"Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" is a song written and performed by John Lennon for his 1980 album Double Fantasy, the final studio release issued by Lennon and Yoko Ono during his lifetime. Addressed to Lennon's son Sean, the track is noted for its gentle, reassuring tone and its themes of parental affection and optimism.
The song has been widely praised by Lennon's contemporaries. Paul McCartney has described it as one of his favourite Lennon compositions; when he appeared on Desert Island Discs in 1982, he selected it as his preferred track, and Ono made the same choice when she appeared on the programme in 2007.
"Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" was first issued as the B-side of "Watching the Wheels" in March 1981. It was later used as the B-side of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" to promote the compilation album The John Lennon Collection in November 1982.
Lyrics Written for his young son Sean, the song opens with Lennon comforting him after what appears to be a nightmare. It then moves into a gentle meditation on parenthood, expressing reassurance, affection and a sense of wonder at watching a child grow.
The lyrics include the widely quoted line, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans", a phrase attributed to Allen Saunders in a 1957 issue of Reader's Digest.
"Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" has been used in several films. In Mr. Holland's Opus (1995), the title character performs the song for his deaf son in an effort to repair their strained relationship. In Mr. Peabody and Sherman (2014), it accompanies a montage depicting Mr. Peabody meeting and adopting Sherman.
Personnel John Lennon – vocals, acoustic guitar, vocoder Earl Slick – acoustic guitar Hugh McCracken – lead guitar Tony Levin – bass guitar George Small – keyboards Robert Greenidge – steelpan Arthur Jenkins – percussion Randy Stein – English concertina
Certifications
Celine Dion version
Celine Dion recorded "Beautiful Boy" for her 2004 album Miracle. The track was issued on 4 October 2004 in North America and selected European territories as the album's first promotional single. Dion promoted the song with several US television appearances, including a performance on Live with Regis and Kelly.
Commercial performance The recording achieved moderate commercial success. It reached number two on the Quebec radio chart and performed well on adult contemporary formats, peaking at number 18 in the United States and number 23 in Canada. In Hungary, it reached number 30 on the national airplay chart.
Charts Weekly charts + Chart (2004–2005) Peakposition Canada AC (Radio & Records) 23 Quebec Radio Songs (ADISQ) 2
Year-end charts + Chart (2004) Position US Adult Contemporary (Radio & Records) 88
+ Chart (2005) Position US Adult Contemporary (Radio & Records) 75
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