Born in Liverpool, Lennon became involved in the skiffle craze as a teenager. In 1956, he formed The Quarrymen, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Sometimes called "the smart Beatle", Lennon initially was the group's de facto leader, a role he gradually ceded to McCartney. Through his songwriting in the Beatles, he embraced myriad musical influences, initially writing and co-writing rock and pop-oriented hit songs in the band's early years, then later incorporating experimental elements into his compositions in the latter half of the Beatles' career as his songs became known for their increasing innovation. Lennon soon expanded his work into other media by participating in numerous films, including How I Won the War, and authoring In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works, both collections of nonsense writings and line drawings. Starting with "All You Need Is Love", his songs were adopted as anthems by the anti-war movement and the larger counterculture of the 1960s. In 1969, he started the Plastic Ono Band with his second wife, multimedia artist Yoko Ono, held the two-week-long anti-war demonstration Bed-ins for Peace and left the Beatles to embark on a solo career.
Between 1968 and 1972, Lennon and Ono collaborated on many works, including a trilogy of avant-garde albums, several more films, his solo debut John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and the international top-10 singles "Give Peace a Chance", "Instant Karma!", "Imagine", and "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)". Moving to New York City in 1971, his criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in a three-year deportation attempt by the Nixon administration. Lennon and Ono separated from 1973 to 1975, during which time he produced Harry Nilsson's album Pussy Cats. He also had chart-topping collaborations with Elton John ("Whatever Gets You thru the Night") and David Bowie ("Fame"). Following a five-year hiatus, Lennon returned to music in 1980 with the Ono collaboration Double Fantasy. He was murdered by a Beatles fan, Mark David Chapman, three weeks after the album's release.
As a performer, writer or co-writer, Lennon had 25 number-one singles in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Double Fantasy, his best-selling album, won the 1981 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. That year, he won the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2002, Lennon was voted eighth in a BBC history poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. Rolling Stone ranked him the fifth-greatest singer and 38th greatest artist of all time. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (in 1997) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (twice, as a member of the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1994).
Studio albums
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)
Imagine (1971)
Some Time in New York City (with Yoko Ono, 1972)
Mind Games (1973)
Walls and Bridges (1974)
Rock 'n' Roll (1975)
Double Fantasy (with Yoko Ono, 1980)
Milk and Honey (Posthumous with Yoko Ono, 1984)
Experimental studio albums with Yoko Ono
Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins (1968)
Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions (1969)
Wedding Album (1969)
Happy Christmas/War is over
John Lennon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Happy Christmas Julian)
So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
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 one
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
A new one just begun
And so happy Christmas
We 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, if you want it
War is over now
La, la, ah, ah
Happy Christmas
Happy Christmas (happy Christmas)
Happy Christmas (happy Christmas)
John Lennon's song "Happy Christmas/War is over" was written as a message of peace during the Vietnam War. The opening lyrics directly address his son Julian and Yoko Ono's daughter Kyoko, wishing them a happy Christmas. Lennon uses the holiday as an opportunity to reflect on the year that has passed and the hopes for the upcoming year. Lennon wants his listeners to have fun and enjoy time with their loved ones. However, the song's tone shifts as Lennon mentions the world's wrongs and the need for peace.
Lennon sees Christmas as a time for everyone, regardless of their race or class, to come together and stop fighting. He urges his listeners to make the holiday a time to put their differences aside and to stop the violence that was taking place. The lyrics of the song become political as Lennon speaks directly to the idea of war, declaring that it's over if people want it to be. The repetition of the phrase "War is over" underscores the song's anti-war message and its message of hope. By the end of the song, Lennon is wishing his listeners a happy holiday and a good new year, but with the added emphasis on the importance of striving for peace.
Line by Line Meaning
So this is Christmas
It's currently the Christmas season
And what have you done
What accomplishments or actions have you undertaken in the past year?
Another year over
Another year has ended
And a new one just begun
A new year has now begun
And so this is Christmas
It is now the time for celebrating Christmas
I hope you have fun
I hope you enjoy this holiday season
The near and the dear one
Both loved ones who are close by and those who are far away
The old and the young
People of all ages
A very Merry Christmas
I wish you a very joyous Christmas
And a happy new year
May the new year be filled with happiness
Let's hope it's a good one
Let's wish that this upcoming year will be successful and prosperous
Without any fear
May we avoid any fears or worries in the new year
For weak and for strong
All people, regardless of their strength or weakness
For rich and the poor ones
All people, regardless of their wealth or poverty
The world is so wrong
Things are not right in the world
For black and for white
All people, regardless of their race
For yellow and red one
All people, regardless of their skin color
Let's stop all the fight
Let's work together to eliminate conflict and violence
And what have we done
What progress or actions have we taken as a society?
War is over, If you want it
It is possible to end the wars if we truly desire peace
War is over now
The wars can be brought to an end
Happy Christmas
Merry Christmas
La, la, ah, ah
Musical interlude
Happy Christmas (happy Christmas)
Merry Christmas greeting repeated
Happy Christmas (happy Christmas)
Merry Christmas greeting repeated
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Winston Lennon, Yoko Ono
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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on Imagine - 2010 - Remaster
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