On This Day in 1970, John Lennon Performed His Solo Hit “Instant Karma!” on BBC’s ‘Top of the Pops’

On this day (February 12) in 1970, John Lennon brought his song “Instant Karma!” to BBC’s Top of the Pops. He was the first Beatle to appear on the show since 1966. At the same time, the performance likely raised some red flags for fans at the time.

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Lennon announced that the band was breaking up in April 1970 while promoting his solo album. However, fans were likely already starting to worry about the future of the Beatles when he, Yoko Ono, and the Plastic Ono band appeared on BBC’s Top of the Pops to perform “Instant Karma!” Watch a remastered version of the legendary performance below.

[RELATED: How John Lennon Put Together “Instant Karma!” in Just One Day]

It’s strange to think that The Beatles were only together for a decade. The Fab Four came together in 1960 and split in 1970. The intervening decade saw them become the biggest band in the world and change the face of popular music forever. Before the band officially split, Lennon seemingly already had one foot out the door and was working on a solo project.

John Lennon Created “Instant Karma!” in a Day

John Lennon released “Instant Karma!” on February 6, 1970, less than a week before his Top of the Pops performance. Unsurprisingly, it became an early hit in his solo career. It was a top-five hit in both the United States and the United Kingdom. In the States, it competed with the Beatles’ “Let It Be” on the charts. Additionally, it became the first solo single from a member of the Fab Four to sell a million copies in the United States. Its success makes the time it took Lennon to put the song together that much more impressive.

Lennon spent less than 24 hours on “Instant Karma!” before it was ready for release. According to Songfacts he wrote and recorded it on either January 26 or 27, 1970, about a week before he released it on Apple Records.

“I wrote it in the morning on the piano. I went to the office and sang it many times. So I said, ‘Hell, let’s do it,’” Lennon recalled. “We booked the studio and Phil [Spector] came in and said, ‘How do you want it?’ I said, ‘You know, 1950s.’ He said, ‘Right,’ and boom, I did it in about three goes or something like that,” he added.

“The only argument was I said [it needed] a bit more bass. That’s it. And off we went,” Lennon said of the finished product.

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