"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.
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.
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 wellâÂÂknown 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.
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.
"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.
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. 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.