Comments on: Across The Universe

By: christhislove

christhislove — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 13:35:55 +0000

a song to fly near the clouds .so meditative song. John’s voice comes from the sky

By: Wilhelm Eder

Wilhelm Eder — Mon, 03 Sep 2018 06:30:31 +0000

Not from John!

By: Dakota Kinert

Dakota Kinert — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 03:03:43 +0000

Hey I have been searching for that particular version the “your right richie.” version. I had it at one point, but I was young and thought that was the only version of that song. I hadn’t realized how rare it was and now I can’t figure out how to listen to it again. I didn’t have it on a cd however, it was a digital version that my step father had on one of his computers and I asked him about it and he was not sure and didn’t really remember anything about it being special.

By: Ian Hammond

Ian Hammond — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 10:51:06 +0000

I think there are links between Nowhere Man and Across The Universe, but for different reasons. Both were songs that Lennon said he wrote in a trance state, and both are portraits of the relationships between his inner and outer worlds.

The two songs have potential connections with Over The Rainbow. With Universe its the shared opening (C Am Em) chord progression, the similar melody in Rainbow’s bridge (“some day I’ll wish upon a star…”) and the three word titles themselves (“Over The Rainbow”, “Across The Universe”). With Nowhere Man it’s the shared octave descent of the verse melodies. I discuss some of these connections, in “Lennon’s Rainbow”, a post to my (very much “under construction”) website Lennon Dances (www.lennondances.com).

By: Hans

Hans — Sun, 04 Feb 2018 10:24:14 +0000

Evidenced? A claim on Youtube that a recording is from a certain period is NOT evidence.

By: Free_Phi

Free_Phi — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 18:05:44 +0000

Here is the relevant passage from the Mono Masters liner notes:

“The Beatles donated ‘Across The Universe’ [D2 Track 15] to a compilation album to raise funds for the World Wildlife Fund called No One’s Gonna Change Our World. The song had been recorded in February, 1968 during a week of sessions that also produced ‘Lady Madonna’. Although only released in stereo at the time, the song had been mixed in mono on the day recording was completed. This mix had sound effects added to the beginning and end of the song in January, 1969 and was intended to accompany the four Yellow Submarine songs on the projected EP mentioned earlier. This previously unreleased mix of ‘Across The Universe’ is exclusive to Mono Masters.”

I find this account unlikely, and it’s more likely that the MM version is a fold-down of the WWF version that was lying around in the archives. This account would have to mean either that the flappy-bird noises were selected (by the artist) long before WWF picked it up, or that the WWF edit was made and considered “canon” almost a year before the release of the WWF compilation.
But this is the official word.

By: MikeP

MikeP — Sat, 21 Oct 2017 18:19:11 +0000

Or could it be that one of Lennon’s many versions of many stories don’t jibe? “deepest depressions….nadir…..psychologically destroyed” – Lennon (according to himself) was always going through these things. But later, he would contradict himself and paint a different picture. Why, it the throes of “deepest depression”, would he write “Bulldog” and suddenly find his creative leadership in the studio.

Personally, I think he simply liked blaming others or outside circumstances for his own perceived “failures”.

By: MikeP

MikeP — Sat, 21 Oct 2017 01:42:50 +0000

This is a beautiful song that was never recorded properly – I suspect because Lennon himself didn’t know what he wanted to do with it. That’s why every version is “screwed with”. The “..naked” version would have been best (unadorned) but for the phased tamboura. The Abbey Road folks should have just left it as-is , warts and all.

By: MikeP

MikeP — Sat, 21 Oct 2017 01:39:55 +0000

It’s amazing just how much power Paul had and John so little…..SMH

By: Phil Ryan

Phil Ryan — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 01:58:06 +0000

I find it odd no one ever mentions the musical and thematic similarities to Nowhere Man and the fact he references that song with the opening guitar riff. Nowhere Man has the odd chord change F#m to Am at the end of the verses and ATU has Em Gm in the same place. The fact Nowhere Man likely has a capo on the 2nd fret and is actually played in D major – just like ATU – seals the deal. They’re of a piece, and JL knew it at the time.

By: John Pepper

John Pepper — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 21:53:07 +0000

Well, according to Everett’s theory, the second guitar is Paul McCartney. He’s not playing any piano on the Let it Be version, but he’s playing the same bass run, just on an acoustic guitar.

By: Ms. Lane

Ms. Lane — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 14:45:45 +0000

Hi, Grace. I found this via good ole Google:

General Comment
This is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. I think it is about John Lennon’s dream of Peace and Love throughout, well, the universe. The “nothing’s gonna change my world” line is saying no matter what the world says about this, it’s his dream and it cannot be changed by anyone else but him. It’s an incredible song.

From a website called song meanings. There are many subjective interpretations offered there. Lots of comments. But to me, the one quoted above seems to capture what I see as his meaning.

By: David Peel

David Peel — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 11:43:29 +0000

Never heard that story and if you read interviews that all 4 Beatles have given no one references any change of the song’s lyrics.

By: Paul C.

Paul C. — Sat, 20 May 2017 03:25:40 +0000

Don’t forget Lennon wrote this, one of his best songs, during the period of one of his deepest depressions in late 1967, while he was at the nadir of his “LSD period”, and his quote that he was “psychologically destroyed” during the recording sessions in February 1968 reflects all of this. I’ve always found it fascinating that he bounced back from the bad experience of trying to record this song with “Hey Bulldog”, where he reasserted himself in the studio for the first time in years.

By: Alan Green

Alan Green — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 08:50:57 +0000

Does anyone know if the original 3.37 minute MONO version of this song, from February 1968, actually exists anymore? This is the version before 20 seconds of bird sound effects were added and the whole track sped-up to give a new running time of 3.49 minutes, including sound effects. Both Mono and Stereo versions, with sound effects, are available on Mono Masters and Past Masters, plus we have Stereo versions, without sound effects, on Let It Be, Let It Be… Naked and Anthology 2. However, it would be great to hear the original ‘best MONO version’ of Across The Universe, before it was mixed, re-mixed and generally messed about with. Technology being what it is today the original 3.37 minute MONO version, from February 1968, may yet surface. Maybe we’ll also see the long awaited Yellow Submarine E.P. which was mixed and prepared but never released. It’s a nice thought anyway…

By: Paul

Paul — Sun, 16 Apr 2017 18:21:19 +0000

The Let It Be album version is the best for my money.

By: Peter

Peter — Sun, 01 Jan 2017 21:19:24 +0000

When being filmed playing this song in the movie ‘Let it Be’, Lennon gives the impression that he is writing it as he is being filmed. He even goes as far as to shout out to Yoko to ‘ get them down’ with reference to the lyrics which are ‘coming to him’. Hmmmmmm

By: Young Fred

Young Fred — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 03:44:43 +0000

Great song! Specially if you are trying to improve your pronunciation and fluency in the language.

By: Grace

Grace — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 01:32:58 +0000

What I want to know is, I keep looking for the meaning to the lyrics, “Nothings gonna change my World” and I can’t find them. What did he mean by this?? I know what it means to me, but what was he saying there?

By: Joseph Brush

Joseph Brush — Sun, 28 Aug 2016 16:48:16 +0000

You seem to recall? Don’t you know? Most people who were fans back then when it was happening did notice the charity album in the stores–No One’s Gonna Change Our World.
Some of us including myself even purchased the album and heard that version of Universe on the radio before Let It Be–movie and album came out.
How do you know he was pretending to write Universe again? Did you see the words that were written on the piece of paper? Who else’s song appeared on a non Beatles album (in this case a charity album?)
Only Lennon.