John Lennon’s Unreleased Song ‘Bed Peace’ Is up for Auction

  • The recording features an unreleased Lennon song and an interview with the musician and Yoko Ono.
  • Four school children from Denmark captured the audiotape in January 1970.
  • This recording was taken just before the Beatles announced their breakup.

An old cassette recording of John Lennon performing an unreleased song titled “Radio Peace” is set to be auctioned in the Danish capital Copenhagen Tuesday.

The 33-minute tape — which was recorded by four Danish teenagers in January 1970 just months before The Beatles announced their official break up — also features a recording of an interview with Lennon and his then-wife, Yoko Ono.

Karsten Hoejen, one of the tape’s owners, told the BBC that “Radio Peace” was recorded as a theme song for a radio station.

“The radio station was never opened and the song was never released,” He said. “To our knowledge, the only place where this song exists is on our tape.”

Bruun Rasmussen, the auction house in Copenhagen, said the recording — which is to be sold alongside photographs from the meeting — could fetch between $32,000-50,000.

Lennon, Ono, and Kyoko, Ono’s 5-yearold daughter, were visiting Denmark at the time of recording. Ono was still living in Denmark with Anthony Cox.

A picture of a cassette of John Lennon.

The cassette and photos from the meeting are on display.

IDA MARIE ODGAARD/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images


The famous couple had initially tried to avoid the press, but their presence was soon uncovered and a press conference was organized. Fourteen-year-olds from school were unable to make it to the interview, despite their teacher having persuaded them. Lennon & Ono were willing to speak to them.

“We went into the living room and saw John and Yoko sitting on the sofa, it was fantastic. We sat down with them and were quite close to each other,” Hojen spoke to the AFP news agency. “I was sitting next to Yoko Ono and John Lennon was sitting next to Yoko and we talked. We had a good time.”

Recalling the meeting to the BBC, Hojen said: “John asked me, ‘Where do you come from? A radio station?’ ‘No, from a school magazine,’ I said.”

A picture of a John Lennon cassette tape.

The cassette tape.

IDA MARIE ODGAARD/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images


The recording also features Lennon playing the guitar and singing his famous protest song “Give Peace a Chance.” At the time of the recording, the Vietnam War was creeping into its deadly 15th year, and months earlier, Lennon and Ono had conducted their famous “Bed-in” peaceful protest against the war.

At one point during the taped interview, Lennon is asked, “How do you think that people like me can help you with making peace around the world?”

He responds: “Imitate what we do. Think, what can I do locally?”

The recording also includes passages where Lennon discusses his frustration about the public image of The Beatles as well as the length of his hair and why he had no plans on cutting it.

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