"War is Over...if you want it." Lennon. Or "So This is Christmas."

[madfloridian]

Run time: 03:56 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f320hSBGadY   Posted on YouTube: April 17, 2015 By YouTube Member: YouTube Help Views on YouTube: 4829615   Posted on DU: December 20, 2006 By DU Member: madfloridian Views on DU: 1208

 
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."

Our war in Iraq needs to be over, and we do want it. Guess we are going to have to really make that clear.

[saracat]

1. Seems sad that this is still relevent but there we are.And so this is Christmas.

War is over if you want it,Mr.President.And his answer is sending more troops to die!

[madfloridian]

2. Lyrics....this song has always brought tears.

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
Ans 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 so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight
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
And what have we done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
Ans 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
War is over over
If you want it
War is over
Now...

Trouble is, our little boots may actually have become that dictator he always wanted to be. He sure is acting that way.

[ninkasi]

3. I am about the same age

as Paul. I remember when the Beatles hit America, and I remember all of John's songs. When he was killed, my younger son was a teen-ager, but had learned to love the Beatles, and John and Yoko, and Wings. I'll never forget, I was reading one evening, and he had gone to bed, but had his radio on. He came to the door to the den and said, "They killed John." I didn't have to ask John who, because the other John, Kennedy, had been killed when I was pregnant with that same son. Life can be strange.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

4. New year cards

I am a procrastinator and I love to make painted Xmas or Holiday cards, but sometimes I run out of ideas.

So I decided to send out New Year cards and avoid the rush. I thought of this song and came up with an idea:

Cover: Have a Happy New Year
Inside: Let's hope it's a good one, without any fear


I also found some narrow ribbon with "Imagine" printed on it!!!!! I will have to figure out how that can be integrated into the design!!!

[madfloridian]

6. "Let's hope it's a good one, without any fear"

I like that very much. I am not clever and artistic, so I envy people who are. I could get my students to be creative, but I never could myself.

That sounds like a card that would be much appreicated.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

7. Thank you dear!!!

:bounce: :bounce:

We could get into a long conversation about why I have time to be artistic now, the economy, etc. and you could probably figure a lot of it out. Millions of us fell out of the middle class.

I got my degrees in a bunch of boring respectable stuff cuz I thought I HAD TO. Turns out the real me is arty and musical. This is nothing new, I just was told it was not practical for making a living.



John's legacy will never die in our hearts and minds.

For more about liing on in other peoples' memories, get the movie THE KEEPER:THE LEGEND OF OMAR KHAYYAM. at www.greatomar.com Most excellent movie. Indie feature by a Persian fellow who graduated from the same law school I did!! And decided he had to make movies instead.

[MoJoWorkin]

5. Thanks, Madfloridian

I am forwarding this timeless message.

It made me cry, as well. I was a freshman in college when my JFK was assassinated. It seemed everyone who spoke of hope and peace were taken from us, and my life was changed (as I am sure was the case for so many others) forever.
When I think things can't get any worse now, I remember the despair of those times, and realize we have the ability to pick ourselves up and continue the good fight.

The spirits of JFK, MLK, RFK and Lennon live on---if we make it so.

[cynthia]

8. I have been listening to this song

forever it seems, and I didn't know the story, so of course I didn't hear the words "War is Over"

I have to believe that the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld types have never really felt the pain of losing someone in a stupid war. How could they not want war to be over?

Thanks for enlightening me today.

[Cookie wookie]

9. How could they not want war to be over?

W.H.Auden had the answer:

Multiply this description times all our fascist leaders

"Epitaph on a Tyrant

Perfection, of a kind, was what he was after,
And the poetry he invented was easy to understand;
He knew human folly like the back of his hand,
And was greatly interested in armies and fleets;
When he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter,
And when he cried the little children died in the streets."

[madfloridian]

11. "When he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter, "

"He knew human folly like the back of his hand,
And was greatly interested in armies and fleets;
When he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter,
And when he cried the little children died in the streets."

That immediately brought to mind the dinner where Little Boots was joking about the WMD...and "respectable senators burst with laughter."

I think I posted the video here when the forum was first formed.

[David Zephyr]

10. Thank you, madfloridian

I am e-mailing this to all I know.

I miss John.

He was a giant.