Written in 1977 by john for an unfinished play entitled the ballad of john and yoko, john first recorded _____ in 1979, with his
vocal/acoustic guitar version appearing in the 1988 imagine: john lennon film. on the beatles reunion remake, john's original vocals and piano are combined with new tracks by paul, george and ringo. released as a single in 1996, the song goes to #4 in the uk and #11 in the u.s.
The song was also included as the opening track on the Beatles' <em>Anthology 2 </em>album, released in 1996. <em>Anthology 2, </em>which featured outtakes and live performances also. During the preparation for that project, "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love" were worked on by the remaining Beatles and released as new songs. (John Lennon had died in 1980.)
