Happy Xmas (War Is Over) is a song that was written by John Lennon with partial help from Yoko Ono. It was recorded at the Record Plant in New York City in late October of 1971, with the help of producer Phil Spector. It features soaring, heavily echoed vocals, and a sing-along chorus. The children singing in the background were from the Harlem Community Choir and are credited on the song's single.
Directly following John Lennon's death on December 8, 1980, the song was re-released in the UK on December 20 1980.
Although the song is a protest song about the Vietnam War, it has become a Christmas standard and has appeared on several Christmas CDs. One of the best known versions was recorded live by Melissa Etheridge.
Closely related to the song: in late 1969, John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono rented billboards and posters in eleven cities around the world that read: "WAR IS OVER! (If You Want It) Happy Christmas from John and Yoko." Five of the eleven cities included in the billboard campaign were New York, Tokyo, Rome, Amsterdam, and London. At the time the United States was deeply entrenched in the Vietnam War, which would later become a major political debacle.
The song is heavily covered in punk rock circles by bands such as Thrice, The Used, and Acceptance.
It was also covered by the finalists of Pop Idol 2 in 2003. [Info courtesy: wikipedia.org]
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