UK single release: Happy Xmas (War Is Over) by John Lennon

John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s single ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’ was released in the UK on 24 November 1972.

A dispute over Yoko Ono’s contribution to the songwriting meant its release was delayed from 1971. It was eventually issued as Apple R 5870, and peaked at number four on the singles chart.

‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’ was reissued in the UK following Lennon’s death in 1980, and reached number two. It also charted on the following two years, and occasionally in subsequent years.

In the USA the single had been released on 1 December 1971.