The late John Lennon’s estate has released a heart-wrenching new music video. The clip accompanies a newly remixed and reimagined version of Lennon and wife Yoko Ono’s 1972 protest anthem “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” The former Beatles star and Ono co-wrote the song about the infamous “Bloody Sunday” massacre on January 30, 1972, that occurred when 13 unarmed people, including six children, were killed by British soldiers while taking part in a protest march in Derry, Northern Ireland.
The tune originally appeared on Lennon and Ono’s 1972 album Sometime in New York City. The couple recorded the album with the New York-based rock band Elephant’s Memory and drummer Jim Keltner.
The new video begins by showing the people who were killed in the massacre, then displays information about the financial cost of the inquiries into the incident. The animated clip then proceeds to give statistics about the loss of human life and financial cost of various bloody wars, acts of political violence, terrorism attacks, and gun deaths starting with the Vietnam War.
Among the other conflicts and incidents of violence profiled in the video are The Troubles in Ireland, the Iran-Iraq War, Lebanon, Tiananmen Square, the Lockerbie bombing, the Bosnian War, the Rwanda and Darfur genocides, 9/11, the Iraq War, Syria, the Ukraine War, and the War in Gaza. The clip also shares statistics about mass shootings in the U.S. that occurred between 2015 and 2022.
The video ends with the disheartening statistic that more than 1.5 million people have been killed by guns in the U.S. since Lennon was shot to death in New York City on December 8, 1980.
More about Lennon and Ono’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday”
“Sunday Bloody Sunday” was written a day after the Bloody Sunday massacre occurred. The incident also inspired U2’s well-known 1983 song of the same name.
As mentioned, “Sunday Bloody Sunday” appeared on Sometime in New York, which was released in the U.S. in June 1972. The album focused mainly on political-themed songs Lennon and Ono had been writing after relocating from the U.K. to New York City in 1971.
The version of the track featured in the video was completely remixed from the original analog tapes. The song has been extended and the recording has been stripped of the heavy production heard in the originally released version.
The new version of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” appears on the Super Deluxe Edition of Lennon and Ono’s upcoming box set, Power to the People. The 12-disc collection, which will be released on October 10, compiles John and Yoko’s early-1970s recordings and performances that focused on non-violent political activism.
The box set will include a remixed, reimagine, and reordered version of Sometime in New York City titled New York City.
More About the Power to the People Box Set
Power to the People will be available in multiple configurations and formats. The Super Deluxe package features nine CDs and three Blu-ray discs.
The collection includes audio from the two historic One to One concerts Lennon and Ono played in August 1972 at Madison Square Garden; the New York City album; and a treasure trove of rare demos, home recordings, jam sessions, live performances, and unique mixes.
The box set will come with a 204-page book, and various pieces of replica memorabilia. Among the latter are postcards, sticker sheets, a poster, concert tickets, and a backstage pass.
Power to the People was produced by Lennon and Ono’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, with his team of studio collaborators.
Less-expansive versions Power to the People also will be released featuring just recordings from the One to One concerts. They include four-LP and two-CD sets featuring all 31 performances from both shows. There are also two-LP and single-CD collections boasting 17 highlights culled from the two concerts.
You can pre-order the Power to the People releases now. For more information, visit JohnLennon.com.
(Photo by Bettmann/Getty Images)