4 Classic Rock Songs That Were Recorded in Just One Day

Recording a song in less than a few days isn’t common, even by today’s standards. Sometimes, multiple takes of multiple vocal and instrumental tracks are just plain necessary in order to produce a good song. Sessions can last for days or even weeks. However, that was not the case for the following four songs, which were recorded in the span of only one single day. Let’s take a look! A few of these songs might shock you.

“Twist And Shout” by The Beatles

It’s crazy to think that a song this good only took a day to record. However, “Twist And Shout” by The Beatles was, indeed, recorded in just a single day. In fact, the whole of Please Please Me, the Fab Four’s debut, was recorded in one single day on February 11, 1963. A few overdubs here and there were added at a later date by George Martin, but otherwise, that whole record launched the biggest music career of the 20th century. And it’s crazy to think that they rushed it.

“Instant Karma” by John Lennon

This noteworthy John Lennon solo release was a pretty big deal in 1970. What’s fascinating about this gorgeous track is that it was recorded in just one day that very year on January 27. It was released a little over a week later. Lennon would famously say that he “wrote it for breakfast, recorded it for lunch, and we’re putting it out for dinner.”

“Sister Ray” by The Velvet Underground

This legendary experimental rock outfit recorded the iconic tune “Sister Ray” in just one single day. And that was quite intentional. The band wanted to explore music without overmodification or suppression, so they recorded this track in one single try back in 1967. It’s a revolutionary, influential work that sounds like it came out several decades after it was actually produced.

“Losing My Religion” by R.E.M.

A more modern entry on our list of songs that were recorded in one day, this 1991 alt-rock release from R.E.M. is quite a stunning piece of work. And surprisingly enough, it was recorded in just one day. And not only that, but Stipe’s vocal performance only needed one single take to make it to the final version. That’s pretty impressive, considering how powerful his vocals are on that song.

Photo by ITV/Shutterstock

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