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The original version of Happy Xmas by John Lennon profoundly mentions Hare Krishna

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Sarva gattah

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Same with Lennon's, "Give Peace A Chance", Hare Krishna has been deleted on most versions at youtube. Thanks Yoko.

 

Really? Is this true? She would have the legal rights to do it I guess.

 

Reminds me of that movie Siddhartha. The original ended with a Kirtan being chanted through a spindly forest, like Vrndaban, by six or seven skinny men with sikhs and big smiles wandering amongst the trees.

 

Later versions had that scene deleted.

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Really? Is this true? She would have the legal rights to do it I guess.

 

Reminds me of that movie Siddhartha. The original ended with a Kirtan being chanted through a spindly forest, like Vrndaban, by six or seven skinny men with sikhs and big smiles wandering amongst the trees.

 

Later versions had that scene deleted.

This is the BBT. Fighting at court against devotees who are kicked out of ISKCON when they use pics of Prabhupada's books on their websites or have a Bhagavad-gita for download.

 

John Lennon was not a Vaishnava, right, but his gesture to include the Holy Name in some of his songs was his service, his start in spiritual life. When some rascals manipulate his songs and delete Hare Krishna what are the BBT lawyers doing - right, keep quiet.

 

This is clearly a case of cheating, something like book change. Since the BBT has obviously adopted this practice of book change, they might feel not the right people to protest when Hare Krishna is removed from Lennon's songs?

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I am surprised by Alan Clark’s ignorance of such an historical song as Happy Xmas, the War is Over by John Lennon.. For a man who is at School of Film, Music and Media University of Hertfordshire, in the UK, you would think he would know better.

Lennon/Ono

 

 

<CENTER>line.jpg</CENTER>BY: ALAN CLARK <CENTER>line.jpg</CENTER>

 

Nov 30, HATFIELD, ENGLAND, UK (SUN) — I am writing in response to <A href="http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/11-08/editorials3678.htm" target=_blank>the article by Gauragopala dasa about John Lennon's song, 'Happy Christmas War is Over'.

 

 

<CENTER>FULL STORYarrow.gif</CENTER>

John Lennon - 'Happy Xmas and Hare Rama if you want'.‏

 

I am surprised by Alan Clark’s ignorance of such an historical song as Happy Xmas, the War is Over by John Lennon.. For a man who is at School of Film, Music and Media University of Hertfordshire, in the UK, you would think he would know better.

 

I have the Album in front of me http://lyrics.rockmagic.net/lyrics/lennon_john/shaved_fish_1975.html#s11

 

And further more the slow background chorus in the background originally alternates between Hare Krishna if you want and war is over if you want.

 

History should remember that His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada lived with John and Yoko at the Tittenhurst Mansion in 1969. As far as Yoko Ono is concerned, age has nothing to do with it, I’m old myself. Nevertheless, she was kind enough to host the devotees and Prabhupada however, for some reason, all her historical accounts barely mentions the influence of ‘Hare Krishna’ on John.

 

Also, her constant complaining to the devotees was vindictive - John was really getting into the mood of Hare Krishna. Did you know he used to sing different tunes of Hare Krishna on the piano for hours?

 

As the saying goes, history is never recognised while it’s happening and non was taped but some photos were taken.

 

You cannot change history.

John Lennon lyrics

Album: Shaved Fish [1975]

 

Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

 

Happy Xmas Yoko

Happy Xmas John

 

So this is Xmas

And what have you done

Another year over

And a new one just begun

And so this is Xmas

I home you have fun

The near and the dear one

The old and the young

 

A very Merry Xmas

And a happy New Year

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear

 

And, so this is Xmas

For weak and for strong

For rich and the poor ones

The world is so wrong

And so happy Xmas

For black and for white

For yellow and red ones

Let's stop all the fight

 

A very Merry Xmas

And a happy New Year

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear

 

And, so this is Xmas

And what have we done

Another year over

And a new one just begun

And, so happy Xmas

We hope you have fun

The near and the dear one

The old and the young

 

A very Merry Xmas

And a happy New Year

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear

 

Hare Rama, if you want it, e_t_c.

Hare Rama, now

e_t_c.

