Give Peace a Chance
"Give Peace a Chance" | ||||
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children’s music | ||||
Length | 4:54 | |||
Label | Apple | |||
Songwriter(s) | John Lennon (originally credited to Lennon–McCartney) | |||
Producer(s) |
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Plastic Ono Band singles chronology | ||||
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"Give Peace a Chance" is an
Writing and recording
The song was written during Lennon and Ono's "
The recording session was attended by dozens of journalists and various celebrities, including
Some years later, Perry recalled the occasion and spoke about the challenges of getting a good sound out of the recording. Because of the room's poor acoustics, he said, the raw recording could not have been released without help:
Originally there were no intentions to have any over-dubs done. But when I left John, he looked at me and I said, 'Well, I'll go back to the studio and listen to this and see what it's like.' And then I decided that the background was a bit too noisy and needed a little 'sweeping.' By this I mean, we kept all the original stuff, we just improved it a bit by adding if you like, some voices. So we called a bunch of people in the studio that night, I did, actually that was my decision. And that's probably why John gave me such a credit on the single.[4] And since it was multi-track I dubbed the original 4-track to an 8-track machine and then used the other 4-tracks to overdub some voices. The next day I went back to John [with the mix]. They moved everybody out of the room and it was just the three of us, with Yoko, and I played it for him and he thought it was wonderful. Kept it 'as is.' There's a story going around about overdubbing in London, England. Nothing was overdubbed in England. The only thing that was overdubbed, like I said, is some of these people, and the reason why I did it, is I wanted to give him some kind of option. You see the point of the matter, it's not that we wanted to cheat anything, it was a question of like, not usable, the condition was absolutely terrible. [We took] the original stuff that was there, and added a few voices in a cleaner recording environment.[5]
Songwriting credits
When initially released in 1969, the song was credited to Lennon–McCartney.[6]
On later releases curated by the Lennon Estate, only Lennon is credited; viz. the 1990s reissue of the 1986 album
John Lennon expressed his regrets about being "guilty enough to give McCartney credit as co-writer on my first independent single instead of giving it to Yoko, who had actually written it with me."[7]
According to author Ian MacDonald, the credit was Lennon's way of thanking McCartney for helping him record "The Ballad of John and Yoko" at short notice.[8]
Lyrics
The original last verse of the song refers to: "John and Yoko,
Release and aftermath
"Give Peace a Chance", backed with Ono's "Remember Love" as the
The song quickly became the anthem of the
A live concert performance of the song is included on Live Peace in Toronto 1969. (Source: Apple Records) John, Yoko, and the Elephant's Memory performed the song on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in September 1972. (Source: YouTube)
The British group Yes also paid tribute to Lennon's words on their 1971 release The Yes Album, in "Your Move".[17]
After being issued as a single, it appeared on album in a truncated form for the singles compilation
On 4 March 2022 at 08:45 (
Personnel
- John Lennon – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- Tom Smothers – acoustic guitar
- Yoko Ono and others – handclaps, tambourine, backing vocals
- Timothy Leary, Petula Clark[22] – backing vocals
- André Perry– percussion, production
Chart performance
Chart (1969) | Peak position |
---|---|
Austria Ö3 Austria Top 40[23] | 2 |
Belgium Ultratop[24] | 2 |
Canadian RPM Singles Chart[25] | 8 |
German Media Control Charts[26]
|
4 |
Netherlands MegaCharts[27]
|
1 |
Norway VG-lista[28] | 11 |
Switzerland Music Charts[29]
|
4 |
UK Singles Chart[11]
|
2 |
US Billboard Hot 100[12] | 14 |
US Cashbox Top 100[30] | 11 |
Peace Choir version
"Give Peace a Chance" | |
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Single by Peace Choir | |
Released | 1 February 1991 |
Recorded | 1991 |
Length | 3:23 |
Label | Virgin |
Songwriter(s) | John Lennon (originally credited to Lennon–McCartney) |
Producer(s) | Lenny Kravitz |
In 1991, Ono recorded a new version of the song (as well as a music video) in response to the imminent
Track listings
7" single
- "Give Peace a Chance" – 3:23
CD-maxi
- "Give Peace a Chance" – 3:23
Charts
Chart (1991) | Peak position |
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Billboard Hot 100 | 54 |
German Singles Chart | 22 |
Swiss Singles Chart[32] | 7 |
Dutch Top 40 | 14 |
Belgian Singles Chart | 12 |
Yoko Ono version
"Give Peace a Chance" | ||||
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Single by Yoko Ono | ||||
Released | 1 June 2008 (TW50066) 1 July 2008 (TW50069) 18 February 2009 (Int'l Remixes) | |||
Genre | ||||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) | John Lennon | |||
Yoko Ono singles chronology | ||||
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On 1 June 2008, the 39th anniversary of the song's recording, the first of three digital-only (and thus environmentally friendly) singles were released through Twisted Records exclusively on Beatport with remixes featuring a newly recorded vocal by Yoko Ono.[33] It reached number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart on 16 August 2008. These are not the first versions Ono has done of this song: in 2004, she did a new version for Wake Up Everybody; in 2005, a version recalling the events of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on Peace, Love & Truth; and one of the first remixes with the lyrics used in this mix was released on the Open Your Box remix album. The last installment was released 18 February 2009, Yoko's birthday.
