John Lennon’s festive classic Happy Xmas (War Is Over) has been played for over 50 years – but fans are only just realising what he whispers to his son Julian at the start
John Lennon’s iconic Christmas song, Happy Xmas (War Is Over), has been a festive favourite in British households since its release in 1971. Yet, many fans are still unaware of the whispered words at the beginning of this classic track by the Plastic Ono Band and the Harlem Community Choir.
Penned by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, the song is a powerful anti-war anthem disguised as a seasonal tune, spreading a message of peace to all who hear it. At the start of the song, John and Yoko can be heard softly uttering a brief message that has been misunderstood by listeners for decades.
One Reddit user recently shared their revelation: “I know I might be late to this, but the fact that John in the beginning of this song says ‘Happy Christmas Julian’ just made me cry.
“I never have realised this until now, and it doesn’t makeup for the other horrible things that happened between John and his first family, but it still made me so happy that he decided to put Julian in a song.”
In response, another Redditor pointed out: “Yoko whispers ‘Happy Christmas Kyoko’ as well.”
One person admitted their long-standing mistake, confessing: “This whole time I thought John was saying ‘Happy Christmas John’ and Yoko saying ‘Happy Christmas Yoko’.”
Another user concurred: “Came here to say the same thing. Was always so confused by that. Knew Yoko was saying ‘Kyoko’ but was confused why John would say his own name instead.”
Adding to the intrigue, one person clarified: “In your defense, I found this online. Lyric sheets accompanying the compilation albums Shaved Fish (1975) and The John Lennon Collection (1982) erroneously transcribe this introduction as, ‘Happy Christmas, Yoko. Happy Christmas, John’.”
It seems Lennon and Ono seized the chance to send seasonal greetings to their children each year through their beloved song, reports the Mirror.
In 2021, the official John Lennon Twitter account reached out to followers for help in tracking down members of the Harlem Community Choir.
Their post read: “Hey guys, can you help? If you or anyone you know were a member of the 1971 Harlem Community Choir, and sang on this recording, could you please get in touch with us: admin at imaginepeace dot com.”
Looking back on the tune, one fan observed: ” As a kid, this is a great Christmas song. But as an adult, this is one of the best anti-war songs ever written.”
Another person noted: “I used to think this was just another Christmas song as a kid. Didn’t realise just how hard the lyrics hit until I was older.”
A third individual revealed: “Every time I come back to this clip, I cry my heart out. We live in a terrible world.” One final listener declared: “The world needs to truly hear this song now more than ever.”
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