Happy Xmas

 

I have the Album in front of me http://lyrics.rockmagic.net/lyrics/lennon_john/shaved_fish_1975.html#s11

 

 

John Lennon, George Harrison, Patti Boyd, Yoko Ono and devotees

enjoying prasadam at John Lennon's Tiittenhurst Park estate, 1969

Lennon-2.jpg

 

 

 

 

Lennon-3.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GH-PB.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

GH_PB2.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

George___Devotees_Chanting_in_Esctacy.JPG

 

 

Hare Krishna, from you fallen old servant Gauragopala dasa ACBSP

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Speaking of changing lyrics who the hell are you to complain when you replace Christmas with an xmas. Did John write happy xmas? You tell me as you "have the album right in front of you."

 

Album: Shaved Fish [1975] Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

 

I only wrote what I read in front of me now finishing with Hare Rama, if you want it, e_t_c.

Hare Rama, now

e_t_c.

Happy Xmas

http://lyrics.rockmagic.net/lyrics/l..._1975.html#s11 note this link has mysteriously been deleted, probably by Ono

 

I see your point, historically if we look at this history that many of us lived through in the 60s as teenagers, the Beatles years was enhanced the hippie movement of so called peace and love made more populr by the fame of the beatles. This also inclues the famouse 'peace' saying of Hare Krishna.

 

Also, 'Xmas' to Lennon was NEVER about Jesus, it was about his peace and free love tripthat he got off Ginsberg, Leary and Kesey.

 

Also 'Hare Krishna' to Lennon also was NEVER about Krsna, the 'saying' of Hare Krsna was also another way to say 'peace man' that he got from Ginberg and later on, it's real meaning from Prabhupada that frankly, he did not like and Yoko detested, she never liked the devotees, that's an historical fact and frankly John was never into the real undertanding of Hare Krishna either. What he prpaged in song was what he thought Krsna was and not Krsna PERSONALLY.

 

The word 'Krishna' was IN, was cool, was the rave of the Grateful Dead, Alan Ginsburg and the Beatles (I am the Walrus) It was another way of saying - 'peace man and chicks, letsd have free love, drop acid and eat brown rice'

 

It was never about the real Krishna until they met Prabhupada and learnt singing and chanting Hare Krishna was not about all their nonsense peace love, anti-Vietnam war and brown rice peace trip

 

It's the same with the word Xmas as opposed to the real Christ- mass. That song is NOT about Jesus.

 

Lennons trip was trying to build the Kingdom of God without God (the IMAGINE song) · Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

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"God is a Concept by which

we measure our pain

I'll say it again

God is a Concept by which

we measure our pain

I don't believe in magic

I don't believe in I-ching

I don't believe in Bible

I don't believe in Tarot

I don't believe in Hitler

I don't believe in Jesus

I don't believe in Kennedy

I don't believe in Buddha

I don't believe in Mantra

I don't believe in Gita

I don't believe in Yoga

I don't believe in Kings

I don't believe in Elvis

I don't believe in Zimmerman

I don't believe in Beatles

I just believe in me...and that reality

The dream is over

What can I say?

the Dream is Over

Yesterday

I was the Dreamweaver

But now I'm reborn

I was the Walrus

But now I'm John

and so dear friends

you'll just have to carry on

The Dream is over."

I hardly think John Lennon is rolling around in his grave right now because someone got rid of 'Hare Krishna' in a few of his songs. I don't see why it's that big a deal to you guys.

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I hardly think John Lennon is rolling around in his grave right now because someone got rid of 'Hare Krishna' in a few of his songs. I don't see why it's that big a deal to you guys.

If you're an atheist this might be right from your honoured point of view.

Since John included Hare Krsna in a couple of his songs he surely wasn't an atheist. For him it is therefore rather a tragedy how they garbled, mangled his songs.

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I think you should listen to the song again, Are you suggesting someone replaced John's original happy xmas with happy Christmas?

 

If there once was Hare Rama in the background I have no idea but that is not my point.

 

No, I thought you did not like the word xmas because it does not represent what christmas (christ mass) really is?

 

 

Originally Posted by Deathless

I hardly think John Lennon is rolling around in his grave right now because someone got rid of 'Hare Krishna' in a few of his songs. I don't see why it's that big a deal to you guys.

 

 

Agree, Although this is how I humbly saw the history I lived through --

 

Historically, if we look at this history of the 1960s that many of us lived through as teenagers, we understand the Beatles years was the beginning of a great cultural and religious shift.

This was enhanced by the hippie movement of so called peace and love, made more popular by the fame of the Beatles and the communications revolution of TV, Radio and Print media.

