SPILL FEATURE: PUT YOUR POLITICAL MESSAGE ACROSS WITH A LITTLE HONEY – A CONVERSATION WITH SEAN ONO LENNON

PUT YOUR POLITICAL MESSAGE ACROSS WITH A LITTLE HONEY

A CONVERSATION WITH SEAN ONO LENNON

In 1971, John Lennon and Yoko Ono wrote and recorded a song that would go on to become a perennial Christmas favourite. Fans in the U.K. had to wait until 1972 for the single.  The song, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” went to number four in the U.K. when it was released, and as I write this, it is back in the U.K. top 20 and the U.S. Billboard top 100. The song gained popularity as the years rolled on. Yoko Ono has every right to be proud of co-writing, co-producing and singing the song with The Plastic Ono Band (and Harlem Community Choir).

The song has been covered by many artists, and when I was able to ask Sean Ono Lennon what was his favourite version (other than his father’s), he answered “I think the best cover is the one I worked on with Miley Cyrus and Mark Ronson. That’s mainly because I’m on it, but what else do you expect me to say?” A beautiful and honest answer.

As with every year since it was initially released, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” with the original flipside, “Listen, The Snow Is Falling” (a song written by Yoko Ono) and as noted is climbing the charts. Sean Ono Lennon remixed the song.

“My team and I have been doing a lot of new mixes for both my father and mother’s music. It has been really meaningful for me to have the opportunity to use my skills as a musician to help contribute to my parents’ musical legacy. I think we’re doing a pretty good job, and if anyone dislikes the new mixes, luckily all the originals remain available for anyone to listen to whenever they like.”

But the single was just the beginning for the song, and for Sean Ono Lennon.

In 2023 a film was released, War Is Over. It was inspired by the song and in 2024 it would take home the Academy Award for best animated short film. Well deserved, as it is a stunning film. The story for War Is Over was written by Sean Ono Lennon and Dave Mullins, who also directed the film. Since it was released as a film, it has also become a beautiful book for children of all ages.

WAR IS OVER! INSPIRED BY THE MUSIC OF JOHN & YOKO

The film is set in an alternative World War I. The game of chess is used as an allegory throughout the moving and emotional film, It also drives home the need for ‘good will and peace on earth’.  It is currently available to view on YouTube.

“I think the idea that chess is a metaphor for war falls apart very quickly if you think about it. The idea of modern warfare being a game of wits, requiring high level strategy and cunning, seems more like a fantasy than anything else. In reality war is usually about brute force, power, and money.  Chess is the idealized version of how humans might resolve conflict. In truth it is inherently non-violent, and allows people to engage their wits, without resorting to anything violent or barbaric. That is why my mother’s art piece, Play It By Trust, is so profound––a game without sides, where all pieces are the same color, so you cannot really fight each other.”

War Is Over is inspired by “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)”. Not a literal translation of the film. That song, perhaps more than ever, is needed to have a voice against the current world struggles, but the truth is, although Lennon and Ono wrote it during the Vietnam war, there has not been a time when war was not raging somewhere on the planet.

“The remarkable thing about the song “Happy Xmas War Is Over”, is that it manages to be a perennial Christmas favorite, while also being song imbued with a political message” Sean stated, “that combination of attributes is something I think we have never seen before, or since. ‘Put your political message across with a little honey’ is how my dad put it. I think there is a potent chemistry there that remains effective to this day.”

Over the years a couple of very important aspects of the song have seemed to be, not forgotten, but overlooked. In 1969 Lennon and Ono embarked on a peace campaign and one aspect was the installation of billboards in 12 cities around the world stating ‘War Is Over If You Want It. Happy Christmas from John & Yoko’. Toronto was one of the cities. From that event acorns of the song were planted.

And it is important to remember that the song was written by Lennon and Ono. As Sean Ono Lennon points out, this piece is far too often overlooked.

“Well I do think people forget that the song was written by both my mother and father––people often overlook my mother’s contributions. So I think the key to understanding the power of that song is in understanding the creative synergy between John and Yoko. My mother was very interested in conceptual art, and using mainstream media as a medium to convey a conceptual message. Her predilection for performance art was at the heart of John and Yoko’s activism, and informed the character and tone of all their political music. I don’t think the song would have been written the same way or had the same impact without a combination of both my parents’ personalities.”

Of course, this begs the question, what was Christmas like for Sean growing up?

“Both my parents are known to be very cynical people––but when it came to traditional holidays they were completely obsessed and wanted to go all the way. For example, they have both been known to dress as Santa. We always had a massive Christmas tree. My dad loved making Christmas pudding (which is not my favorite, for the record), and Thanksgiving and Easter were equally embraced. So I do have a lot of good memories. Right up to the point of me becoming very down on Thanksgiving as a teenager, and my mother’s heart breaking over it. For her the holidays were always about coming together as a family and being grateful. So I have only been away from my mother for one Christmas my entire life (a time I went to Australia and had an amazing time!), but she brings it up every year like it was the worst thing I ever did.”

And I purchased the new book for my grandniece. Although she is quite young, I know that she will enjoy the incredible illustrations. I agree with Sean that the book serves as an excellent place to start talking safely about what is happening in the world.

“The idea of making a children’s book version of our story came after we completed the film. But it may turn out to be the best part of the project. Our hope is that in a world that continues to be torn apart by wars, parents can use this book as a stepping stone to start a conversation with their kids about it. It is to help talk about a very difficult subject with them before they are bombarded by the opinions of people on the news (for example).”

Sean Ono Lennon is a brilliant musician in his own right. Whether it is his solo music, or with Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger (which features his long-time partner, Charlotte Kemp Muhl) or Mythical Weapons, or Claypool Lennon Delirium, or Plastic Ono Band or writing film scores. His talent as a musician has assisted him in preserving the musical legacy of both his mother and father. This year, he was very involved with the brilliant Power To The People box set, which documented the year 1972, featuring the One To One Benefit Concert, the only full length concert John Lennon ever performed. Power to People was compiled by Sean Ono Lennon, and is the most recent release.

“Well this is true for everyone, but it is especially true for me: I owe everything to my parents. So for me to have the opportunity to contribute in even a small way to help support their legacies, it is a really meaningful and fulfilling thing for me. To do good by your parents I think is something we all should strive for. I am very lucky that I have skills as a musician that allow me to be useful.”

With the release of Power To People, and War Is Over (both book and film), we are, once again, reminded why John and Yoko and their spirit is needed today more than ever. Sean summed it up better than I ever could.

“Putin invaded Ukraine soon after we had already started preproduction on our film. The project immediately went from something that could have been described as a personal project, to a film that had very real world relevance. We were all very shocked, and suddenly we felt a sense of urgency that we had to finish the film, and do our very best, because we knew that the message of John and Yoko that we were trying to convey had become as relevant as it had ever been. It is very sad that the song still has significance after all these years, but it is also clear evidence of the genius of John and Yoko”

Sean Ono Lennon Links

John Lennon Links

Yoko Ono Links

War Is Over Links

Photo Credits: Charlotte Kemp Muhl