Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 3, 4, 8 February 1968
Producer: George Martin
Engineers: Martin Benge, Ken Scott, Peter Bown
Released: 12 December 1969
John Lennon: vocals, backing vocals, acoustic rhythm guitar, organ
Paul McCartney: backing vocals, acoustic guitar, piano
George Harrison: backing vocals, electric guitar, tambura, maracas
Ringo Starr: drums, percussion, svaramandal
George Martin: Hammond organ
Lizzie Bravo: backing vocals
Gayleen Pease: backing vocals
Uncredited: 18 violins, four violas, four cellos, harp, three trumpets, three trombones, two guitarists, 14 choristers
Available on:
Let It Be
Past Masters
Anthology 2
Let It Be... Naked
Although best known as a track on 1970's Let It Be album, Across The Universe was recorded in early 1968 and first released on a World Wildlife Fund album the following year.
It was John Lennon's first composition to be recorded by The Beatles since I Am The Walrus five months earlier. The words were written before the music, and came to Lennon in the early hours one morning at his home in Kenwood.
I was lying next to my first wife in bed, you know, and I was irritated. She must have been going on and on about something and she'd gone to sleep and I'd kept hearing these words over and over, flowing like an endless stream. I went downstairs and it turned into sort of a cosmic song rather than an irritated song; rather than a 'Why are you always mouthing off at me?' or whatever, right? ...But the words stand, luckily, by themselves. They were purely inspirational and were given to me as boom! I don't own it, you know; it came through like that. I don't know where it came from, what meter it's in, and I've sat down and looked at it and said, 'Can I write another one with this meter?' It's so interesting: 'Words are flying [sic] out like [sings] endless rain into a paper cup, they slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe.' Such an extraordinary meter and I can never repeat it! It's not a matter of craftsmanship; it wrote itself. It drove me out of bed. I didn't want to write it, I was just slightly irritable and I went downstairs and I couldn't get to sleep until I put it on paper, and then I went to sleep.
It's like being possessed; like a psychic or a medium. The thing has to go down. It won't let you sleep, so you have to get up, make it into something, and then you're allowed to sleep. That's always in the middle of the bloody night, when you're half awake or tired and your critical facilities are switched off.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
Part of the song's chorus – 'Jai guru deva, om' – is a Sanskrit phrase which roughly translates as 'Victory to God divine'. It was likely inspired by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, whom The Beatles had met in August 1967. The Maharishi's spiritual master was called Guru Dev. 'Jai' is a Hindi word meaning 'long live' or 'victory', and 'om' is a sacred syllable in the Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religions.
It's one of the best lyrics I've written. In fact, it could be the best. It's good poetry, or whatever you call it, without chewin' it. See, the ones I like are the ones that stand as words, without melody. They don't have to have any melody, like a poem, you can read them.
Rolling Stone, 1970
Lennon initially wanted Across The Universe to be released as a single while The Beatles were in India with the Maharishi, but the group opted for Lady Madonna instead. In March 1969 Across The Universe was mooted for a never-released Yellow Submarine EP, but eventually appeared on No One's Gonna Change Our World, an 11-song charity album also featuring The Bee Gees, Cilla Black, The Hollies and others.
It was a lousy track of a great song and I was so disappointed by it. 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.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
You really need separate list of instruments for each versions, all four official versions are different.
I am also confused about the organ, on the next page you say it is wiped, why do you list it?
I heard a very strange verson in 1970 on AM radio. The begining and the end had this sound effect that sounded like some weapon from star wars echoing Across The Universe.This version was in the I Am The Walrus flavor. Most important was that before it was given to the world wildlife fund the lyrics were NOTHING GOING TO CHANGE MY MIND.It was an electric version with a LOT of sitars and backwards guitars.The DJ said THIS RECORD IS STOLEN
I am pretty sure that is take 8 of Across The Universe.
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.
Hello Edward! You should contact the radio station involved (if you can remember which one) and inquire about this particular version which, according to you, appears to be unique.
If you’re right, Edward, it means that John successfully transformed something domestic into something cosmic, maybe just by the chance of having agreed to do a version for the WWF. How wonderful!
Are you sure John wanted to release this song as a single while they were in India? I always thought John was pushing for Hey Bulldog (recorded during the same group of sessions) to be released over Lady Madonna.
