John Lennon released “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” in 1971. The Christmas single was recorded by Lennon and Yoko Ono with the Plastic Ono Band and the Harlem Community Choir, and it became one of Lennon’s best-known peace songs.
Apple Records issued the single in the United States on December 1, 1971. Its release followed more than two years of public anti-war activism by Lennon and Ono, including their 1969 “WAR IS OVER! If You Want It” billboard campaign. The song’s direct message connected Christmas celebration with opposition to the Vietnam War.
The year can be misleading because the British release was delayed by a publishing dispute and did not appear there until November 1972. Thus, 1972 is the UK release year, but 1971 is the song’s original release year and the answer normally expected in a general music quiz. The B-side was Ono’s “Listen, the Snow Is Falling,” and Phil Spector co-produced the recording.