By just the measure of the music and lyrics alone, “Across The Universe” should have been a Beatles classic. John Lennon claimed the song just came to him out of nowhere one day, a beautiful evocation of infinite possibility and love.
But The Beatles never quite put together a proper recording of the song. Here’s a look back at why “Across The Universe” remains one of the Fab Four’s greatest missed opportunities.
Videos by American Songwriter
Unwanted Special Guests
John Lennon brought “Across The Universe” into The Beatles in February 1968. At that point, the group was thinking in terms of using the song as a potential summer single. But the recording they made of this tender creation was a bit strange, to say the least.
Paul McCartney decided that female backing vocalists might give the song something extra on the track. Certainly, The Beatles, as the biggest band in the world, could have had the pick of the litter of backing vocalists. But instead, they chose two fans, so-called “Apple Scruffs”, who were hanging outside the studio to do the honors.
They also decided to speed up Lennon’s vocal a half note, another unusual decision. Those choices made “Across The Universe” sound somewhat slight and inconsequential. Instead of making it as a Beatles single, the song sat on the shelf for a year. That version was eventually released on a wildlife benefit album in 1969.
Choirs and Chaos
During the sessions for the Let It Be album, John Lennon once again brought “Across The Universe” up as a possible single. This was before it was donated to that benefit album. But he couldn’t drum up a lot of interest from his fellow band members to pursue the song.
Of course, those sessions ended abruptly after a somewhat acrimonious stretch of recording. The tapes sat around for more than a year, during which time The Beatles recorded and released Abbey Road and broke up (although they didn’t announce it to the world for a while).
When it came time to assemble Let It Be from the endless trove of tapes that the group had recorded, producer Phil Spector dug up “Across The Universe”. He made the choice to slow down Lennon’s vocal from its original speed. And he ladled the song with strings and a choir, turning it into a museum piece and robbing it of much of its verve.
Creating a “Universe”
Not only did the two versions of “Across The Universe” fail to live up to the potential of the raw material, but they also didn’t get a lot of attention. The fact that the first version didn’t even end up on a Beatles’ album hurt its exposure. And the second take was bypassed as a potential single as well.
If you’re looking for a version that approximates what the song could have been, check out the Let It Be…Naked take, released in 2003. That project featured Paul McCartney going in and reclaiming The Beatles’ final album, removing the production touches that Phil Spector had belatedly added to the material.
In this version, “Across The Universe” shines, unencumbered by any wrongheaded production decisions. It’s just John Lennon, unadorned, giving us a blissful glimpse into the eternal while also demonstrating how this wonderful song should have thrived.
(Photo by Freddie Reed/Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)