John Lennon, "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)": the covers

In 1971, after spending two years promoting his campaign for peace thanks to the famous roadside billboards with the words “War is Over”, John Lennon writes a song that tells his vision of Christmas. He recorded it on October 28 and 29, 1971 at the Record Plant Studios in New York, with Phil Spector producing.

Beyond Yoko Onothe recordings were attended byHarlem Community Choir, Nicky Hopkins on the floor, Jim Keltner on the battery, Hugh McCracken, Chris Osbourne And Stuart Scharf to guitars and May Pang (Lennon’s personal assistant and future lover) on backing vocals.

John admitted that he took inspiration for the melody from the folk standard “Stewball”. When Phil Spector He heard the song for the first time and thought the verse was very similar to “I Love How You Love Me” a passage from Paris Sisters of 1961 which he himself had produced. The melody is also very similar to “Pledging my love” composed by Don Robey and Fats Washington and released by Johnny Ace in 1954. The single “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” – attributed on the cover to John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band – was released in the USA on 1 December 1971 but barely touched the Top 30. In Great Britain the song was only released in November 1972 due to legal problems over the co-headlining of the song in Yoko Ono.

Maurilio Giordana (blog owner “MyWay”)

Among the most successful covers is the one sung in 2015 by Sheryl Crow, Aloe Blacc and Peter Frampton in the concert at Madison Square Garden in New York for John Lennon’s 75th birthday.

In 1985 the song returned to the charts in Australia thanks to the cover of The Incredible Pinguins, a supergroup which included Bob Geldof, Angry Anderson (Rose Tattoo), Brian Mannix (Uncanny X-Men), Scott Carne (Kids in the Kitchen), Colleen Hewett and John Farnham.

Maroon 5 recorded their cover of the song in 2005.

The cover sung in 2006 by Sarah McLachlan will allow the Canadian singer to obtain a Grammy nomination.

In Italy the first to sing the song again will be Pooh who will publish their version in 1983.

In 1996 Gino Paoli published his version of the song with lyrics in Italian and the title “We are at Christmas”. The song appears on the album “Embezzlement”.

Before Gino Paoli, Albano and Romina had also adapted the song into Italian for the album “Corriere di Natale” published in 1991.

In 2025 “Happy Xmas” was re-sung by Art Gartfunkel and his son.

John Lennon’s Christmas classic has been translated into many languages. This is the Hungarian version published by Budapest Bár, a Hungarian gypsy band specialized in cover versions. The song became “Eljött az ünnep” which according to Google translate means “The holiday has arrived”.