British Pop Legend Petula Clark Reveals How She Accidentally Ended Up on John Lennon’s Protest Song

Petula Clark, 1966. ph: Gene Trindl / TV Guide / courtesy Everett Collection; A week after their marriage, musicians John Lennon and Yoko Ono lay in their bed in the Presidential Suite of the Hilton Hotel, Amsterdam, 25th March 1969. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Gene Trindl / TV Guide / courtesy Everett Collection; Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
This excerpt appears
courtesy of our partner site

One of the most famous protest songs of all time is “Give Peace a Chance” by John Lennon. Famously performed from Lennon and wife Yoko Ono‘s hotel room in Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Montreal, Canada, the former Beatle wrote the song during his and Yoko Ono’s famous “Bed-In for Peace” protest. Surrounded by journalists, activists, and celebrities, Lennon improvised the song after being asked what protesters could do to help the peace movement.

Among the celebs who were there for that historical moment — which included Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg, and Tommy Smothers — was British pop singer Petula Clark, whose recollection of events from that day was recently shared on BBC’s The One Show.