JOHN LENNON – HAPPY XMAS

JOHN LENNON – “HAPPY XMAS”

Christmas is coming! Because of that, today I’m going to talk about an emblematic Christmas song called “Happy Xmas (War Is Over), composed by John Lennon.

WHO’S JOHN LENNON?

John Lennon was a British singer and musician that founded the band “The Beatles” with Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, a band that became a reference in modern music’s history . 

BIOGRAPHY

He was born in Liverpool, the 9^th October of 1940, while the Nazis’ airplanes where bombarding the city. His father abandoned his family when he was a child.

During a few years, he studied in the Academy of Fine Arts, where in 1956, he met Paul McCartney. Two years later, George Harrison joined the band, and they started playing in bars under the name of “The Nurk Twins”.

 In 1958, Lennon’s mother died, and he tried to find a job with no success, so he lived unemployed for a few years.

 In 1960, the group was renamed to “Long John and the Silver Beatles”, a name that, in the end, was summarized as “The Beatles” because of a word game that Lennon did, blending the musical term “beat” and the word “beetles”.   John, Paul and George went on a tour to Scotland, accompanying a singer called Johnny Gentle. When they returned to their home town, they started playing in a subterranean club, The Cavern, where they exhibited their songs and music. In 1961, Brian Epstein, who owned a record shop, discovered them. Since then, the musical career of “The Beatles” took off. In 1962, Ringo Starr joined “The Beatles” as the drummer of the band. So, then, the group was completed and prepared to face the whirlwind of triumphs and glory. The songs of the Beatles were composed by John and Paul, and the entire band stood out because of their new clothing style and haircut, and their funny and challenging attitude, especially leaded by Lennon. 

A few years later, John married the Japanese Yoko Ono in Gibraltar.

In 1970, because of the financial problems and the supposed artistic jealousy between Paul and John, “The Beatles” broke up. When the band was dissolved, Lennon said: “the dream is finished”.

At that time, Lennon became a peace activist and his talent for composing and songwriting was reflected in songs like "Give peace a chance", "Power to the people" or "Some time in New York City". But his most successful song was “Imagine”, produced in 1971 that became a peace hymn in those conflictive times. 

In 1980, John recorded the album “Double Fantasy”. In the songs of this album, he wrote about his unconditional love to his wife and his son. The 8^th December he was murdered by Mark David Chapman, a fan who shot him five times when Lennon was going back home. This event turned him into a “modern legend”

HIS SONG “HAPPY XMAS”

The story behind this song

Lennon composed this song as a protest against the Vietnam War. This purpose is reflected in the lyrics, that are based in an advertising campaign that Lennon and Yoko did in 1969. The couple rented out hoardings and magazines so they could publish in an article the slogan “War is over (If You Want It). This advertising campaign was developed in eleven cities, such as London, Athens, Rome, New York and Tokyo. That’s why, in one of the verses Lennon asks for peace, (and so happy Christmas for the yellow and red ones), in which “the yellow ones” symbolizes the Vietnameses and “the red ones” symbolizes the Americans.  

When, who and where is the song recorded?

The song, recorded in the “Record Plant Studios” in New York in October 1971, starts with John and Yoko wishing merry Christmas to their children.  

John recorded the song with his wife and a children choir called “Harlem Community Choir” with singers, such as Hugh McCracken, Stuar Sharf and Chris Osborn and guitarists, Jim Kelther as well as the drummer and Nicky Hopkins playing the keyboard. 

Xmas spreads out of the world

The single was published the 6^th December of 1971 in EEUU, and in the UK in November 1972. When Lennon died, the song was reedited as a single in CD with songs like “Imagine” and “Instant Karma!”, part of the LP “Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon”.

In 2006, the band “The Fray” recorded a version of the song, and so did several groups and musicians like Melissa Etheridge, Céline Dior or Neil Diamond.

Xmas in Youtube

You can find this song posted on YouTube if you click on this link:   x-mas. 

The lyrics of “Happy Xmas (Was Is Over)” put us face to face with the year that comes and the one that is finished and shows a world divided by power, wealth, race and ideology. Lennon asks people to keep hope alive and to wish the war to end.

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 ones
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 so this is Christmas (War is over)
For weak and for strong (If you want it)
For 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)

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year