John Lennon Spent Months Writing This 1970 Beatles Song and Called It His Best Lyrics

When it came toThe Beatles, members John Lennon and Paul McCartney were the lyrical geniuses of the group. FromMcCartney’s “Yesterday” to Lennon’s “Hard Day’s Night”, the songwriting powerhouses were the backbone of the band. While Lennon’s significant songwriting benefited the band and was appreciated by fans, even he was so critical of his work that a classic hit was shelved for a long time.

Lennon wrote “Across The Universe” years before The Beatles’ breakup, and while the song was a hit, Lennon thought something was missing. Lennon did overcome his perfectionism as the song was released, and it ended up being an underrated gem in the band’s discography. Despite his earlier struggles with the song, Lennon regarded “Across The Universe” as his best lyrics he ever wrote.

“Across the Universe” Was Inspired by an Argument Between John Lennon and Cynthia Powell

Lennon is an example of how magic can come from the most unusual places. “Across The Universe” stemmed from an argument with his first wife, Cynthia Powell, in 1967. She muttered the words “Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup,” which had Lennon glued to his seat, writing the lyric in one sitting. He turned a domestic into one of The Beatles’ best hits.

The Beatles took a trip to India in 1967, and needed a song to release during that time. Lennon brought “Across The Universe” across to the studio, and was eager to work on the song. When he brought the song to the band in 1968, he explained how he was “psychologically destroyed.” The first recording session could not have been any more disjointed, as there was no vision for the song.

Lennon was not happy with the song because elements were missing. In the February recording sessions, there were many takes. One take features the voices of two fans, Lizzie Bravo and Gayleen Pease, who were asked to sing the high notes. Another take, which included bird sounds, was released, but not under their album discography. They sent the version to comedian Spike Milligan, who was working on the 1969 World Wildlife Fund charity album named No One’s Gonna Change Our World. This was the song’s first release.

McCartney’s “Lady Madonna” and George Harrison’s “The Inner Light” were released as singles, as Lennon was still unhappy with the direction of “Across the Universe”. Lennon shelved “Across the Universe” even after the band returned from India, where they meditated and wrote songs for their upcoming album. They did consider releasing “Across The Universe” in their EP that contained songs from Yellow Submarine, but it was not until 1969 that they revisited the song.

“Across the Universe” Was Released in Their Final Album ‘Let It Be’

The Beatles returned to the studio in 1969 and collected “Across the Universe” from the shelf and rehearsed the song. Footage of Lennon playing the song was included in the Let It Be film. Despite the song being in the works since 1967, it was not until 1970 that the song was released, to tie it with Let It Be.

There were several “Across the Universe” mixes during the time The Beatles were recording the song. In January 1970, Glyn Johns remixed the February 1968 recording, which omitted the fans’ vocals and high notes and the bird sounds from the World Wildlife Fund version. Phil Spector also remixed the song in late March and early April in the same year, and added orchestral and choral overdubs, in which Lennon said that “Spector took the tape and did a damn good job with it.

Spector’s remix of “Across the Universe” was the most well-known, as John’s Get Back albums were not officially released until 2021. After Let It Be’s version of “Across the Universe” was released, more remixes and alternative versions have been released years after the Fab Four disbanded. An unreleased February 1968 alternative take on the song without heavy production appeared on Anthology 2 in 1996, which contained strong Indian sitar and tambura sounds inspired by the band’s love for meditation.

The February 1968 version was remixed to be included on the Let It Be…Naked album in 2003, and this version stripped most of the instrumentation and corrected tuning issues through digital processing. The sixth take of the song in 2018 was released on The Beatles: 50th Anniversary Edition, also known as The White Album. This version lasted 15 seconds longer.

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Lennon Called “Across the Universe” His Best Lyrics, but Blamed the Band for the Song’s Issues

Lennon’s dissatisfaction with the song and the recording session is the reason why the song was shelved for a long time. However, he does not place that blame on himself. In an interview with Playboyin 1980, he said the band “didn’t make a good record of it”. “The guitars are out of tune and I’m singing out of tune…and nobody’s supporting me or helping me with it and the song was never done properly,” he said.

In the same interview, he accused McCartney of ruining the song. “Paul would…sort of subconsciously try and destroy a great song,” he said. “Usually, we’d spend hours doing little detailed cleaning-ups of Paul’s songs; when it came to mine…somehow this atmosphere of looseness and casualness and experimentation would creep in. Subconscious sabotage.” Despite being unhappy with the recording process, Lennon told Rolling Stone that the lyrics were the best he had written. “It’s one of the best lyrics I’ve written,” Lennon said. “In fact, it could be the best. It’s good poetry, or whatever you call it, without chewin’ it.”