John Lennon Loved a Reggae Cover of ‘Give Peace a Chance’ With New Lyrics
John Lennon‘s “Give Peace a Chance” has bizarre lyrics. Notably, the band Hot Chocolate released a reggae version of the song with new lyrics. John unexpectedly embraced the song.
A member of the band Hot Chocolate felt his musical talent was miraculous
During a 1998 interview in The Independent, Hot Chocolate member Errol Brown discussed how the band came together. “Back in 1968, through mutual friends, I met Tony Wilson, whose flat was almost opposite mine,” he said.
“Round this time, I began to get melodies in my head,” he continued. “Normally, I wouldn’t take any notice of them, but one day when Tony was driving the car, it happened again. Instead of ignoring the tune, I started to hum it aloud. He asked me what it was. ‘Just something that popped into my mind,’ I replied.” Brown became a songwriter and said his musical talent was a miracle.
Hot Chocolate didn’t ask permission to rewrite John Lennon’s ‘Give Peace a Chance’
Brown discussed how Hot Chocolate’s “Give Peace a Chance” came about. “Tony and I formed Hot Chocolate, and I sat down and wrote new words to John Lennon’s ‘Give Peace a Chance,'” he recalled. “We demoed the song but, being so new, had no idea you needed permission.
“The guy that paid for the recording sent it to the Apple label for John’s approval,” Brown added. For context, Apple Records is the famous record label founded by The Beatles. “We all laughed, but four days later, he called and said: ‘John Lennon loves it and wants to put it out straight away!'”
John Lennon’s ‘Give Peace a Chance’ and Hot Chocolate’s cover are like night and day
John really loved Hot Chocolate’s “Give Peace a Chance,” even though it’s a million miles removed from his version. The Plastic Ono Band’s “Give Peace a Chance” is a folk song with manic energy. On the other hand, Hot Chocolate’s cover is much more laid back — one might say, peaceful.
Hot Chocolate’s cover also significantly alters the lyrics of the original song. Outside of the title line, the Plastic Ono Band’s “Give Peace a Chance” is mostly a string of random words. It references Bagism, Tom Smothers of The Smothers Brothers, and “fishops.” Like “All You Need Is Love” and “Come Together,” “Give Peace a Chance” is mostly a bunch of nonsense with a positive message thrown in.
On the other hand, Hot Chocolate’s “Give Peace a Chance” is more pointed. It calls out racial and religious hatred directly. It says that dividing people up like this is “rubbish.” While John was known for writing socially conscious songs like “Imagine,” Hot Chocolate proved that his “Give Peace a Chance” could have been a lot more meaningful. Sadly, Hot Chocolate’s version did not hit the Billboard Hot 100, though the band later had big hits like “You Sexy Thing” and “Every 1’s a Winner.”
Hot Chocolate’s “Give Peace a Chance” isn’t as famous as the original, but it’s an interesting example of a cover done right.
