Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
| "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
US picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by John Lennon and Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir | ||||
| B-side | "Listen, the Snow Is Falling" (Yoko/Plastic Ono Band) | |||
| Released | 1 December 1971 (US) 24 November 1972 (UK) | |||
| Recorded | 28 and 31 October 1971 | |||
| Studio | Record Plant East, New York City | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:35 | |||
| Label | Apple | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers |
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| John Lennon American singles chronology | ||||
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| John Lennon British singles chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
1982 US reissue | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" on YouTube | ||||
"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" is a Christmas song released in 1971 as a single by the Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir. It was the seventh single issued by John Lennon outside his work with the Beatles. The song reached number four in the United Kingdom, where its release was delayed until November 1972, and has periodically returned to the UK singles chart, most notably after Lennon's murder in December 1980, when it peaked at number two.
A protest song opposing United States involvement in the Vietnam War, "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" has since become a Christmas standard. It has been recorded by numerous artists, included on seasonal compilation albums, and cited in polls as a popular holiday song. In a UK-wide poll in December 2012, it was ranked tenth on the ITV television special The Nation's Favourite Christmas Song.