The Beatles' “Across the Universe” Was Rooted In Two Major Conflicts of John Lennon's Life
While the Beatles’ “Across the Universe” evokes a nirvana-esque image of weightlessly floating through the cosmos, the song’s creation and final production was rife with conflict. As the song’s main composer, John Lennon, would later explain, he first had the idea for the iconic track after a lengthy argument with his first wife, Cynthia Lennon.
The Beatles originally released “Across the Universe” in 1969 as part of a charity compilation titled ‘No One’s Gonna Change Our World.’ One year later, producer Phil Spector encouraged the band to revisit the track for their final studio album, ‘Let It Be.’ Lennon, who likened the process of writing “Across the Universe” to a possession, never felt like the band allowed the song to live up to its full potential.
The Surprising Origins Of The Song’s First Verse
“Across the Universe” emphasizes a feeling of tumbling through zero gravity from the first line, both in lyrical content and meter. Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup, the song begins. They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe. While it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume Lennon was talking about something more transcendental, like meditation, he was actually referring to his wife.
According to Lennon, the idea came after Cynthia Lennon irritated John right before bed. “She must have been going on and on about something, and she’d gone to sleep, and I’d kept hearing these words over and over, flowing like an endless stream,” he explained to David Sheff in All We Are Saying (via Beatles Bible). “I went downstairs, and it turned into sort of a cosmic song rather than an irritated song; rather than a ‘Why are you always mouthing off at me?’ or whatever, right?”
Source: Melanie Davis/americansongwriter.com
