Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
| "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
B-side label of the 1982 US single | ||||
| Single by John Lennon | ||||
| from the album Double Fantasy | ||||
| A-side | "Watching the Wheels" | |||
| Released | 11 April 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1980 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 4:02 | |||
| Label | Geffen | |||
| Songwriter | John Lennon | |||
| Producers |
| |||
| John Lennon singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Double Fantasy track listing | ||||
14 tracks
| ||||
"Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" is a song written and performed by John Lennon. It appears on the 1980 album Double Fantasy, the final album released by Lennon and Yoko Ono during his lifetime. The song is addressed to Lennon's son Sean and is noted for its tender, reassuring tone.
Paul McCartney has described "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" as one of his favourite Lennon compositions. When McCartney appeared on Desert Island Discs in 1982, he selected it as his favourite track, and Ono did the same when she appeared on the programme in 2007.[1][2]
The song was originally 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 shifts into a gentle reflection on parenthood, offering encouragement, affection and a sense of wonder at watching Sean grow.
The lyrics include the well‑known 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.[3][4]
The song has been used in several films. In Mr. Peabody and Sherman (2014), it accompanies a montage depicting Mr. Peabody meeting and adopting Sherman. In Mr. Holland's Opus (1995), the title character performs the song for his deaf son in an effort to repair their strained relationship.[5]
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
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[6] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[7] 2011 release |
Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Celine Dion version
| "Beautiful Boy" | |
|---|---|
| Promotional single by Celine Dion | |
| from the album Miracle | |
| Released | 4 October 2004 |
| Recorded | 2004 |
| Studio |
|
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 3:53 |
| Label | |
| Songwriter | John Lennon |
| Producer | David Foster |
| Audio video | |
| "Beautiful Boy" on YouTube | |
"Beautiful Boy" was recorded by Celine Dion for her 2004 album Miracle. It was issued on 4 October 2004 in North America and selected European markets as the album's first promotional single.[8]
The song reached number two on the Quebec radio chart. It also performed well on adult contemporary formats, peaking at number 18 in the United States and number 23 in Canada.[9][10] In Hungary, it reached number 30 on the national airplay chart.
Dion promoted the track with several US television appearances, including a performance on Live with Regis and Kelly.
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (2004–2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada AC (Radio & Records)[10] | 23 |
| Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[11] | 30 |
| Quebec Radio (ADISQ)[12] | 2 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[9] | 18 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2004) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Adult Contemporary (Radio & Records)[13] | 88 |
| Chart (2005) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Adult Contemporary (Radio & Records)[14] | 75 |
References
- ^ "Paul McCartney: Desert Island Discs". BBC. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
- ^ "Yoko Ono: Desert Island Discs". BBC. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Life is What Happens To You While You're Busy Making Other Plans". Quote Investigator. 6 May 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
- ^ "Did John Lennon Create the Phrase, 'Life Is What Happens When You're Busy Making Other Plans'?". Snopes. 9 July 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "IMDB database 'Mr. Holland's Opus' Plot Summary'". Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ "New Zealand single certifications – John Lennon – Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)". Radioscope. Retrieved 5 February 2026. Type Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
- ^ "British single certifications – John Lennon – Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 24 June 2025. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) John Lennon in the "Search:" field.
- ^ "R&R Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. 1 October 2004. p. 20. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Celine Dion Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- ^ a b "R&R Canada AC Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. 3 December 2004. p. 48. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- ^ "Le Palmarès". ADISQ. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- ^ "R&R Most Played 2004 - Adult Contemporary" (PDF). Radio & Records. 10 December 2004. p. 62. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ "AC: R&R Most Played" (PDF). Radio & Records. 9 December 2005. p. 68. Retrieved 22 May 2023.