Happy XMAS (War is Over) John Lennon – Christmas Countdown No. 2

Happy XMAS (War is Over) is one of my family’s favourite secular Christmas songs. The song appears on John Lennon’s posthumous compilation The John Lennon Collection shown inset. I don’t know how many times I put the needle down on this record as a kid, but it was a lot. We had one of those old wooden turntables which look like a dresser, and I remember sitting at the front of the fireplace and listening to it. I have to add here, Yoko’s vocals in the chorus – A very merry Christmas / And a happy New Year are magnificent and make the hairs on my arms stand up on end.

Happy XMAS (War is Over) was released as a single by John & Yoko/The Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir in 1971. Lennon became the first Beatle to release a Christmas song after the band’s demise and it was his seventh single outside his work with the Beatles. The song reached number four in the UK, where its release was delayed until November 1972, and has occasionally re-emerged on the UK Singles Chart, most notably after Lennon’s murder in December 1980, when it peaked at number two. 

John Lennon said he wrote it “because I was sick of White Christmas,” but this song also serves as a powerful protest song against the Vietnam War. This song came on the heels of two years of activism by John Lennon & Yoko Ono. They had already been spreading the message “WAR IS OVER! If You Want It – Happy Christmas from John & Yoko” on posters and such around the world (as seen above). Backing vocals on the song are also provided by the Harlem Community Choir — a powerful choice of using children to deliver an anti-war message.

[Intro: Yoko Ono & John Lennon]
Happy Christmas, Kyoko
Happy Christmas, Julian

[Verse 1: John Lennon]
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 had fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young

[Chorus: Yoko Ono & Harlem Community Choir]
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let’s hope it’s a good one
Without any fear

[Verse 2: John Lennon & Harlem Community Choir]
And so this is Christmas(War is over)
For weak and for strong(If you want it)
The rich and the poor ones (War is over)
The road is so long (Now)
And so happy Christmas (War is over)
For black and for white (If you want it)
For yellow and red ones(War is over)
Let’s stop all the fight(Now)

[Verse 3: John Lennon & Harlem Community Choir]
And so this is Christmas (War is over)
And what have we done? (If you want it)
Another year over (War is over)
And a new one just begun (Now)
And so happy Christmas (War is over)
We hope you have fun (If you want it)
The near and the dear ones (War is over)
The old and the young (Now)

References:
1. Happy XMAS (War is Over) – Wikipedia

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