“For breakfast, I wrote it; for lunch, I recorded it, and we’re set to release it for dinner.” This is how John Lennon recounted the creation of “Instant Karma,” recognized as one of his standout solo tracks and the third Lennon single released just before the Beatles officially disbanded.
The only embellishment in John’s tale was regarding the dinner part: “Instant Karma” didn’t reach the public until 13 days post its writing and recording, which took place on a single Tuesday, January 27, 1970. It was undeniably among the quickest pop songs ever to hit the market.
“Instant Karma” emerged during a chaotic period for John Lennon personally and for the band he was in the process of leaving. The Beatles had spent a significant portion of 1969 deliberating on their status as a band, ceasing recording sessions that had barely gotten underway and scrapping plans for live performances after a hiatus of more than three years. The content for the band’s final two albums—Abbey Road and Let it Be—was captured that year, yet Let it Be remained unreleased, lacking an agreed-upon producer. Meanwhile, Lennon was venturing into new territory. “Give Peace a Chance,” recorded during the iconic June 1969 “bed-in,” had already been released under the name “The Plastic Ono Band,” along with “Cold Turkey,” his poignant narrative of overcoming heroin addiction that year. By January 1970, John had distanced himself from the Beatles, identifying solely with the Plastic Ono Band musically.
The recording session on January 27 unfolded spontaneously. That morning, Lennon crafted the song, and as he put it, “I knew I had a hit record.”
What expedited the completion of the record that very day and contributed to its remarkable sound was the unanticipated arrival of Phil Spector later that evening at the EMI studios. Under Spector’s guidance, after several rehearsals,
John remarked, “Suddenly, we entered the room and experienced what he had done… it was phenomenal. It felt like there were fifty musicians playing.” John’s satisfaction with the outcome directly influenced Spector’s acquisition of the stalled Let it Be project—a turn of events that ultimately deepened the rift between Lennon and McCartney before the official dissolution of the Beatles.