Track listings
- Mindtrain/Twisted TW50066 (released 1 June 2008)
- Dave Aude Club Mix (8:26)
- Dave Aude Dub (8:26)
- Johnny Vicious Warehouse Dub (8:23)
- Mike Cruz Dub (8:40)
- Tommie Sunshine Vocal Mix (6:41)
- Morel's Pink Noise Vocal Mix (6:42)
- Morel's Pink Noise Dub (7:09)
- Double B Full Vocal Mix (6:57)
- Mindtrain/Twisted TW50069 (released 1 July 2008)
- Phunk Investigation Mix (7:45)
- Eric Kupper Vocal Mix (8:50)
- Mike Cruz Extended Vocal Mix (10:25)
- DJ Dan Dub (8:53)
- Tommie Sunshine Give Peace a Dub (6:40)
- Morel's Canister Dub (7:23)
- Mike Cruz Vocal Edit Mix (8:40)
- Mindtrain/Twisted [TW50070] (released 18 February 2009) [The International Remixes]
- Blow-Up Popism Mix (5:00)
- Blow-Up Electrono Mix (6:44)
- Kimbar Vocal Mix (8:11)
- Kimbar Dub Mix (6:54)
- Tszpun Remix (8:17)
- Tszpun Dub Mix (8:11)
- Alex Santer Peaceful Mix (6:11)
- DJ Meme Club Mix (9:54)
- Findo Gask Time for Action Dub (5:56)
- CSS Mix (4:12)
- Richard Fearless Reach Out Mix (7:05)
- Karsh Kale Voices of the Tribal Massive Mix (5:55)
Weekly charts
Chart (2008) | Peak position |
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Global Dance Tracks (Billboard)[34] | 32 |
Covers
- Lennon's fellow ex-Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have each incorporated the song into their live performances as a tribute to Lennon. Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band often perform the song as an encore after "With a Little Help from My Friends", while McCartney has often performed a medley of the song, combined with "A Day in the Life", since his 2009 live album Good Evening New York City, including for most of his Up and Coming Tour, on Saturday Night Live on 11 December 2010,[35] and in 2011 during the US leg of his On the Run Tour.
- U2 have performed the song in concert at least 27 times in whole or as a snippet, the first time on 13 December 1980 at the Paradise, Boston, Massachusetts and the last time on 18 May 1998 at Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland.[36]
- The song has been used in films, television shows and theatre as it has become a recognised semiotic to indicate protest; for example it was sung by students in the 1974 film The Trial of Billy Jack, and by peace activists in the 1996 film Pretty Village, Pretty Flame. The song was featured in an episode of the TV series Mad About You in 1995.
- Hot Chocolatereleased the song as their debut single on the Apple label, Apple 18, as 'Hot Chocolate Band', in a reggae version in October 1969.
- Mitch Miller & the Gang covered the song on the Peace Sing-Along album in 1970.
- Aerosmith (featuring Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars) covered the song for the 2007 benefit album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur.
- Elton John recorded the song as a B-side to his UK single "Club at the End of the Street" in 1990. He also performed the song live on his 1970 US tour with bassist Dee Murray and drummer Nigel Olsson, singing only the refrain "All we are saying is give peace a chance".
