John Lennon’s message of peace at Christmas - Behind The Song: Classic Rock Chronicles

Summary

Behind The Song: John Lennon’s Message of Peace at Christmas

Episode Release Date: November 29, 2023
Podcast: Behind The Song by The Drive | Hubbard Radio
Host: Janda Lane

Introduction

In the "John Lennon’s Message of Peace at Christmas" episode of "Behind The Song," host Janda Lane delves deep into the creation, significance, and enduring legacy of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's iconic Christmas song, "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)." This episode explores the intersection of music and activism, highlighting how Lennon used his platform to advocate for peace during a tumultuous era.

Historical Context: Activism and Bed-Ins for Peace

Janda begins by setting the stage with the couple's extensive activism over two years leading up to the song's release. Starting in 1969, during their honeymoon, Lennon and Ono launched the famous Bed-Ins for Peace to protest the Vietnam War. These non-violent protests were symbolized by their international billboard campaign in 12 major cities, displaying the poignant message:

John Lennon (00:11): "War is over if you want it. Happy Christmas from John and Yoko."

This powerful declaration underscored their commitment to peace and served as the foundation for their musical endeavors.

Song Creation: "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"

By October 1971, following the success of Lennon's solo single "Imagine," which reached number three on the Billboard chart, Lennon recognized the potent combination of music and political messaging. He reflected:

Janda Lane (10:30): "It made him understand that it was necessary to put your political message across with a little honey."

Motivated to expand on themes of peaceful change and unity without succumbing to the usual holiday sentimentality, Lennon began crafting "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)." The song's development included:

Early October: Recorded a demo with acoustic guitar at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City.
Late October: Recatted another demo after moving to Greenwich Village.
Co-writing Credits: Although Yoko Ono is credited, her exact contribution to the initial demo remains unclear.

Recording Process and Personnel

The recording of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" was a collaborative effort, featuring a stellar lineup of session musicians and vocalists:

John Lennon: Lead vocals and guitar
Yoko Ono: Vocals
Hugh McCracken, Chris Osborne, Teddy Irwin, Stuart Scharf: Guitars
Klaus Voorman: Bass (arrived late due to travel delays)
Nicky Hopkins: Piano chimes and glockenspiel
Jim Keltner: Drums and sleigh bells
May Pang: Backing vocals
Harlem Community Choir: Children's choir (30 children aged 4-12)

These sessions took place in the final days of October at the Record Plant studio in New York. Notably, May Pang, who later became closely associated with Lennon during his "lost weekend," provided backing vocals.

Musical Influences and Production

Producer Phil Spector played a pivotal role in shaping the song's sound. The production drew influences from traditional English ballads like "Skew Ball" and the 1963 folk rendition "Stuball" by Peter, Paul and Mary. Spector also noted similarities to his own production work:

Janda Lane (25:45): "Phil Spector commented that the rhythm in the song's opening line is almost identical to the 1961 single 'I Love How You Love Me' by the Paris Sisters, which Spector himself also produced."

Release and Reception

Originally released on transparent green vinyl on December 1, 1971, in the US, the song featured artwork of Lennon morphing into Ono. The B-side showcased Ono's "Listen, the Snow Is Falling."

However, the song's initial release faced challenges:

US Release: Limited time before Christmas affected its immediate success.
UK Release: Delayed to the following year due to a publishing dispute over Ono's contributions. When finally released in the UK in the fall of 1972, it reached number four on the charts.

The song debuted on the compilation album "Shaved Fish" in 1975 and experienced a resurgence following Lennon's tragic death in 1980. Since then, it has become a perennial Christmas standard, covered by artists like Celine Dion, Maroon 5, John Legend, Miley Cyrus, and Mark Ronson with Sean Ono Lennon.

Legacy and Impact

"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" encapsulates Lennon’s vision of embedding political messages within accessible and uplifting music. The song’s enduring relevance is highlighted as Janda contemplates contemporary conflicts:

Janda Lane (50:15): "In 2023, I wonder what Lennon would write about the wars currently raging in the Middle East and in Ukraine."

Lennon's body of work, including "Imagine," "Give Peace a Chance," and "Power to the People," continues to resonate, advocating for peace and unity.

Conclusion

As the holiday season approaches each year, "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" serves as a timeless reminder of the power of music as a tool for peace and social change. John Lennon and Yoko Ono's collaboration not only produced a cherished Christmas classic but also reinforced the enduring message that war can indeed be overcome through collective will.

Janda Lane (1:05:30): "Every Christmas time as we wind down the year and reflect, aren't we lucky to have this message of peace, harmony, and good in the soundtrack of our season."

Connect with "Behind The Song":
Follow Janda on TikTok, tune in on 97.1 FM The Drive in Chicago weekdays from 9 to 2 Central, or visit wdrv.com for more classic rock and roll insights.

Transcript

Janda (0:00)

97.1Fm the drive presents the behind the Song podcast, taking you deeper into classic rock's most timeless tunes. Here's your host, Janda Tis the season.

