John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 1940 – 8 Decem… Read Full Bio ↴John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame as the founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. His work included music, writing, drawings and film. His songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful in history.

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 X´mas
John Lennon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(Happy Christmas Kyoko)
(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

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
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

Happy Christmas

Overall Meaning

The song "Happy Xmas" by John Lennon is an optimistic Christmas song that reflects on the year gone by and hopes for a better future. Addressing both weak and strong, rich and poor, black and white, young and old, the song expresses Lennon's wish for peace on earth and an end to war. The opening lines, "So this is Christmas, and what have you done, another year over, and a new one just begun," can be interpreted as a reflection on the events of the past year, urging people to consider what they have accomplished and what they could do better.

Lennon seems to be calling for unity, asking people to put aside their differences and focus on what unites them, rather than what divides them. The verses speak directly to different groups of people, acknowledging their struggles and challenges, while also calling on everyone to work towards creating a more peaceful world. The chorus proclaims, "A very Merry Christmas, and a happy new year, let's hope it's a good one, without any fear," creating a sense of hope and positivity that perfectly captures the spirit of the holiday season.

Overall, "Happy Xmas" is a powerful message of hope, unity, and peace from one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Although the song was released over 40 years ago, its message remains as relevant as ever and reminds us that the Christmas season is not just about gifts and celebration but also about coming together as a global community to work towards a better world.

Line by Line Meaning

(Happy Christmas Kyoko)
Wishing Kyoko a happy Christmas

(Happy Christmas Julian)
Wishing Julian a happy Christmas

So this is Christmas
Acknowledging that it's Christmas time

And what have you done
Reflecting on what has been accomplished over the past year

Another year over
Recognizing that a year has ended

And a new one just begun
Looking forward to a new year full of possibilities

And so this is Christmas
Repeating acknowledgment on the spirit of Christmas

I hope you have fun
Wishing everyone a good time

The near and the dear one
Thinking of those who are near and dear

The old and the young
Including both the elderly and the youth

A very Merry Christmas
Wishing everyone a joyous holiday

And a happy new year
Wishing everyone a happy new year

Let's hope it's a good one
Expressing optimism for the upcoming year

Without any fear
With hope and courage, looking forward without any anxiety

For weak and for strong
Inclusive of both the strong and the weak

For rich and the poor ones
For individuals who are financially well-off and those who are not

The world is so wrong
Acknowledging that there are issues and injustices in the world

For black and for white
Inclusive of individual from different races

For yellow and red ones
Inclusive of individuals from different races

Let's stop all the fight
Advocating for peace and an end to conflict

And what have we done
Reflecting on what has been accomplished by all of humanity over the past year

War is over, if you want it
Noting that war can end if there is a collective desire for peace

War is over now
Reiterating the message that war can come to an end

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: JOHN WINSTON LENNON, YOKO ONO

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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