“Come Together" (Lennon – October 1, 1969)
Abbey Road – Side 1, Track 1 (4:20)
YouTube (Re-mastered promotional film)
From Wikipedia, Rolling Stone, About.com, and Google –
"Come Together" is a song by the Beatles written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is the opening track on the album Abbey Road, and was released as a double A-sided single with "Something", their twenty-first single in the United Kingdom and twenty-sixth in the United States. The song reached the top of the charts in the US, and peaked at number four in the UK.
Origin and meaning –
The song's history began when Lennon was inspired by Timothy Leary's campaign for governor of California titled "Come together, join the party" against Ronald Reagan, which promptly ended when Leary was sent to prison for possession of marijuana. It has been speculated that each verse refers cryptically to each of the Beatles (e.g. "he's one holy roller" allegedly refers to the spiritually inclined George Harrison; "he got monkey finger, he shoot Coca-Cola" to Ringo Starr, the funny Beatle; "he got Ono sideboard, he one spinal cracker" to Lennon himself; and "got to be good-looking 'cause he's so hard to see" to Paul McCartney); however, it has also been suggested that the song has only a single "pariah-like protagonist" and Lennon was "painting another sardonic self-portrait".
"The Learys wanted me to write them a campaign song," Lennon told Rolling Stone, "and their slogan was 'Come together.'" He knocked out what he called "a chant-along thing," and Leary took the demo tape home and aired it on some radio stations.
But Lennon decided that he wanted to do something else with the lyric he had started, rather than finish the Leary campaign song. "I never got around to it, and I ended up writing 'Come Together' instead," he said. When he brought his new song in for the Abbey Road sessions, it was much faster than the final version and more obviously modeled on Chuck Berry's "You Can't Catch Me" — the opening line, "Here come old flat-top," is a direct lift from Berry's 1956 recording. (Shortly after the release of Abbey Road, Berry's publisher charged the Beatles with copyright infringement; the case was settled in 1973, with Lennon agreeing to record three songs owned by the company — two Berry songs on the Rock 'n' Roll album and Lee Dorsey's "Ya Ya" on Walls and Bridges.)
Paul McCartney had a few suggestions for how to improve the song, as he recalled in The Beatles Anthology: "I said, 'Let's slow it down with a swampy bass-and-drums vibe.' I came up with a bass line, and it all flowed from there." Lennon said that the "over me" break at the end of the chorus began as an Elvis parody. The lyrics are a rapid-fire pileup of puns, in-jokes and what he called "gobbledygook" that he made up in the studio. The message was clear when he cried out at the end of the second verse, "One thing I can tell you is you got to be free." But for Lennon, the hypnotic rhythm was the most important thing: "It was a funky record — it's one of my favorite Beatles tracks. It's funky, it's bluesy, and I'm singing it pretty well."
After the antagonism of Let It Be, it was almost impossible to imagine the band returning to this sort of creative collaboration. "If I had to pick one song that showed the four disparate talents of the boys and the ways they combined to make a great sound, I would choose 'Come Together,'" George Martin said. "The original song is good, and with John's voice it's better. Then Paul has this idea for this great little riff. And Ringo hears that and does a drum thing that fits in, and that establishes a pattern that John leapt upon and did the ["shoot me"] part. And then there's George's guitar at the end. The four of them became much, much better than the individual components."
"Come Together" was the final flicker of this rejuvenated spirit: It was the last song all four Beatles cut together.
Origin and meaning –
The song's history began when Lennon was inspired by Timothy Leary's campaign for governor of California titled "Come together, join the party" against Ronald Reagan, which promptly ended when Leary was sent to prison for possession of marijuana. It has been speculated that each verse refers cryptically to each of the Beatles (e.g. "he's one holy roller" allegedly refers to the spiritually inclined George Harrison; "he got monkey finger, he shoot Coca-Cola" to Ringo Starr, the funny Beatle; "he got Ono sideboard, he one spinal cracker" to Lennon himself; and "got to be good-looking 'cause he's so hard to see" to Paul McCartney); however, it has also been suggested that the song has only a single "pariah-like protagonist" and Lennon was "painting another sardonic self-portrait".