The song is splendid, but what an incredible mess the Spector version! He turned this etheral, subtle, delicate, so musical harmony into a heavy (screamed) anthum. Only the Past Masters (World Wildlife Fund) version is worse – no wonder John hated it…
Thank goodness, the Anthology has a decent interpretion, you can relly listen to this song. The Let It Be Naked one is truly enjoyable, light and blue, with a silk-and-honey John voice. A treat. Thank you, sir Paul!
John himself disagreed with you, at least regarding the Spectorized-version on “Let It Be.”
To be fair, John would often frequently disagree with himself, then agree again, then come up with another option. He once told Roger Waters that ‘It was a really good little song, there’s lot of…half versions and this version and that version…none of them are right, really’ Waters recorded the song in tribute after Lennon’s murder.
I found online a “Super Rare Psychedelic Version” full of backwards guitars; wonder if that’s the same one Edward heard?
In all, that makes five different versions, and I love ’em all, even Spector’s. For John to be dissatisfied with the results, no matter which version, was characteristic.
I think I have the same version, it starts with John saying “you’re right Richie” or something like that and then he laughs and you hear Richie on the drums for a second. It sound’s like Yoko’s harmonizing with him, even though it’s probably just those two girls who sing in the WWF version.
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.
the super rare…yeah thats the same one
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?
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.
Not from John!
The version done for the “No One’s Gonna Change Our World” album can also be found on the British “Rareties” album.
The version on Mono Masters is supposedly the version mixed for the Yellow Submarine EP, so why does it have bird sounds that they added after it was chosen for the WWF album?
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.
The versions on the WWF album, Past Masters,Let it be and Let it be – naked
are based on the same take from feb.68.
The lead vocal,the tambura, the acoustic and electric guitar are the same on all versions.The tempo is speeded up one semitone in the WWF and Past Master mix but speeded down again in the Spector (over)produced version from Let it be, Spector omitted George, Pauls and the girls backing vocals and added all the other stuff.The “naked” version kept only Johns vocal and acoustic guitar and George’s tambura. Only the Antology version is a completely different take, probably recorded before the other one.
Across the Universe was planned to be the A side of the first 1968 Beatles single backed with Lady Madonna. But none of the Beatles were satisfied with the recording. Therefore they tried to rerecord it in Jan. 69. Hey Bulldog was never an option for the single.
Does anyone else have an opinion on the “Hums Wild” mix that has been bootlegged over the years? Personally, it’s my favourite version of the song, aside from Take 2 which was released on “Anthology 2.”
I always thought this was John’s best song with the Beatles, even better than Strawberry Fields or A Day In the Life.
I prefer simple arrangements, and some songs are just made for one voice and a guitar … this is one of them, in my opinion.
I am inclined to agree with you.
more of a john lennon song not much of a beatles performance. i prefer paul to be singing duet with john on the chorus…”nothings gonna change my world…” and george on another guitar
Four released version based on the same takes. Maybe I´m going deaf or something, but I can´t hear any drums or organ or piano. They tried all this instruments, but all I can hear is double-tracked lead vocals, two acoustic guitars, tone-pedal steel guitar, tamboura, swaramandal, ¿congas? (¿maybe drums with some effects?) and maracas.
Lewisohn said “harp-like effect”. Maybe that´s the sound, and not a swaramandal at all.
It’s a complicated recording, made all the more difficult by the different versions officially released. However, after reading the musicologist Walter Everett’s brilliant The Beatles As Musicians, it seems this is correct:
Anthology 2: Lennon and McCartney on acoustic guitars, Harrison on tambura, Starr on svaramandal.
Past Masters: Acoustic guitars, tambura and svaramandal as before. Starr also played a tom tom (heard just before the vocals begin), and organ by Lennon enters with the first chorus. Harrison played the maracas, and George Martin added another organ, both beginning in the fourth bar of the chorus. Harrison played wah-wah guitar, and McCartney added the low ascending piano run in the coda.
Let It Be: Spector kept Lennon’s vocals and guitar, and Harrison’s maracas and wah guitar and tambura. He added orchestration, and during the recording session Ringo added more drums. The drums are the hardest to hear in each of the versions, particularly on Let It Be’s due to the wall of sound.
That book you quoted seems very interesting.
