Friday 16 July 1971 | Apple Records, UK
God Save Us, credited to the Elastic Oz Band, was released as a UK single on 16 July 1971.
The song was written by John Lennon in support of the defence fund during Oz magazine's obscenity trial. It was recorded, along with its B-side Do The Oz, by Lennon and the Elastic Oz Band.
Background
For contractual reasons Lennon needed another singer to replace his guide vocals. Bill Elliott overdubbed his part onto the master on 16 June 1971. Elliott, who appeared on the picture sleeve, later became one half of Splinter, a group signed to George Harrison's Dark Horse label in the 1970s.
“Stan and some people from Oz rang up and said, ‘Will you make us a record?’ and I thought, ‘Well, I can’t,’ because I’m all tied up contractually and I didn’t know how to do it. So then we got down to would I write a song for them? I think we wrote it the same night, didn’t we? We wrote it together and the b-side. First of all we wrote it as ‘God Save Oz’, you know, ‘God save Oz from it all,’ but then we decided they wouldn’t really know what we were talking about in America so we changed it back to ‘us’.”
— John Lennon, Sounds magazine
The Release
God Save Us was issued as a single by Apple Records but failed to chart in either the US or UK.
Lennon's guide vocal performance was included on the 1998 box set John Lennon Anthology and the highlights collection Wonsaponatime, both titled God Save Oz. Various versions including the demo and outtakes appeared in the 2018 box set Imagine: The Ultimate Collection.
Key Facts: 16 July 1971
| Release date | 16 July 1971 |
| Artist | Elastic Oz Band |
| A-side | God Save Us |
| B-side | Do The Oz |
| Label | Apple Records |
| Written by | John Lennon |
| Lead vocalist | Bill Elliott (replacing Lennon's guide vocal) |
| Chart position | Did not chart (UK or US) |
| Purpose | Oz magazine obscenity trial defence fund |
John Lennon: Imagine Peace
Officially licensed John Lennon solo era merchandise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was God Save Us by the Elastic Oz Band?
God Save Us was a single written by John Lennon, released 16 July 1971 in support of the Oz magazine obscenity trial defence fund, with Bill Elliott on lead vocals replacing Lennon's guide vocal for contractual reasons.
Why did John Lennon write God Save Us?
To support the defence fund for Oz magazine's 1971 obscenity trial.
Who sang on God Save Us?
Bill Elliott sang lead vocals, replacing Lennon's guide vocal for contractual reasons. Elliott later became one half of Splinter, signed to George Harrison's Dark Horse label.
Was John Lennon's version ever released?
Yes, as God Save Oz on the 1998 John Lennon Anthology and Wonsaponatime. Further versions appeared in the 2018 Imagine: The Ultimate Collection box set.
→ Book signing: Grapefruit by Yoko Ono – 16 July 1971
→ Filming: Imagine by John Lennon and Yoko Ono – 16 July 1971
→ 16 July in Beatles History
→ John Lennon: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
→ The Beatles Knowledge Hub
Shop: John Lennon: Imagine Peace T-Shirt | Beatles merch by era
0 comments