John Legend sings "Imagine" with artists from around the world at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics.

On Friday, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (opens in new tab) opened with an emotional opening ceremony.

The 2020 Summer Olympics will be held again this year after being postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic (opens in new tab), but the ongoing effects of the pandemic continue to be felt at the Games as well as around the world. While the Olympics usually draw large crowds, this year's Games are more low-key, as spectators are not allowed to directly cheer on the athletes. Organizers also planned a more somber opening ceremony than in previous years to respect and reflect on the effects of the global pandemic.

The most impressive part of the opening ceremony was the virtual performance of John Lennon's classic "Imagine" by artists from around the world. The Japanese Junior Chorus began the performance, followed by John Legend representing the Americas (open in new tab), Keith Urban (open in new tab) and Angelique Kidjo (open in new tab) representing Oceania, Africa, and Europe, respectively, Alejandro Sanz (opens in new tab) participated virtually. [1,824 drones lit up the sky above the Olympic Stadium, creating a rotating 3D globe:

As the official Olympic Twitter (opens in new tab) account noted, this is not the first time "Imagine" has been performed at the Olympics.

The Olympics captioned a video featuring highlights of the song's role in past Olympics, including London 2012, Pyeongchang 2018, Turin 2012, and Atlanta 1996." A trip down memory lane..."

The Olympics also shared a special message from Kidjo on Twitter, further reinforcing its commitment to this year's "Stronger Together" theme:

"The world I want to live in is one of respect, love, care, compassion, empathy, and constant A world of respect, love, care, compassion, empathy, and constant dialogue. That we talk to each other, even when we disagree, and reach consensus for the betterment of humanity." The only thing that matters to me is human life. Possessions are one thing, but at the center of it all is us, human beings, and that must be more important than anything else."