John Lennon (0:11)

For Christmas songs and in this episode of behind the Song, let's take a look at the first Christmas song released by a former Beatle after the fabs broke up. Happy Christmas War Is over by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. If you like this episode, please give it a like and hit. Subscribe. Released on December 1, 1971 in the US and a year later in the UK, the song was built on more than two years of activism and peaceful protest by Lennon and Ono. That started of course with their famous Bed Ins for Peace focused on protesting the Vietnam War. Beginning on their honeymoon in 1969, they launched an international billboard campaign in 12 major cities around the world to display their thought provoking message in stark black and white a declaration which simply said war is over if you want it. Happy Christmas from John and Yoko. By October of 1971, Lennon had released his single Imagine in the US which quickly went to number three on the Billboard chart. It remains his most successful solo single with lyrics encouraging peace. And with its success, he realized that putting his messages of protest into song had the ability to make the most impact. He said it made him understand that it was necessary to put your political message across with a little honey. The Beatles had a history of releasing Christmas singles directly to their fan club each Christmas from 1963 to 1969. So with the Christmas season approaching, Lennon got to work building on the Billboard campaign. He set out to write a song that would expand on the idea of peaceful change and unity with uplifting lyrics that would feel like the spirit of Christmas without overdoing the sentimentality of most holiday songs. In early October, he recorded a demo on acoustic guitar while he and Ono were staying at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City. Another demo would be recut in late October after they moved to an apartment in Greenwich Village. Ono received co writing credit, but it's unclear how much she participated in the original demo because she wasn't a part of that first recording. What is clear is that Lennon was intent on recording this song and releasing it as quickly as possible in advance of the Christmas season. By the way, the other Beatles would later follow with their own solo Christmas songs. George Harrison came next with his Ding Dong ding Dong in 1974, then Paul McCartney with His Wonderful Christmas Time in 1979 and finally Ringo in 1999 with I Wanna Be Santa Claus. But John Lennon was first since he had recently worked with producer Phil Spector on his previous two albums, John Lennon, Plastic Ono Band and which was released in the US just a few weeks before Lennon asked Spector to once again produce the song. There are some sonically similar songs to Lennon's composition that must be mentioned here. There are structural similarities to the traditional English ballad Skew Ball, and even more so to the 1963 version that follows the folk music tradition of borrowing music from one another by Peter, Paul and Mary called Stuball. Give that one a and you'll really hear the similarities to Lennon's song. Also, Phil Spector commented that the rhythm in the song's opening line is almost identical to the 1961 single I Love how youw Love Me by the Paris Sisters, which Spector himself also produced. As far as the recording, what a lineup. The session players, some of whom had played previously as part of the Plastic Ono Band, were called into the Record Plant studio in New York in the final days of Octo. Some of these names may be familiar to you. Along with John Lennon on lead vocals and guitar and Yoko Ono singing, you had Hugh McCracken, Chris Osborne, Teddy Irwin and Stuart Scharf on guitar. Klaus Vorman flew in from Germany to play bass, arriving a day or two late because of air travel delays. Nicky Hopkins played piano chimes and the glockenspiel, a very Christmassy instrument indeed. And Jim Keltner sat behind the drums and played sleigh Bel. May Pang sang backing vocals on this song. Yes, that May Pang, who in 1971 was working as Lennon and Ono's personal assistant and who would later in the decade have an Ono approved affair with Lennon during his 18 month lost weekend while he and Ono were separated. Finally, the Harlem Community Choir was brought in to sing on the song. 30 children between 4 and 12 years of age recorded the backups in Sing Along Ch on Halloween of 1971. The song begins with whispers from Ono and Lennon to their children from previous marriages. Ono whispers Happy Christmas, Kiyoko to her daughter Kiyoko cox, born in 1963 during her marriage to filmmaker Anthony Cox. And Lennon whispers Happy Christmas, Julian to his first son, also born in 63 during Lennon's marriage to Cynthia Powell. And then the lyrics begin, so this is Christmas and what have you done? Another year over and a new one just begun and so this is Christmas I hope you have fun the near and the dear one the old and the young A very merry Christmas and a happy new year let's hope it's a good one Without Any fear and then it's on to the next verse. An all inclusive vision of unity at Christmas time. And so this is Christmas for weak and for strong for rich and the poor ones the road is so long and so happy Christmas for black and for white for yellow and red one let's stop all the fight these repeat and then the Harlem Community Choir finishes the song with a counter melody singing War is over if you want it War is over now. When this song was quickly released in the States in time for Christmas of 1971, it wasn't an immediate hit, partly due to the short time frame between the holiday and when it was in stores. Its release was delayed until the next year in the UK because of a publishing dispute there over Ono's contribution, but it went to number four when it was finally released in the UK in the fall of 1970. The original 7 inch single was issued on transparent green vinyl with some interesting artwork on the pressing, a sequence of images showing Lennon's face morphing into Ono's. The B side is Ono's single Listen the Snow Is Falling, which was recorded during the same sessions. The COVID photograph for the sleeve, which shows Lennon and Ono surrounded by the Harlem Community Choir, May Pang and the session performers, was taken by McMillan, who also took the COVID photo by the way, for the Beatles Abbey Road album and had previously taken photos of Ono for his own work. The first time Happy War Is over appeared on an album was on the only compilation of Lennon's solo recordings released in his lifetime, on the Shaved fish album in 1975. After John Lennon's tragic, untimely death in 1980, the song again re entered the char and since then it's become a standard at Christmas time. It's been reissued several times over the years and it's been covered by many other artists including Celine Dion, Maroon 5, John Legend and Miley Cyrus and Mark Ronson with Sean Ono, Lennon, John and Yoko's son. Happy Christmas War Is over accomplished John Lennon's vision of putting a little honey on his message, urging peace and unification without being overly saccharine. The Viet War is over. But now, in 2023, I wonder what Lennon would write about the wars currently raging in the Middle east and in the Ukraine. All of his protest songs, among them Imagine Give Peace a Chance and Power to the People, endure and are as important now as they were when he was alive to write them. And every Christmas time as we wind down the year and reflect, aren't we lucky to have this message of peace, harmony and good in the soundtrack of our season. I'm Janda and this has been behind the song. If you enjoyed this episode, give it a like and subscribe to the channel. Special thanks as always to Christian Lane for the music you hear on these podcast episodes. Check us out on TikTok and you can find me on the air weekdays from 9 to 2 Central and 971 FM the Drive in Chicago. And@wdrv.com on the way, much more classic rock and roll.