"The Learys wanted me to write them a campaign song," Lennon told Rolling Stone, "and their slogan was 'Come together.'" He knocked out what he called "a chant-along thing," and Leary took the demo tape home and aired it on some radio stations.
But Lennon decided that he wanted to do something else with the lyric he had started, rather than finish the Leary campaign song. "I never got around to it, and I ended up writing 'Come Together' instead," he said. When he brought his new song in for the Abbey Road sessions, it was much faster than the final version and more obviously modeled on Chuck Berry's "You Can't Catch Me" — the opening line, "Here come old flat-top," is a direct lift from Berry's 1956 recording. (Shortly after the release of Abbey Road, Berry's publisher charged the Beatles with copyright infringement; the case was settled in 1973, with Lennon agreeing to record three songs owned by the company — two Berry songs on the Rock 'n' Roll album and Lee Dorsey's "Ya Ya" on Walls and Bridges.)
Paul McCartney had a few suggestions for how to improve the song, as he recalled in The Beatles Anthology: "I said, 'Let's slow it down with a swampy bass-and-drums vibe.' I came up with a bass line, and it all flowed from there." Lennon said that the "over me" break at the end of the chorus began as an Elvis parody. The lyrics are a rapid-fire pileup of puns, in-jokes and what he called "gobbledygook" that he made up in the studio. The message was clear when he cried out at the end of the second verse, "One thing I can tell you is you got to be free." But for Lennon, the hypnotic rhythm was the most important thing: "It was a funky record — it's one of my favorite Beatles tracks. It's funky, it's bluesy, and I'm singing it pretty well."
After the antagonism of Let It Be, it was almost impossible to imagine the band returning to this sort of creative collaboration. "If I had to pick one song that showed the four disparate talents of the boys and the ways they combined to make a great sound, I would choose 'Come Together,'" George Martin said. "The original song is good, and with John's voice it's better. Then Paul has this idea for this great little riff. And Ringo hears that and does a drum thing that fits in, and that establishes a pattern that John leapt upon and did the ["shoot me"] part. And then there's George's guitar at the end. The four of them became much, much better than the individual components."
"Come Together" was the final flicker of this rejuvenated spirit: It was the last song all four Beatles cut together.
History –
Counterculture hero Timothy Leary, a Harvard psychologist who was among the first to investigate the hallucinogenic properties of psilocybin mushrooms and LSD, was a national figure by 1969, when he decided to run for Governor of California against the incumbent, former actor (and future President) Ronald Reagan. John Lennon, an admirer of Leary's, was asked to contribute a campaign song based around Leary's slogan "Come together, join the party."
Lennon penned a song with the chorus "Come together right now, don't come tomorrow, don't come alone." But Leary found it unsuitable for campaigning -- and his campaign was soon derailed by his conviction for possession of marijuana. So it was brought to the Beatles instead, replacing his initial offer of a new single, the primal scream heroin-withdrawal freakout "Cold Turkey." (That song, which horrified producer George Martin, later became a solo hit for the Plastic Ono Band.)
Based around a standard Chuck Berry riff, the song was worked out in the studio, with Paul suggesting it be slowed down considerably to give it a "swampier" feel. The basic track was recorded on July 21, 1969; the lead vocal, electric piano, rhythm guitar, and maracas were overdubbed the next day. Various attempts at double tracking were attempted over the next several days.
The first line in this song -- "Here come old flat-top, he come groovin' up slowly," bears a strong resemblance, musically and lyrically, to Chuck Berry's 1958 hit "You Can't Catch Me" (whose couplet, written about a car chase, goes "Here come a flat-top, he was moving up with me"). This slight homage would prove to cause major discomfort in John's life, as Morris Levy, legendary record promoter and publisher, owned part of the rights to Berry's song. Levy sued Lennon, a suit which was finally settled when Lennon agreed to create a whole album of covers owned by Levy. It was released in 1975 as the Rock And Roll album. Paul has since claimed he was the first to notice the similarities between the two songs, and suggested slowing the tempo down to make it less noticeable.
Paul originally wanted to sing a high harmony with John on the whole song, but was vetoed by the songwriter; he settled instead for popping in at various points with a few backing vocals (some in harmony, others not).
