Pop singer Petula Clark was one of several celebrities who sang backup on John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance." Clark revealed a certain something was missing from the recording session.
During a 2019 interview, Clark recalled singing English and French songs at a 1969 concert in Montreal. She was heckled for this choice, as the Quebec nationalist movement was going strong. Afterward, she went to see John for advice regarding the situation. The “Imagine” singer and Yoko Ono were in Montreal protesting the Vietnam War with their famous Bed-In.
“They were both still in their nighties,” Clark recalled. “I sat there, dripping water all over their bed, and told them the story. He said: ‘Oh, f*** ’em.’ I said: ‘Thank you, John.'”
“He was so funny and very philosophical,” Clark added. “We had a chat about the situation. Did it really matter? ‘This too shall pass.’ That sort of stuff.”
John offered Clark a drink, then they moved into the next room. A crowd was there, including some famous faces. Clark was given a lyric sheet before the crowd started singing “a simple little melody: ‘All we are saying, is give peace a chance.’ I don’t think any of us knew we were being recorded,” she recalled.
Other people at that Bed-In were psychedelic drug advocate Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg, and Tom Smothers from The Smothers Brothers.
All those celebrities were associated with the 1960s counterculture. On the other hand, Clark was known for songs like “Downtown” and “My Love,” as well as her role in the musical film Finian’s Rainbow. Despite its hippie vibe, Clark said the recording of “Give Peace a Chance” was drug-free. Her voice was being recorded for one of the most important protest songs of all time.
The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono includes an interview from 1980. In it, John was asked about the creation of “Give Peace a Chance.” He said the title of the song might have just fallen out of his mouth after protesting the war so much. Perhaps, John said, Yoko was the one who coined the phrase.
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