On 26 September 2025, the John Lennon estate premiered a brand-new music video for Lennon and Yoko Ono’s hard-hitting protest anthem “Sunday Bloody Sunday (Ultimate Mix)”, reintroducing one of the most controversial yet vital tracks from Lennon’s New York era. The video arrives just weeks before the release of the expansive Power To The People (The Ultimate Collection) box set, due 10 October, and places renewed focus on Lennon’s uncompromising political voice.
“Sunday Bloody Sunday” was written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono on 31 January 1972, the day after the Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry, Northern Ireland, in which 13 unarmed civil rights marchers were killed by British troops. Lennon, then recently relocated to New York, reacted immediately with a furious musical response. Just two weeks later, on 13 February 1972, the track was recorded at the Record Plant in New York with the Plastic Ono Band featuring Elephant’s Memory.
The song was included on the 1972 album Some Time in New York City, and quickly stood out for its blunt, unfiltered rage. Lennon’s biting lyrics accused the British establishment of colonial arrogance and demanded freedom for Ireland, while Ono’s banshee-like vocal refrains heightened the sense of urgency. Musically, the track fused pounding percussion, raw guitar lines, wailing saxophone, and Lennon’s signature urgency into a sound both chaotic and deliberate, mirroring the turmoil of the time.
Though critics have long debated the song’s political simplicity, it remains one of the starkest examples of Lennon’s willingness to wield his platform for activist causes, regardless of backlash. At the time, the song sparked outrage in Britain but also drew praise from civil rights campaigners, with Lennon donating royalties to the Northern Ireland civil rights movement.
For this year’s reissue campaign, “Sunday Bloody Sunday” has been given a 2025 Ultimate Mix, overseen by Sean Ono Lennon and mixed by Paul Hicks and Sam Gannon. Transfer engineering was handled by Matthew Cocker at Abbey Road Studios, with mastering by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road. The remix aims to retain the song’s original fury while clarifying the dense textures of the original Phil Spector-assisted production.
The new mix sits within the forthcoming Power To The People (The Ultimate Collection) box set, which reframes Lennon and Ono’s politically charged New York years. Scheduled for release on 10 October 2025, the collection compiles nine CDs and three Blu-rays of remixed albums, outtakes, live concerts, and home demos, providing the most comprehensive look yet at Lennon’s post-Beatles activism era.
The just-released video for “Sunday Bloody Sunday” was directed by Simon Hilton and David Frearson, with Frearson also contributing animation. Produced by Sean Ono Lennon, along with Delphine Lamandé-Frearson, Sophie Hilton, Faye Jordan, and Grace Davyd, the video is a striking blend of archival imagery, animated symbolism, and stark visual storytelling. Its visuals amplify Lennon’s searing lyrics, juxtaposing footage of protest movements with powerful animation to highlight the song’s enduring relevance.
By pairing Lennon’s furious 1972 protest song with a 2025 visual treatment, the estate has underscored the song’s resonance across decades. Much as the original recording demanded listeners confront injustice head-on, the video now demands that same attention in a world still grappling with questions of freedom, violence, and state power.
Personnel on the original recording
John Lennon – vocals, electric guitars
Yoko Ono – vocals, percussion
Jim Keltner – drums, percussion
Stan Bronstein – saxophone
Wayne ‘Tex’ Gabriel – electric guitar
Adam Ippolito – electric piano
Gary Van Scyoc – bass
Richard Frank Jr. – drums, percussion
Recording engineers were Roy Cicala and Dennis Ferrante, with production by John & Yoko themselves.
The timing of the video release is deliberate, serving as a flagship moment in the build-up to the Power To The People (The Ultimate Collection) release. The box set recontextualises Lennon’s New York years, placing Some Time in New York City – now remixed and retitled New York City – at the heart of the collection.
Alongside an extended mix of “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” the set includes the full 1972 One to One concerts at Madison Square Garden, outtakes, evolution mixes, and 90 previously unreleased recordings. It is, as Noise11 has reported, the most extensive deep-dive yet into Lennon’s politically charged early-1970s catalogue.
By choosing “Sunday Bloody Sunday” as the visual and audio lead, the estate has emphasised Lennon’s commitment to giving voice to protest and dissent – even at the cost of controversy.
“Sunday Bloody Sunday” was written in shock, recorded in anger, and released as a statement. Over 50 years later, the new video and Ultimate Mix demonstrate why Lennon’s protest music still matters.
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