Recording –
John Lennon played rhythm guitar and sang the vocal; Paul McCartney played bass; Ringo Starr played drums; and George Harrison played lead guitar. It was produced by George Martin and recorded at the end of July 1969 at Abbey Road Studios. In the intro, Lennon says "shoot me" which is accompanied by his hand claps and McCartney's heavy bass riff. The famous Beatles' "walrus" from "I Am the Walrus" and "Glass Onion" returns in the line "he got walrus gumboot", followed by "he got Ono sideboard". Bluesman Muddy Waters is also mentioned in the song.
Although McCartney composed the electric piano part, Lennon looked over his shoulder to learn it so he could perform it himself on the recording. Music critic Ian MacDonald reports that McCartney sang a backing vocal, but recording engineer Geoff Emerick said that Lennon did all the vocals himself, and when a frustrated McCartney asked Lennon, "What do you want me to do on this track, John?", Lennon replied, "Don't worry, I'll do the [vocal] overdubs on this."
Talking about the sessions in a 1970 interview, he said he was disappointed about not singing it live with Lennon, instead he overdubbed them later in the session:
“Even on Abbey Road we don't do harmonies like we used to. I think it's sad. On "Come Together" I would have liked to sing harmony with John and I think he would have liked me to but I was too embarrassed to ask him and I don't work to the best of my abilities in that situation.”
Takes: 9
Personnel
John Lennon – Lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1965 Epiphone E320TD (V) Casino)
Paul McCartney – Backing vocals, bass guitar (1964 Rickenbacker 400IS), electric piano (Fender Rhodes)
George Harrison – Lead guitar (1966 Gibson Les Paul Standard SG)
Ringo Starr – Drums (1968 Ludwig Hollywood Maple), maracas
Release and acclaim –
"Come Together" was released as a double A-side with "Something" and as the opening track of Abbey Road. The single was released on 6 October 1969 in the US, was on the charts for 18 weeks, and reached number 1. The single had less success when it was released on 31 October 1969 in the UK, only reaching number 4, possibly due to the BBC banning the song because they considered the verse "He shoot Coca-Cola" to be product placement.
Rolling Stone ranked "Come Together" at #202 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and #9 on their list of the Beatles' 100 Greatest Songs.
On the compilation album Love, "Come Together" is the 19th track. Instrumentals and some backing vocals from "Dear Prudence" fade in followed by the "Can you take me back" section of "Cry Baby Cry" as a transition.
Rolling Stone ranked "Come Together" at #202 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and #9 on their list of the Beatles' 100 Greatest Songs.
On the compilation album Love, "Come Together" is the 19th track. Instrumentals and some backing vocals from "Dear Prudence" fade in followed by the "Can you take me back" section of "Cry Baby Cry" as a transition.
Song analysis –
This classic 1960s rock anthem with deep bluesy style was unlike any other song of its time in that it was constructed entirely of verse/refrains. There is no chorus and only one short guitar solo, acting as a bridge to interrupt the radical song structure. For the first eight bars, the tonic note D is repeated, eventually moving to the V chord and then to the IV chord. It then moves to the VI minor chord, which is a progression rarely used, the song "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" being a rare example. The refrain in actuality is three bars long, because the melody keeps going after the last A5 chord and comes to rest on the D5 chord after that. F# is introduced in the melody with a B minor triad. The tonic is held for four bars between each verse and is the same as the contents of the introduction.
Within the verse there are four one-bar structures; each one a non-sequitur. The lyrics end each time on the abrupt beat four of each measure, giving the verse an AAAA phrasing structure. The phrasing structure in the second half of the verse is two bars of BB. The C phrasing structure of the refrain has three measures becoming one long phrase and ending on the word "me" which ties everything together. There is an eleven-bar verse/refrain from a ten bar form. The one bar phrase into the two bar phrase and the three bar overlap creates plenty of deceleration and pushes the title line of the song to the spotlight. The melody of the verse stays within the range of a perfect fourth. Using mostly three notes (D, F, C) the tonic, flat three and flat seven, it moves away later only for contrast when it hits the II (E) and stays on that note for two bars. The refrain stands out as the highest notes in the piece (A). John Lennon decided to use modal interchange.
