Back in 1970, This Former Beatle Proved That Delivering a Hit Single Doesn’t Have To Take Forever

John Lennon often approached his career in a refreshingly spontaneous fashion. Without calculating what it might mean for his popularity or status, he would jump at opportunities that others might have spurned.

Perhaps the most shining example of this tendency came with the 1970 single “Instant Karma!” Written and recorded in a day and released just a few weeks later, the song proved that Lennon was sometimes at his artistic best when he acted first and thought later.

Plastic Fantastic

January 1970 was a strange period of limbo for the four members of The Beatles. In September 1969, John Lennon announced to the others during a meeting that he was leaving the group. They wouldn’t announce the breakup to the world until April 1970. (And that only happened because Paul McCartney went rogue against the wishes of the others.)

John Lennon had already released music under the Plastic Ono Band banner, including the late 1969 single “Cold Turkey”. Hence, the public didn’t worry about any Beatle ramifications when he came back with the single “Instant Karma!”, again with the Plastic Ono Band, in January 1970.

What was different this time around was how quickly Lennon churned out the product. The lyrics detailed the instantaneous repercussions, both good and bad, of one’s actions. Lennon decided a quick release was entirely apropos.

Creating “Karma”

The concept behind the Plastic Ono Band was that it could involve whatever musicians Lennon decided were right for the project in the moment. In the case of “Instant Karma!”, he went with familiar faces. Fellow Beatle George Harrison played guitar, while Klaus Voorman, longtime friend of the group, handled bass. Alan White tackled the drums, while Lennon himself played piano.

One other key participant entering The Beatles circle for the first time was producer Phil Spector. Spector just happened to be with George Harrison when Harrison got the call from Lennon to record.

Lennon liked Spector’s style so much that he, as well as Harrison, ended up using the producer on their first solo albums away from the Fab Four. Meanwhile, Lennon managed to write the track, record it, and have it mixed on the spot over the course of a single day (January 27, 1970).

Success in an “Instant”

About the content of “Instant Karma!”, Lennon said the following in a 1980 interview with David Sheff:

“It just came to me. Everybody was going on about karma, especially in the Sixties. But it occurred to me that karma is instant as well as it influences your past life or your future life. There really is a reaction to what you do now. That’s what people ought to be concerned about.”

Lennon managed to rush “Instant Karma” onto radio in the UK just a few weeks after it was recorded. It arrived in America a few weeks after that. The song proved an immediate sensation, enjoying huge success on both sides of the Atlantic.

The process of recording the song was such that Lennon and his collaborators didn’t have much time for second-guessing. That hustle is part of the chart of “Instant Karma!”, proof that a great recording can come on the spot as long as some brilliant artists are involved.

(Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)