Few hits are captured in one take. Perfection isn’t often happenstance, it’s more often the product of painstaking work in the studio. But, if you’re a really great musician, you might just be able to nail it early on in the process. One of John Lennon’s hits, “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night”, was perfected quickly. Learn more about the song Lennon cut in one or two takes, below.
The John Lennon Hit That Was Cut in One Take
Whatever gets you thru the night
It’s all right, it’s all right
It’s your money or your life
It’s all right, it’s all right
Don’t need a sword to cut thru flowers
Oh no, oh no
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One of Lennon’s final hits was his collaboration with Elton John, “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night.” Though the final product is relatively polished, it didn’t require many takes to get it there. According to Lennon, the final recording features one of their first takes.
While we might chalk up the quick recording process as evidence of Lennon’s time-honed talent, he more-so admired the energy his backing band was able to get on the first few plays. He didn’t want it to become stale, so he decided to quit while they were ahead.
“It’s almost the first or second take, and the musicians are ragged but swinging,” Lennon once said. “We tried to cut it a few times again but it never got that feel…We put that on and it was over and done within five minutes.”
Given how successful this song proved to be, it makes the fact it was created relatively quickly all the more impressive. This song would later earn fame for being the inciting incident behind Lennon’s final live performance.
Lennon and John reportedly had a bet that if “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” went No. 1, the former Beatle would join him on stage at Madison Square Garden. The song reached the top of the charts and moved Lennon to make his final appearance on stage before his death. Revisit “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night,” below.
Whatever gets you thru your life
It’s all right, it’s all right
Do it wrong or do it right
It’s all right, it’s all right
Don’t need a watch to waste your time
Oh no, oh no
Hold me, darlin’, come on, listen to me
I won’t do you no harm
Trust me, darlin’, come on, listen to me
Come on, listen to me, come on, listen, listen
(Photo by Murphy/Daily Herald/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)
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