Within the verse there are four one-bar structures; each one a non-sequitur. The lyrics end each time on the abrupt beat four of each measure, giving the verse an AAAA phrasing structure. The phrasing structure in the second half of the verse is two bars of BB. The C phrasing structure of the refrain has three measures becoming one long phrase and ending on the word "me" which ties everything together. There is an eleven-bar verse/refrain from a ten bar form. The one bar phrase into the two bar phrase and the three bar overlap creates plenty of deceleration and pushes the title line of the song to the spotlight. The melody of the verse stays within the range of a perfect fourth. Using mostly three notes (D, F, C) the tonic, flat three and flat seven, it moves away later only for contrast when it hits the II (E) and stays on that note for two bars. The refrain stands out as the highest notes in the piece (A). John Lennon decided to use modal interchange.
There is debate over if it was Lennon or McCartney playing the keys. McCartney said it was him in an interview in Playboy in December 1984, although other sources disagree.
Recent availability of separate tracks from the original Beatles multitracks (due to release of Rock Band) have made fresh investigation of the Beatles personnel data possible. One of the discoveries is that the backing vocals of "Come Together" are indeed sung by McCartney. The misinformation originated from a quote from Geoff Emerick in Music Radar, where he correctly only stated that McCartney did not sing in the choruses: "Paul might have been miffed, but I think he was more upset about not singing on the choruses".
Trivia –
The lyrics to "Come Together" are largely nonsense in the vein of John's other late-period works like "Dig A Pony" and "I Am The Walrus." The phrase "one and one and one is three" is often seen by "Paul Is Dead" theorists as a clue to his death, while "Ono sideboard" and "spinal cracker" are thought to refer to John's wife Yoko Ono ("spinal cracker" being a reference to the Japanese art of walking on a back to crack it). Several phrases, including "mojo filter," "goo goo eyeball," and "shoot Coca-Cola" are thought to be references to drugs; the BBC banned this song due to its policy of not playing tunes which contain references to brand names. Finally, the real lyrics to the lines "He bad / bag production" and "Hold you in his armchair / arms, yeah" are disputed to this day.
At the beginning of the song, John is heard singing "shoot" before every riff. Bootlegs and video of live renditions reveal that he is in fact singing "shoot me," a phrase half-covered by Paul's bass line and the percussive echo on his voice. (The effect is often compared to, but not caused by, the dial on an old-style rotary phone.) Considering that John was shot to death in 1980, this strikes some as adding to the song's ominous tone.
When recording this song, John had just finished recuperating from a car accident involving himself, Yoko, and her two children (from a previous marriage) on July 1, 1969. John was adamant about having her present during the recording of this song, to the extent of putting a cot in the studio for her to rest on.
This has been erroneously reported as the last track on which all four Beatles played together at the session; that record actually belongs to, appropriately enough, "The End," recorded on August 8, 1969.
Today in Beatles History (From The Internet Beatles Album) April 1 ―
1962 – Concert at the Pavilion Theatre, Liverpool.
1964 – "Can't Buy Me Love" number 1 in Britain.
1965 – Studio 2 (control room only). 10.00-11.00am. Stereo mixing: "You're Going To Lose That Girl" (remix 3, from take 3). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Norman Smith; 2nd Engineer: unknown.
1970 – Abbey Road, Room 4. Time unknown. Stereo mixing: "The Long And Winding Road" (remixes 10-13, from take 18); "I Me Mine" (remixes 10-12, from take 18); "Across The Universe" (remixes 10-13, from take 9). Editing: "The Long And Winding Road" (of stereo remixes 10, 13); "I Me Mine" (of stereo remixes 11, 12). Producer: Phil Spector; Engineer: Peter Bown; 2nd Engineer: Roger Ferris.
– Editing of "I Me Mine" to make it appear longer. Mixing of tracks recorded yesterday. – Last session of Spector. End of Let It Be sessions. Last Beatles session.
– Editing of "I Me Mine" to make it appear longer. Mixing of tracks recorded yesterday. – Last session of Spector. End of Let It Be sessions. Last Beatles session.
– In an interview for the 'Evening Standard', Paul speaks about the state of the relationship among the Beatles. He says his first solo LP is delayed because they don't want it to be released simultaneously with Let It Be.
1973 – US LP release: The Beatles 1962-1966.
– US LP release: The Beatles 1967-1970.
– US LP release: The Beatles 1967-1970.
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