The
song Give Peace A Chance, a record that emerged from John Lennon
and Yoko Ono’s famous honeymoon ‘bed-in’ at Montreal,
Canada, goes on sale at Bonhams auction of celebrity memorabilia
in Knightsbridge, London on Wednesday 16 November 2005. This
is the first time the lyrics have ever been offered at auction,
estimated at £175,000-200,000.

Written in ink on Hotel paper stationery, Give Peace a Chance
was spontaneously created gin-between The Beatles events and
special television debates were being arranged during the month
of May.

Jon Baddeley, Director of Collectables at Bonhams comments:
" The summer of 1969 was the height of the Flower Power
era climaxing at the Woodstock festival in August, the anti
Vietnam crusade was in full voice and the drug culture was becoming
widespread among the young. Lennon’s hastily composed anthem
"Give Peace a Chance" vividly captures the atmosphere
of the time and hints at his forthcoming break with the Beatles
with a completely new style and sound. Without doubt, this newly
discovered working manuscript, complete with corrections, is
one of the most important Lennon lyrics ever to be offered at
auction and it is a privilege for Bonhams to have been chosen
to conduct the sale". This key musical icon comes from
the Derek Taylor archive.

In the summer of 1968, John and Yoko moved in together, in
Ringo Starr’s London flat. On March 20, 1969, the couple wed
in Gibraltar. The following week, the two media stars hosted
a honeymoon "bed-in" for peace in room 902, the presidential
suite of the Amsterdam Hilton. The press avidly pursued them,
assuming that the famous nudists would make love for their cameras.
Instead, the pyjama-clad newlyweds spoke out about world peace.
It was the honeymoon as performance art, interlaced with a protest
against the Vietnam War.

For a week, John and Yoko give interviews, ignoring the mockery
and hostility to spread their words of peace to a global audience.

The newlyweds headed north, taking corner suite rooms 1738-40-42
at the stately Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal on May 26,
1969 to stage their second weeklong bed-in for peace.

As Dave Bist, a reporter for the Montreal Gazette recalled,
"All kinds of people came to pay their respects, from comedian-singer
Tommy Smothers to L’il Abner cartoonist Al Capp, who kind of
betrayed the price of entry by getting into a shouting match
with the Peaceful Pair."

On June 1, 1969, recording equipment was brought into the hotel
room. Oversize lyrics went up on the walls. And John and Yoko,
along with a roomful of people that included Dr. Timothy Leary,
Montreal Rabbi Abraham Feinberg, musicians Derek Taylor and
Petula Clark, and members of the Canadian Radha Krishna Temple
in the chorus, recorded "Give Peace a Chance." The
single is credited to "The Plastic Ono Band." Five
weeks later, on July 7, the 45 were released in the United States.
"Give Peace a Chance" reached number 14 on Billboard’s
chart and inspired an entire generation to chant a song of peace
along with John and Yoko.

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE

Ev’rybody’s talking about
Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism
This-ism, that-ism
Isn’t it the most
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

Ev’rybody’s talking about
Ministers, Sinisters, Banisters and canisters,
Bishops and Fishops and Rabbis and Pop eyes,
And bye bye, bye byes.
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

Let me tell you now
Ev’rybody’s talking about
Revolution, Evolution, Mastication, Flagelolation, Regulations.
Integrations, Meditations, United Nations, Congratulations
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

Oh Let’s stick to it
Ev’rybody’s talking about
John and Yoko, Timmy Leary, Rosemary, Tommy Smothers, Bob Dylan,
Tommy Cooper,
Derek Tayor, Norman Mailer, Alan Ginsberg, Hare Krishna, Hare
Krishna
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

For more details visit the Bonhams
web site.