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.
I wonder what O'reilly thinks about This "Happy Christmas" song. It must be one of his favorites.