One-Take John Lennon Song: "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night"
Few hits are captured in one take. Perfection isn’t often happenstance, it’s more often the product of painstaking work in the studio. But, if you’re a really great musician, you might just be able to nail it early on in the process. One of John Lennon’s hits, “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night”, was perfected quickly. Learn more about the song Lennon cut in one or two takes, below.
The John Lennon Hit That Was Cut in One Take
Whatever gets you thru the night
It’s all right, it’s all right
It’s your money or your life
It’s all right, it’s all right
Don’t need a sword to cut thru flowers
Oh no, oh no
One of Lennon’s final hits was his collaboration with Elton John, “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night.” Though the final product is relatively polished, it didn’t require many takes to get it there. According to Lennon, the final recording features one of their first takes.
While we might chalk up the quick recording process as evidence of Lennon’s time-honed talent, he more-so admired the energy his backing band was able to get on the first few plays. He didn’t want it to become stale, so he decided to quit while they were ahead.
“It’s almost the first or second take, and the musicians are ragged but swinging,” Lennon once said. “We tried to cut it a few times again but it never got that feel…We put that on and it was over and done within five minutes.”
Source: americansongwriter.com/Alex Hopper
