Instant Karma!
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Instant Karma!" | ||
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| Single by John Lennon with the Plastic Ono Band | ||
| Released | February 1970 | |
| Format | 7" vinyl | |
| Recorded | January 1970 | |
| Genre | Rock/Pop | |
| Writer(s) | John Lennon | |
| Producer(s) | Phil Spector, John Lennon and Yoko Ono | |
| Chart positions | ||
| John Lennon with the Plastic Ono Band singles chronology | ||
| "Cold Turkey" (1969) |
"Instant Karma!" (1970) |
"Mother" (US only, 1970); "Power to the People" (1971) |
| Alternate covers | ||
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| French 7-inch single cover | ||
"Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)" is John Lennon's third solo single on Apple Records, and is notable for two reasons. First, it ranks as one of the fastest-released songs in pop music history, recorded (at London's Abbey Road Studios) the same day it was written, and coming out only ten days later. (As Lennon remarked to the press, he "wrote it for breakfast, recorded it for lunch, and we're putting it out for dinner.") Second, it was produced by legendary music producer Phil Spector, the first of many solo recordings by The Beatles that Spector worked on through 1970; Lennon may have been trying out Spector for work on the then-dormant Let It Be / Get Back project, which Spector would controversially rework for release that May.
Featuring a version of the ever-changing Plastic Ono Band — Lennon on lead vocal, acoustic guitar and electric piano, Billy Preston on grand piano, Klaus Voorman on bass and electric piano, Alan White on drums, George Harrison on electric guitar, Yoko Ono on backing vocal, Beatles assistant Mal Evans on chimes, grand piano and handclaps, as well as the whole lot of them, Beatles then-manager Allen Klein and a dozen or so late-night pub revellers from Hatchetts Pub on overdubbed backing vocals — it was released on February 10, 1970. Backed by Ono's "Who Has Seen the Wind?" (which Lennon produced), it peaked at number three on the US charts and number five on the UK charts. The pair appeared on Top of the Pops, to perform the song live.
The single was released with a standard green Apple label, with the words "Play Loud" printed above and beneath the spindle. (The B-side label, by contrast, carried the words "Play Soft.")
[edit] Cover versions
In 2006, the song was covered by Duran Duran for a compilation album for the 25th anniversary of Lennon's death, put out by Amnesty International. Their version featured a heavier rhythm than Lennon's version, especially the bass levels. They also played the song live on a few tour dates. The song was also featured in about ten concerts late in U2's 2005 Vertigo Tour, twice accompanied by Patti Smith. It was also covered by the Belgian new wave project Charles De Goal - available on the CD Etat General.
The Japanese Rock band Beat Crusaders also sang this song in Engrish.
The song was covered in 2006 by the German band Tokio Hotel for the project Make some noise. Their version was released on the album "Come Together - A Tribute to BRAVO" .
[edit] Trivia
- The title for Stephen King's The Shining comes from Lennon's line in this song, "We all shine on..." King has said he was going to call the book "The Shine," before realizing that shine was a derogatory term for Black people.
- The lyrics "send an instant karma to me" and "give peace a chance" are used repeatedly in the Yes song "I've Seen All Good People," written by Jon Anderson and Chris Squire for the 1971 album The Yes Album.[1] Alan White, who performed drums on Instant Karma!, went on to join Yes the following year.
