1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:04,760 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio, 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:08,480 Speaker 1: Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:12,319 Speaker 1: show that uncovers a little bit more about history every day. 4 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:16,760 Speaker 1: I'm Gabe Lucier, and in this episode, we're looking at 5 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:20,319 Speaker 1: how a pair of celebrity newlyweds exploited their fame for 6 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:28,720 Speaker 1: a good cause without ever getting out of bed. The 7 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:34,240 Speaker 1: day was May twenty sixth, nineteen sixty nine. John Lennon 8 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: and Yoko Ono began a week long bed in for 9 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: peace at a hotel in Montreal, Canada. The performance artist 10 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 1: power couple checked into Sweet seventeen forty two of the 11 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: Queen Elizabeth Hotel and remained there in bed, wearing their 12 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 1: pajamas for the better part of the next seven days. 13 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 1: During that time, they were visited by a steady stream 14 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:02,320 Speaker 1: of Canadian and American journey lists, local well wishers, and 15 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: fellow stars of the counterculture. And while the event didn't 16 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 1: achieve world peace as the couple had hoped, it did 17 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: give rise to the anti war anthem Give Piece a Chance, 18 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:17,440 Speaker 1: which was written and recorded on site in their crowded 19 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 1: hotel room. Lying in bed all week doesn't seem like 20 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 1: the kind of thing you could get away with more 21 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,399 Speaker 1: than once if that. But the Montreal bed in was 22 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:32,039 Speaker 1: actually the second staged by Lennon and Ono. The couple 23 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: had gotten married in Gibraltar earlier that year, and as 24 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 1: part of their honeymoon, they held what they called a 25 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:42,160 Speaker 1: bed in for Peace at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel in 26 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:46,280 Speaker 1: the Netherlands. They sat in bed all week from March 27 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: twenty fifth to March thirty first, and fielded questions from 28 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 1: the press between the hours of nine am and nine 29 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:57,280 Speaker 1: pm each day. The idea was inspired by the sit 30 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 1: in protests of the civil rights movement, was intended to 31 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: send a message of peace and to call for an 32 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: end to the Vietnam War. John Lennon later explained the 33 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:11,240 Speaker 1: couple's reasoning, saying, quote, we knew whatever we did was 34 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:14,119 Speaker 1: going to be in the papers. We decided to utilize 35 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:17,200 Speaker 1: the space we would occupy anyway by getting married with 36 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:20,959 Speaker 1: a commercial for peace. We would sell our product, which 37 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:23,800 Speaker 1: we call peace. And to sell a product you need 38 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: a gimmick, and the gimmick we thought was bed. And 39 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 1: we thought bed because bed was the easiest way of 40 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:35,520 Speaker 1: doing it. Because we're lazy, still lazy or not. The 41 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: Amsterdam bed in garnered a ton of media coverage, so much, 42 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:43,000 Speaker 1: in fact, that the couple decided to stage a second 43 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:47,120 Speaker 1: similar event just two months later. They initially planned to 44 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:50,280 Speaker 1: hold it in New York City, but John Lennon wasn't 45 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: allowed to enter the US at the time due to 46 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:57,560 Speaker 1: a prior conviction for marijuana possession. The couple tried hosting 47 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: the event in the Bahamas instead, but after after arriving, 48 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: they decided it was probably too far outside the US 49 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:07,639 Speaker 1: for most major media outlets to cover. Not only that, 50 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: it was also much hotter than the couple had realized, 51 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: and the prospect of spending a sweaty week in bed 52 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: talking to reporters didn't sound fun, and so after an 53 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:21,360 Speaker 1: overnight stop in Toronto, a city ruled out for being 54 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:26,560 Speaker 1: too conservative, Lenin and Ono continued on to Montreal. They 55 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:30,079 Speaker 1: checked into the stately Queen Elizabeth Hotel on the morning 56 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:33,079 Speaker 1: of May twenty sixth, and promptly got to work by 57 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 1: climbing into bed. Although it sounds a bit underwhelming, the 58 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 1: second bed in received even more attention than the first. 59 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: Lenin and Ono were interviewed by as many as one 60 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty reporters a day, and back in the US, 61 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: roughly three hundred and fifty radio stations reported on the 62 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 1: event all week long. When they weren't fielding questions, the 63 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 1: couple passed the time by reading, ordering room service, and 64 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: making him and drawn signs with sketches and slogans such 65 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 1: as bedpiece and hair piece. Some of those posters were 66 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: hung on the walls behind their bed and can readily 67 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: be seen in the many photos taken over the course 68 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:17,200 Speaker 1: of that week. Because of their prominence, those original signs, 69 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: which the couple left behind at the end of the week, 70 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:24,360 Speaker 1: later became highly sought after on the collector's market. For example, 71 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:28,160 Speaker 1: the bed piece poster that hung behind John Lennon later 72 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:31,719 Speaker 1: sold at auction for one hundred and fifty four thousand dollars. 73 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 1: Lennon and Ono made themselves at home during their stay 74 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:39,440 Speaker 1: by pushing their queen sized bed up against the window 75 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:43,720 Speaker 1: and surrounding it with bouquets of white chrysanthemums and carnations. 