This also includes the famous 'peace' saying of Hare Krishna that came from both Prabhupada and Ginsberg in 1966.

Also, 'Xmas' to Lennon was NEVER about Jesus, it was about his peace and free love trip that he got off Ginsberg, Leary and Kesey.

 

Also, 'Hare Krishna' to Lennon was NEVER about Krsna originally at the beginning of 1967, it was just another word for 'peace'. The 'saying' of Hare Krsna was just another way to say 'peace man' Turn on, tune in, drop out" and was part of a counterculture phrase originally coined by Timothy Leary and Alan Ginsburg in the 1960s.

Later on however, it's real meaning was explained by Prabhupada when he lived at Lennon’s Mansion that frankly, Lennon did originally like due to his search for truth but unfortuately, his wife Yoko detested.

She never liked the devotees, that's an historical fact and frankly John never got into the real understanding of Hare Krishna either. Only George Harrison did that

Like many historical events, the interest is various; many could not care about this. Does this really matter?

Not really, this was started simply because I listened to an old version of happy xmas and could hear not just Hare Rama, but Hare Krishna CLEARLY as well, then hear the modern version where its now simply not there.

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I hardly think John Lennon is rolling around in his grave right now because someone got rid of 'Hare Krishna' in a few of his songs. I don't see why it's that big a deal to you guys.

 

 

Sorry but this wasn't my quote, I said the opposite, John Lennon is for sure rolling around in his grave. He couldn't perform any other spiritual activity except include Hare Krsna in his songs and this is being destroyed by a bunch of atheists. It is intolerable and should be battled against by all means.

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Sorry but this wasn't my quote, I said the opposite, John Lennon is for sure rolling around in his grave. He couldn't perform any other spiritual activity except include Hare Krsna in his songs and this is being destroyed by a bunch of atheists. It is intolerable and should be battled against by all means.

 

Apologies to you suchandra prabhu, I have corrected that quote:namaskar:

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No, I thought you did not like the word xmas because it does not represent what christmas (christ mass) really is?

 

 

Exactly true. But you posted the supposed real original lyrics of Lennon's song and put xmas where he said Christmas in a post criticizing the changing of lyrics.

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Forget about it sheesh.

 

Always been a bit slow but eventually I will work out what your saying. sorry about that prabhu.

 

 

I think you should listen to the song again, Are you suggesting someone replaced John's original happy xmas with happy Christmas?

 

 

Um, yes xmas meant Christmas to John but there IS no mention of the real spirit of Christmas, Jesus, in his song.

Actually I still don't know what you mean. Well maybe this is what you mean - to John and to many who just go by Sound, xmas and Christmas are the same.

However, I personally see xmas spelling for Santa clause and Christmas for the birth of Jesus. Sometimes, like many, I may have used the word xmas simply because its a shorter word to type.

But to really remind people of the true spirit of Christmas, then it should be spelt 'Christmas' because it is Jesus Christs birthday

Lennon has always used the word xmas for his song however, same cover versions portray baby Jesus in that song. I personally don't think he meant christs birthday but only Yoko knows that.

So YOU ARE RIGHT, who am I to judge weather he acknowledged JESUS or not. It's just that in the song he doesn't.

DID i GET IT RIGHT THIS TIME??

JESUS CHRIST!! :D

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If you're an atheist this might be right from your honoured point of view.

Why would I have to be an atheist to consider that we shouldn't be panicking about something that I'm sure John would care very little about? I just don't see why you guys see this as such an enormous tragedy.

 

 

Since John included Hare Krsna in a couple of his songs he surely wasn't an atheist.
I'm pretty sure he was.

 

http://www.counterpunch.org/lennon12082005.html

1971 interview by Tariq Ali and Robin Blackburn:

 

Tariq Ali: Your latest record and your recent public statements, especially the interviews in Rolling Stone magazine, suggest that your views are becoming increasingly radical and political. When did this start to happen?

John Lennon: ... In my case I've never not been political, though religion tended to overshadow it in my acid days; that would be around '65 or '66. And that religion was directly the result of all that superstar shit--religion was an outlet for my repression. I thought, 'Well, there's something else to life, isn't there? This isn't it, surely?'

Later in the interview:

... At one time I was so much involved in the religious bullshit that I used to go around calling myself a Christian Communist, but as Janov says, religion is legalised madness. It was therapy that stripped away all that and made me feel my own pain.

