"Imagine" intoned

Italy’s ESC starter with a sign of reconciliation

(Bild: AFP (Screenshot))

In the midst of the controversy surrounding Israel's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, Italy's representative Angelina Mango sent a conciliatory signal on Friday evening. In the press area, she sang John Lennon's famous peace anthem "Imagine".

Before the start of the performance, 22-year-old Mango explained in English: "Hello everyone, I am here because I want to express my thoughts in my own way and with my own words. (...) I just want the music to speak. And that's the strongest message I can share today."

"Imagine" - anthem for a better world
Then, accompanied only by a guitarist, she sang the ex-Beatle's song of the same name, released in 1971 on the album "Imagine", in which he sang about the vision of a world without war and hatred. For more than 50 years, "Imagine" has been regarded as an anthem for a better world.

Accompanied only by a guitarist, Mango sang John Lennon's peace anthem "Imagine".(Bild: AFP (Screenshot))

"Imagine if there were no states, nothing to kill or die for", goes the second verse. Lennon was expressing an idea that is propagated today by the No Border Network and similar movements - a world without borders. "And no religion either," Lennon continues, "imagine people all living in peace."

Angelina Mango during a rehearsal for the ESC final(Bild: AP/Associated Press)

The singer took the wind out of the sails of critics in the chorus of the song, which was based on a line from the book "Grapefruit" written by his wife Yoko Ono: "You can say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."

Mango wins Sanremo music festival
Angelina Mango won the traditional Sanremo Music Festival in February and will represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö with her winning song "La noia".