| "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Single by John & Yoko/The Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| B-side | "Listen, the Snow Is Falling" (Yoko Ono) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Released | 6 December 1971 (US) 24 November 1972 (UK) |
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| Format | 7" single | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | 28–29 October 1971 at Record Plant Studios, New York | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Christmas, pop rock | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 3:37 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Label | EMI, Parlophone, Apple | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | John Lennon, Yoko Ono | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Producer | Phil Spector, John Lennon, Yoko Ono | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" is a song written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono and released in 1971 as a single by John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir.
The song reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart (where release was delayed until 1972).[1] Ostensibly a protest song about the Vietnam War, it has become a Christmas standard, appearing on several Christmas albums, and was voted the ninth favourite Christmas song in a poll by music channel VH1.[2] The song was re-released in the UK on 20 December 1980, shortly after John Lennon's murder on 8 December, and peaked at number 2 in the chart battle for the Christmas number one.[1]
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The lyric is based on a campaign in late 1969 by Lennon and Ono, who rented billboards and posters in eleven major cities around the world that read: "WAR IS OVER! (If You Want It) Happy Christmas from John and Yoko". In 1971, the United States was deeply entrenched in the unpopular Vietnam War. The line "War is over, if you want it, war is over, now!", as sung by the background vocals, was taken directly from the billboards.
The melody and chord structure are from the folk standard "Stewball", about a race-horse.[3] Lennon and Ono added the key changes (shifting back and forth between A and D) and the "War is over" counter-melody.
It was recorded at Record Plant Studios in New York City in late October 1971, with the help of producer Phil Spector. It features heavily echoed vocals and backing vocals from children of the Harlem Community Choir.
The recording starts with spoken Christmas greetings from Ono and Lennon to their children: Ono whispers "Happy Christmas, Kyoko", then Lennon whispers "Happy Christmas, Julian". The lyric sheet from the 1982 album The John Lennon Collection erroneously gives this introduction as "Happy Christmas, Yoko. Happy Christmas, John".
Which of the four guitarists played the bass part is unknown. Klaus Voormann had been slated to play bass guitar on the song, but was unable to attend the session when his plane was delayed.[4] Voormann would arrive in time to contribute to the single's B-side, however, recording for which begun the following day.[5]
The single was released on Apple Records in the United States (catalogue Apple 1842) in December of 1971, being too close to Christmas to make any commercial impact. Due to a publishing dispute, the UK and worldwide release of the single (Apple R5970) was delayed until the following November. The single peaked at #4 in the UK in late December 1972. The song was re-released in the UK on 20 December 1980, shortly after John Lennon's murder on 8 December, peaking at #2.
The song's first appearance on album was the 1975 compilation Shaved Fish; it has also been included on several subsequent Lennon compilation albums and several Christmas-themed compilations. The album cover for "Shaved Fish" featured a drawing of a plane dropping a Christmas ornament instead of a bomb.
The song has been covered many times,[6] notably by The Fray whose version, released online in December 2006 reached #50 on the Billboard Hot 100, the first time the song appeared on the US charts. Melissa Etheridge, Celine Dion and Neil Diamond also recorded it. Street Drum Corps, along with Bert McCracken, recorded a cover available on the Christmas album Taste of Christmas that was also released as a single. In 1996 Jimmy Buffett covered the song on his holiday album Christmas Island. An instrumental cover version by Tomoyasu Hotei appears on Steve Vai's 1997 compilation Merry Axemas: A Guitar Christmas. In 2003, the finalists of the second series of the TV show Pop Idol covered the song for the album Pop Idol: The Idols - Xmas Factor. In 2008, the song was covered by hard rock artists Tommy Shaw, Steve Lukather, Marco Mendoza, & Kenny Aaronoff for the album We Wish You a Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year. The song was also covered by The Moody Blues on their 2003 album December. Maroon 5 released a cover version in 2007. Sent By Ravens released a cover of it on the Tooth and Nail album Happy Christmas Vol. 5. Beatallica, a band whose songs consist of mash-ups with The Beatles and Metallica, have a version on their 2009 Christmas album Winter Plunderland. Pop singer Jessica Simpson covered the song for her 2010 Christmas album and sang the song with younger sister Ashlee Simpson on a PBS television special. Vanessa Carlton covered the song for her 2011 holiday ep Hear The Bells.
In 1967, American topical singer Phil Ochs wrote "The War Is Over", a song that declared an end to the Vietnam War; Ochs recorded the song in 1968.[7] There is no indication that Lennon or Ono knew of Ochs' song.[8]
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