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.