- Joni Mitchell referenced the song in "California" from her 1971 album Blue.
- The refrain is sung in the background during the Your Move section of Yes' 1971 release "I've Seen All Good People". The song also references Lennon's "Instant Karma!".
- Louis Armstrong recorded the song on 29 May 1970, for an LP entitled Louis Armstrong and Friends (aka What a Wonderful World). The 1970 Louis Armstrong recording was released as a Philips 7" 45 A side single in the UK, 6073 703.
- Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder led the crowd in singalong to the chorus during a 2003 concert in Adelaide, Australia.
- Madonna performed an acoustic version of the song during her Confessions Tour concert in Moscow, Russia, on 12 September 2006.[37]
- Stevie Wonder performed a snippet of the song at Bonnaroo 2010 and in 1972 at Madison Square Garden in a performance with Lennon and Ono.
- Jazz guitarist Bill Frisell recorded the song for his 2011 album All We Are Saying.
- The metal band Aftermath recorded and released the song as a single in 2020. The version was mentioned in both the official John Lennon Facebook and Twitter pages.
- The song was performed by Rockin' 1000 as part of the opening segment of the final of the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest.
- A version of the song in Russian by Jackie-O, Sati Akura, Onsa Media and others was released March 26, 2022, after Secretary-General António Guterres' reference at the start of an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the Ukrainian War.[38]
See also
References
- Footnotes
- Citations
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84732-665-2.
- ^ "Give Peace A Chance", The Beatles Bible, accessed 7 September 2019
- ^ "John Lennon + Yoko Ono: Give Peace A Chance". beatles.ncf.ca. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ Perry's studio and full address are written on the 45 label.
- ^ André Perry, Beatology Magazine, quoted at The Beatles Bible
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84732-665-2.
- ISBN 978-0-385-66100-3.
- ISBN 978-1-84413-828-9.
- ISBN 0-8118-2684-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9544528-1-0.
- ^ a b "JOHN LENNON | Artist". Official Charts. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ^ a b John Lennon. "John Lennon – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. 12 July 1969. p. 64. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-313-31528-2.
- ^ Wiener, Jon (12 January 2010). "Nixon and the 1969 Vietnam Moratorium". The Nation. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- YouTube.
- ^ Pemberton, Pat (9 December 2010). "Jon Anderson, Former Yes Frontman, Pays Tribute to John Lennon in California". Spinner. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-84732-665-2.
- ^ Etancelin, Valentin (4 March 2022). "Cette chanson a été diffusée à la même heure partout en Europe pour une raison symbolique". Le HuffPost (in French). Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ "Pourquoi la chanson " Give Peace a Chance " a été diffusée sur 200 radios ce mardi midi". Le Telegramme. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ ItalianPostNews (2 May 2022). "Eurovision 2022, the spot: Rockin '1000 play the Te Deum in the square in Turin. VIDEO". Italian Post. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ "British singer Petula Clark reminisces about the night she was heckled in Montreal and went to John Lennon for advice".
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Plastic Ono Band – Give Peace A Chance". austriancharts.at. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ^ "Plastic Ono Band – Give Peace A Chance". ultratop.be. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ^ "charts.de". charts.de. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Discografie John Lennon". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Plastic Ono Band – Give Peace A Chance". norwegiancharts.com. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Plastic Ono Band – Give Peace A Chance". hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-9544528-1-0.
- ^ "Peace Choir – Give Peace A Chance". Retrieved 20 March 2022 – via hitparade.ch.
- ^ Press Release Archived 31 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Twisted Records Online. Retrieved 25 June 2008.
- ^ "Yoko Ono". Billboard. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ "Paul McCartney reveals track listing to live CD/DVD 'Good Evening New York City'". The Independent. 14 October 2009. Archived from the original on 16 October 2009.
- ^ Axver, Andre; Mühlbradt, Matthias. "U2 Give Peace a Chance – U2 on tour". U2gigs.com. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ Kulik, Irina (13 September 2006). "Madonna Saddles and Rocks Moscow". Kommersant. Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ "John Lennon - Give Peace a Chance (RUSSIAN COVER by Jackie-O, Sati Akura, Onsa Media and others)" – via YouTube.