Music has always had a special power to inspire social change, never more so than in the songs of John Lennon. In this Link TV Special, we pay tribute to John Lennon’s music and his message of peace and justice. Starting in 1968, John and Yoko waged a campaign for peace during some of the darkest days of the Vietnam War, culminating in their 1969 bed-in protest, captured in the documentary Give Peace a Song, airing as part of the special.

Link TV Station Manager Wendy Hanamura is joined by Ben Fong-Torres, long time music journalist and former news editor of Rolling Stone magazine - where his interview subjects included Paul McCartney and Ray Charles - to discuss the famous bed-in and the power of music for change.

Give Peace a Song
On May 26, 1969 John Lennon and Yoko Ono moved in to the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal for the historic seven-day bed-in protest against violence in the world. Captured on film and video by various visitors over the seven days, Give Peace a Song documents the events that took place in the infamous suite 1742. Highlights include the visits made by Tom Smothers, Derek Taylor, Petula Clark, Timothy Leary, activist Dick Gregory, and cartoonist Al Capp. On June 1st, the last day of the bed-in, Lennon posted lyrics on the suite's walls for a spontaneous group recording by all those there, to sing to the world "Give Peace a Chance" which quickly became a universal anthem for peace.

LEARN MORE:
Amnesty International's "Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur" is a double album of Lennon covers, recorded by current artists including Green Day, Avril Lavigne, Jackson Browne, REM, U2, and Christina Aguillera. Yoko Ono Lennon donated the John Lennon solo songbook to Amnesty International to support their human rights work in Darfur and around the world.  Link TV will send supporters a copy of “Instant Karma,” as part of a package of thank you gifts.

You can read work by Ben Fong-Torres at his website.

Visit Link TV's Specials Page.