76 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:48,280 Speaker 1: They were also joined by Ono's five year old daughter, Kyoko, 77 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,839 Speaker 1: and by several fans who somehow managed to slip past 78 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:54,320 Speaker 1: security and make their way all the way up to 79 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:58,080 Speaker 1: the couple suite. On the seventeenth floor. In terms of 80 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:02,760 Speaker 1: authorized house guests, they welcomed a variety of high profile figures, 81 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:07,400 Speaker 1: including beat poet Alan Ginsberg, civil rights activist and comedian 82 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:13,000 Speaker 1: Dick Gregory, psychologist and LSD guru Timothy Leary, and musicians 83 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:17,440 Speaker 1: Tommy Smothers and Petula Clark. They also met with several 84 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 1: prominent Canadians, including Toronto rabbi Abraham Feinberg, Quebec separatist Jacques 85 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 1: Larreau Langlois, and several members of a Canadian hare Krishna temple. 86 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:33,279 Speaker 1: The couple's most contentious guest by a rather wide margin, 87 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:37,960 Speaker 1: was American cartoonist Al Capp, the creator of Lil Abner. 88 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: In a comment dripping with sarcasm, capp applauded the couple 89 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 1: for including a series of nude photos of themselves on 90 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:49,200 Speaker 1: their recent album. I think that everybody owes it to 91 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 1: the world to prove they have pubic air, he said, 92 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:55,520 Speaker 1: and I tell you that's one of the greatest contributions 93 00:05:55,560 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 1: to enlightenment and culture of our time. That host conversation 94 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:04,160 Speaker 1: devolved into a shouting match at one point, with Al 95 00:06:04,279 --> 00:06:09,040 Speaker 1: Capp calling the bed in nothing but a gimmicky publicity stunt. However, 96 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 1: on that point, John Lennon kind of agreed. The couple 97 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:15,760 Speaker 1: always said they approached the project as a form of marketing, 98 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 1: except in their case the product on offer was supposedly 99 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 1: Piece itself. As Lenin told Cap in an attempt to 100 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:26,920 Speaker 1: win him over, quote, we're trying to sell it like soap, 101 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:29,600 Speaker 1: you know, and the only way to sell is to 102 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 1: focus attention and sell every day. Of course, another great 103 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:37,800 Speaker 1: way to sell a product or an idea is with 104 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:41,760 Speaker 1: a catchy jingle. So on the night before checkout, Lenin 105 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:46,159 Speaker 1: and Ono recorded one for their Piece promotion. All week long, 106 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:48,760 Speaker 1: Lenin had been asked what he hoped to achieve by 107 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 1: staying in bed, and one of his most frequent answers was, 108 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:56,359 Speaker 1: just give Piece a chance. That off the cuff response 109 00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 1: ultimately became the basis for one of the era's most 110 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:04,039 Speaker 1: enduring anti war anthems, which Lennon wrote in bed during 111 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:08,840 Speaker 1: his stay. On June first, Local music producer Andre Perry 112 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 1: was enlisted to record the performance, which he did using 113 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 1: nothing but four microphones and a four track tape recorder. 114 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:19,960 Speaker 1: The resulting track featured plenty of clapping, stomping, and choral 115 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 1: singing from everyone who happened to be in the room 116 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:25,679 Speaker 1: at the time, and as you might expect, it didn't 117 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 1: sound so hot. Luckily, Perry was later able to work 118 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 1: some studio magic overdub a few voices, and presto, a 119 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:38,000 Speaker 1: new protest song was born. Give Piece a Chance was 120 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 1: released as a single on July seventh, nineteen sixty nine, 121 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:44,200 Speaker 1: and went on to peak at number fourteen on the 122 00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:48,080 Speaker 1: Billboard Hot one hundred. It was the first solo single 123 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:51,160 Speaker 1: released by John Lennon, who was still technically a member 124 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 1: of the Beatles at the time. You've probably heard it before, 125 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:57,320 Speaker 1: but in case it's been a while, here's a taste 126 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:21,760 Speaker 1: day it's today, more than fifty years later, you can 127 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:25,720 Speaker 1: relive John and Yoko's bed in experience for yourself by 128 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:30,520 Speaker 1: booking the same two bedroom suite in downtown Montreal. It's 129 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:34,160 Speaker 1: adorned with archival photos and clippings of the couple, as 130 00:08:34,160 --> 00:08:37,439 Speaker 1: well as faithful reproductions of the protest signs they made, 131 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:40,720 Speaker 1: and even the security logs from their week long stay. 132 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:45,920 Speaker 1: That said, with nightly raids starting at nearly four thousand dollars, 133 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:49,400 Speaker 1: it's probably about as hard to sell as World Peace, 134 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:55,520 Speaker 1: But hey, at least the soap is complimentary. I'm Gabe 135 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:58,840 Speaker 1: Lucier and hopefully you now know a little more about 136 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:02,720 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. You can learn even 137 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 1: more about history by following us on Twitter, Facebook, and 138 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:10,720 Speaker 1: Instagram at TDI HC Show, and if you have any 139 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:13,720 Speaker 1: comments or suggestions, feel free to send them my way 140 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:18,679 Speaker 1: by writing to this Day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks 141 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:21,480 Speaker 1: to Chandler Mays and Ben Hackett for producing the show, 142 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:24,080 Speaker 1: and thanks to you for listening. I'll see you back 143 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:38,319 Speaker 1: here again soon for another day in history class.