Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John Lennon – ****

First released: 1971

A yuletide classic! John Lennon only composed one Christmas song in all the years that he recorded, unless you count the little ditties featured on the various Beatles Christmas singles. Strangely, the song wasn’t released in the UK until an entire year later. It has appeared on various compilations and finally made a home on the 2005 CD reissue of "Some Time in New York City". The first album appearance was on the 1975 "Shaved Fish" compilation. The first album release for the full-length version was on 1982’s "The John Lennon Collection", but only in the UK. We had to wait until the 1989 CD version of that album for this song’s inclusion. It was released as a single at the time, though. It’s also on 1990’s "Lennon", "Lennon Legend" from 1997, "Instant Karma" from 2001, and "Working Class Hero" from 2005. "The U.S. vs. John Lennon" version from 2006 contains dialogue from the film. A remixed version is on the import only "Peace, Love & Truth" from 2005. There’s also a demo version released on 1998’s "The John Lennon Anthology".