Lewisohn tells the story pretty diferent: every version comes from the same take, and all guitars were played by John. Ringo on swaramandal? That’s really something new.
I need another session with four versions to compare with your notes.
Thanks for the info.
I think they are all from the same take, though some of the masters included different elements from the multi-track tapes.
The instrument I’ve found hardest to make out is the organ. I’m still not convinced it’s there at all.
The organ is definitely there on Naked, especially audible after about a minute into the track.
This is an incredibly beautiful song, and I love the pure expressive simplicity of the Naked version. Lennon says the lyrics are his best and that they can stand alone without the music, but my God what a heart wrenching poignant melody! In that regard it ranks with Golden Slumbers, Hey Jude, and Let It Be. And John says he’s out of tune. Big deal, for one note!
Years later……..(two, to be exact)
You don’t understand. When you write a song, record a song….the very FIRST things you hear are what you consider “mistakes”. YOU, the composer, hear everything you didn’t do the way you intended. I understand exactly where John’s coming from with the out-of-tune comment.
You’re absolutely right. As a performing and recording musician I should know better than to belittle his dissatisfaction with his own intonation. My bad — thanks for pointing this out.
Awesome track! I really enjoy listening to it!
Thanks for visiting the site, Questlove!
While Gayleen Pease was a Londoner, Lizzie Bravo was visiting from Brazil.
I guess I’m weird, I think Spector definitely ruined a lot of Let It Be w his unsuitable production, but this is the one MAJOR exception. I completely agree w John, he completely saved this songs from the previous versions. Taking out those awful backing vocals on the chorus by amateur females is crucial, also removing that weird robotic-sounding harmony on “nothing’s gonna change my world”. For once his orchestral arrangements work and dont sound bloated but the true masterstroke was lowering the song a semitone. It adds such warmth to the guitars but ESP John’s voice. This is one of my top 5 Beatles songs but I don’t even like the other versions except Anthology. But that is sorely lacking those beautiful and crucial wah guitars
See I disagree with that last point. I thought lowering the track’s pitch post-recording to C# had the result of making Lennon’s voice sound very disinterested. I think it would’ve been different if they had recorded it in that key to begin with. I liked everything else though, I think the strings and the choir really add to the song. I always wished there was a version of Spector’s mix, but in D or E#.
For myself, I’ve always felt a great song can exist really in any form.
Well, I’m inclined to opine that the best version is the one on the ‘Naked’ collection. I liked what Phil did to it, but John sounds proper on the latter version.
John came up with the melody at a Pepper session in ’67 as evidenced by this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbzdG3vHDWU
Evidenced? A claim on Youtube that a recording is from a certain period is NOT evidence.
This being my favorite song of all time, all I can imagine is what it would’ve been like if it had been “done properly”.
Does Paul contribute to the let it be and the naked version (and doese he really play acoustic guitar on past masters and anthology). And is there no bass in across the universe? I prefer past masters and anthology version than let it be (orchestra is not as good as the verious indian instruments but better as nothing (naked)). The naked recording is too bored i think
I think I hear a second guitar in let it be and let it be… naked coming in after the intro was played, but maybe it’s just an automatically double_tracked guitar or there is no second guitar on these two versions. But I’m quite sure that Paul’s piano run is still audible in the Let It Be version, it is quite prominent in th outro
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.
“Across the universe” (undoubtly one of my favourites no matter which version) came up in a time when the Beatles were thinking to get back to their rock¨n´roll origins (that´s the reason why the song chosen for the first 1968 single was “Lady Madonna”), it just didn´t fit even for John (but I wonder why “The inner light” which was really a psichodelic song was included in the B side). “Hey bulldog” was essentially conceived for the film “Yellow submarine”
Back in the days of variable-speed turntables (still got mine & still use it), I would speed up or slow down this song, depending on whether I was playing the Let It Be version or the US Rarities version. I always liked the song a lot, but neither arrangement sat well with me. Years later, the outtake comes out on Anthology 2 & I was blown away. For me, that’s the definitive version.
he was so woman-friendly wasnt he?