... Well, his thing is to feel the pain that's accumulated inside you ever since your childhood. I had to do it to really kill off all the religious myths. In the therapy you really feel every painful moment of your life--it's excruciating, you are forced to realise that your pain, the kind that makes you wake up afraid with your heart pounding, is really yours and not the result of somebody up in the sky. It's the result of your parents and your environment.

As I realised this it all started to fall into place. This therapy forced me to have done with all the God shit. All of us growing up have come to terms with too much pain. Although we repress it, it's still there. The worst pain is that of not being wanted, of realising your parents do not need you in the way you need them.

... Most people channel their pain into God or masturbation or some dream of making it.

... It's a bit of a drag to say so, but I don't think you can understand this unless you've gone through it--though I try to put some of it over on the album. But for me at any rate it was all part of dissolving the God trip or father-figure trip. Facing up to reality instead of always looking for some kind of heaven."

 

 

 

For him it is therefore rather a tragedy how they garbled, mangled his songs.

http://www.recmusicbeatles.com/publicbbs/jl_yo.playboy/lennon3.html

Playboy Interview, 1980

 

"The first line [of I Am the Walrus] was written on one acid trip one weekend. The second line was written on the next acid trip the next weekend, and it was filled in after I met Yoko. Part of it was putting down Hare Krishna. All these people were going on about Hare Krishna, Allen Ginsberg in particular. The reference to "Element'ry penguin" is the elementary, naive attitude of going around chanting, "Hare Krishna," or putting all your faith in any one idol. I was writing obscurely, a la Dylan, in those days."

He disliked religion and all religious activity, including the chanting of Krishna's name. He probably only included Hare Krishna in his later songs to mock ISKCON and it's followers.

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Agree, Although this is how I humbly saw the history I lived through --

 

Historically, if we look at this history of the 1960s that many of us lived through as teenagers, we understand the Beatles years was the beginning of a great cultural and religious shift.

This was enhanced by the hippie movement of so called peace and love, made more popular by the fame of the Beatles and the communications revolution of TV, Radio and Print media.

This also includes the famous 'peace' saying of Hare Krishna that came from both Prabhupada and Ginsberg in 1966.

Also, 'Xmas' to Lennon was NEVER about Jesus, it was about his peace and free love trip that he got off Ginsberg, Leary and Kesey.

 

Also, 'Hare Krishna' to Lennon was NEVER about Krsna originally at the beginning of 1967, it was just another word for 'peace'. The 'saying' of Hare Krsna was just another way to say 'peace man' Turn on, tune in, drop out" and was part of a counterculture phrase originally coined by Timothy Leary and Alan Ginsburg in the 1960s.

Later on however, it's real meaning was explained by Prabhupada when he lived at Lennon’s Mansion that frankly, Lennon did originally like due to his search for truth but unfortuately, his wife Yoko detested.

She never liked the devotees, that's an historical fact and frankly John never got into the real understanding of Hare Krishna either. Only George Harrison did that

Like many historical events, the interest is various; many could not care about this. Does this really matter?

Not really, this was started simply because I listened to an old version of happy xmas and could hear not just Hare Rama, but Hare Krishna CLEARLY as well, then hear the modern version where its now simply not there.

Yes, and by the time of his death he was an atheist. So, I still don't see why he would care. Based on his later statements, I would assume that he would consider himself chanting Hare Krishna to be an embarrassment and would have no problem having it removed from all of his old recordings.

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Sorry but this wasn't my quote, I said the opposite, John Lennon is for sure rolling around in his grave. He couldn't perform any other spiritual activity except include Hare Krsna in his songs and this is being destroyed by a bunch of atheists.

He was one of that "bunch of atheists" that considered ISKCON and chanting to Krishna an abomination.

 

It is intolerable and should be battled against by all means.

I really don't think he would care as much about this as you seem to.

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I had been under the impression that he was an atheist, though he did take an interest in the teachings Prabhupad was sharing. I haven't read the book "Chant and be happy" but some devotees say that John is pretty into it, but due to the influence of Yoko Ono he subsequently rejects what he otherwise would've accepted. Apparently, Yoko Ono tries hard to attack Prabhupada in that book.

 

Also, I found these particular quotes from lennon.

 

 

In a 1965 Interview: "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock and roll or Christianity."

"I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It's just that the translations have gone wrong."

 

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