Composition
The lyric is based on a campaign in late 1969 by Lennon and Ono, who rented billboards and posters in eleven major cities around the world that read: "WAR IS OVER! (If You Want It) Happy Christmas from John and Yoko". In 1971, the United States was deeply entrenched in the unpopular Vietnam War. The line "War is over, if you want it, war is over, now!", as sung by the background vocals, was taken directly from the billboards.
The melody and chord structure are from the folk standard "Stewball", about a race-horse. Lennon and Ono added the key changes (shifting back and forth between A and D) and the "War is over" counter-melody.
Read more about this topic: Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
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