My love for this song is infinite.this song is one if my absolute favorites. At my baby shower before I was born, a lady gave my father a cd called ‘Bedtime With The Beatles.’ It had songs on it like Blackbird, I Love Her, The Fool On The Hill and including Across The Universe. When I kept crying in the middle of the night he would play this cd and dance with me. I was like a few months old when he started doing this. Now whenever I’m sad or unhappy, I play this cd and it makes me feel some much better. And now The Beatles are my idols. 🙂
One of the best songs off Let It Be and as John Lennon said himself one of his best stand alone lyrics. I instantly loved this song when I first got The Let It Be album in 1978.
The version on ‘anthology 2’ sounds beautiful to my ears…. It would have made a better single than ‘lady madonna’.
Lennon later blamed mccartney for it never being recorded to his satisfaction, saying he didnt take the song seriously enough.
Lennon´s Across The Universe is for me perhaps the best song ever recorded. But the first recording from 1968 is better than that one produced by Phil Spector for the Let It Be album from 1970. A tender, pleading and lovely melody, suggestive because of the small steps between the notes and some dissonances. It is far from a typical pop song. The middle part is happier, has more “air” between the notes, and is “resolving” a little the sadness in the main melody. It´s really a masterpiece. Geoff Emerick says in his book that “it was probably the gentlest, sweetest John Lennon song I´d heard, and it took me very much by surprise, and we, and the entire group, were effusive in our praise”.
Lennon said that McCartney sabotaged the recording. Among other things McCartney roped in a couple of girls from the street during the session, for backing- up vocals in the middle part of the song. They sang out of tune, and out of time. Another time McCartney is demonstratively yawning when Lennon starts to sing the song. Lennon resigned and donated it to the World Wild Life Fund.
Nobody believes Lennon because he a period used heroin, and because McCartney is always smiling. Lennon was always the “bad guy” and McCartney “the good guy”. But in reality McCartney was always the harder and impudent one. I think that McCartney was afraid this “soft” masterpiece would destroy his image of doing soft songs. The same thing had happened with Strawberry Fields Forver, the year before, according to Lennon.
Across The Universe is composed and sang by Lennon alone.
But the same year 1968:
Ned Rorum in New York Review of Books, January 1968,
Readers Digest 1968,
The Pengiun Stereo Record Guide first edition,
and Das Grosse Lexikon der Musik 1978,
and many many others for many many years wrote that McCartney was the songwriter, or melody composer in The Beatles, not Lennon.
How could this happen?
1978 the album The Beatles “Rarities” was released, including among other songs the recording of Across The Universe from 1968. Hugh Fielder – like all the establishment — was keen on emphasizing McCartney´s participation in everything — wrote on the cover that “ it features John and Paul on vocals”. But Lennon was singing alone.
That depreciation of Lennon led to the split of The Beatles.
I disagree, Lennons disenchantment with The Beatles started with the ‘Bigger than Jesus’ fiasco when he felt he was hung out to dry. That was when the cracks began to appear.
Are you saying that Paul actually brought two girls from the street just like that and said to John ‘I want those to sing backing vocals on your song’? Out of tune, and no-one, let along Lennon himself mentioned it, or did anything at all? Paul yawning? Hah, he sabotaged it successfully. Not to mention it is not the 1968 recording session, but a 1969 rehearsal. You haven’t done your homework, mate. I sense a lot of anger in you. Let it go. Let it be.
A very stunning song with incredibly imaginative lyrics but this conspiracy theory of yours (Johan) about Paul. Egads. As if John had no say in the matter of the two female singers. They weren’t any worse than Yoko’s solo on Bungalow Bill. And who encouraged and allowed that contribution?
Regardless, a beautiful song in spite of how it came to be.
It’s amazing just how much power Paul had and John so little…..SMH
Lennons paranoia in full flow here. As for the Let it Be performance I seem to recall John was pretending to be writing it on the spot as if the words were just coming to him. He was asking Yoko to write them down as he sang. Hmmmmm
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.
Im trying to figure out what movie i heard “across the universe” in. It definitly was not from the film “across the universe”. But i remember hearing it on a part of the film where either someone dies or there is a huge loss in general. But i cany remember anything else! Can anyone please help??? Thanks!
Could it have been the movie “I Am Sam” starring Sean Penn?
Great song! Specially if you are trying to improve your pronunciation and fluency in the language.
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
The Let It Be album version is the best for my money.
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…
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.
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”.
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.
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).
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.
a song to fly near the clouds .so meditative song. John’s voice comes from the sky