memorializing the 9/11 terror attacks, featuring archival footage of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, has been posted on Lennon’s social media pages. The video features Lennon and Ono riding on the Staten Island ferry with the World Trade Center in the background.
The minute-long clip is accompanied by an orchestral, instrumental version of John’s classic 1971 peace anthem “Imagine.” The song segment is from the “Elements Mix” version that appears on the 2018 expanded reissue of the Imagine album. The video features as its caption the following lyrical line: “Imagine all the people living life in peace.”
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The footage, which is presented in slow motion, features the late Beatles legend and his wife captured from behind looking at the Twin Towers as the ferry travels away from Manhattan. John has his left arm around Yoko’s shoulder.
According to the BeatlesonFilm.com website, the footage was shot on September 12, 1971, while Lennon and Ono were working on the movie made to accompany John’s Imagine album. The film premiered as a U.S. television special in December 1972.
Fans React to the Video of Lennon and Ono
The new video clip inspired many fans to post reactions in the comments section of Lennon’s YouTube channel.
“John would have been heartbroken about 9/11,” one fan wrote. “He adopted NYC and we were blessed to have him. I remember hearing on the radio as a little girl the announcement of his death. I didn’t know him but it made me sad. He had a beautiful, kind and courageous soul. I wish he was here today. Blessings be upon him.”
A second began their commented with the “Imagine” lyric, “… and the world will live as one…,” adding, “Almost 45 years … and John’s dream still lives on … for those of us who believed in Lennon, and NOT in ‘Us vs. Them.’”
A third fan wrote, “Never forget. Never give up hope for peace.”
Yoko Ono’s First Post-9/11 Homage
Several months after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Ono had billboards put up in New York City, Tokyo, and London that read “Imagine all the people living life in peace.” In a March 2002 interview with the Associated Press, Yoko explained, “After the horrible events of September 11, I thought it was a very important time to remind people of this message, because the world needs peace.”
Over the ensuing years, Ono has timed various other peace initiatives with the 9/11 anniversary.
(Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)