An artist isn’t always the best indicator of which songs will be well-received. They have their own opinions about how a recording session goes that aren’t always indicative of success. That was the case with one Beatles song and John Lennon. Despite fans chalking “Across the Universe” up to being a masterpiece, Lennon thought it was badly recorded. Learn more below.
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The Beatles Masterpiece John Lennon Thought They Ruined in the Studio
Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup
They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind
Possessing and caressing me
Jai guru deva, om
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
“Across the Universe” was penned by Lennon and credited to the Lennon-McCartney partnership. Many fans consider this track one of the Beatles’ best compositions. It’s very Lennon, with its off-kilter lyrics and warbly instrumentation. Despite his high hopes for this track, Lennon felt it fell short. Though it’s not an opinion shared by many, Lennon made his feeling well known.
Lennon Was “So Disappointed by It”
Part of what fell short for Lennon was the fact he had to record it under circumstances that weren’t ideal. The band was teetering on a breaking point at this time, making a mess of Lennon’s mental state. He felt that bled into the recording process.
“It was a lousy track of a great song and I was so disappointed by it,” Lennon once said. “It never went out as the Beatles; I gave it to the Wildlife Fund of Great Britain, and then when Phil Spector was brought in to produce Let It Be, he dug it out of the Beatles files and overdubbed it. The guitars are out of tune and I’m singing out of tune ’cause I’m psychologically destroyed and nobody’s supporting me or helping me with it and the song was never done properly.”
Another aspect that fell short for Lennon was how much experimentation they did. He felt that the Beatles would often “destroy a great song” by fussing with it too much. Moreover, he deemed his former songwriting partner the biggest offender.
“I think subconsciously sometimes we – I say ‘we’ although I think Paul did it more than the rest of us – Paul would, sort of subconsciously, try and destroy a great song,” Lennon added elsewhere.
Regardless of Lennon’s feelings about “Across the Universe,” it has remained a fan favorite. Everything that Lennon disliked about this track, listeners deeply admire. Revisit this Beatles masterpiece below.
Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes
They call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letterbox they
They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe
Jai guru deva, om
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
(Photo by Stroud/Express/Getty Images)
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