The Epic Track: “Come Together”

Editor’s Note: There are certain tracks that are, well, “epic” — memorable, larger than life, carved into music history. In this series, we look at one of them.

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It was a hell of a way to start an album. The second I dropped the needle on my fresh new copy of Abbey Road, I heard the distinctive opening of “Come Together.” To say it was, um, “unexpected” to this young Beatles fan would be an understatement.

“Come Together” sounded like nothing the Beatles had ever done before. It was bluesy, funky, the lyrics were nonsensical, and it had a growling bass and drum line that was vaguely threatening.

Which is ironic, since it was originally meant to be a campaign theme song for one of the leading figures of the 60s hippie scene.

In 1969, Dr. Timothy Leary was firmly affixed within the counterculture. His experiments with LSD for raising consciousness appealed to the younger generation. He had decided to run for governor of California against Ronald Reagan and asked John Lennon to write a campaign song for him based on his slogan, “Come together, join the party.”

Leary’s campaign was short-lived, but Lennon took the idea and ran with it, building the track around a swampy bass sound that he’d come up with. In a later lawsuit, he was accused of stealing the guitar riff – as well as the line, “Here comes old flat top” – from Chuck Berry’s “You Can’t Catch Me” (more on that later).

Ringo wrapped his snares and toms with tea towels to get that muffled sound. The sound of a rotary telephone dial accompanied Paul’s bass at the start of each verse.

Recording began on July 21, 1969.  Three weeks earlier, John and Yoko had been in a car accident; this would be his first studio session. He insisted on wheeling a hospital bed into the studio for Yoko, who was still recovering; the inspiration for the line, “Ono sideboard,” perhaps?

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Lennon described the lyrics as “gobbledygook,” but fans have been taking them apart for decades. One of the most misheard lines is, “Hold you in his arms, yeah, you can feel his disease” – some have thought it was “armchair.”  When learning of the goof, Lennon said he liked that better.

Hey, neither version makes any sense to begin with.

Producer George Martin noted that this particular track really highlights the unique talent of each Beatle. “If I had to pick one song that showed the four disparate talents of the boys and the ways they combined to make a great sound, I would choose ‘Come Together’. The original song is good, and with John’s voice it’s better. Then Paul has this idea for this great little riff. And Ringo hears that and does a drum thing that fits in, and that establishes a pattern that John leapt upon and did the [‘shoot me’] part. And then there’s George’s guitar at the end. The four of them became much, much better than the individual components.”

For his part, Ringo names it as his favorite track. It won a Grammy in 1969 for “Best Engineered Recording.”

Now back to that lawsuit. Morris Levy was one of the most notorious figures in the music industry, using mob tactics to keep his investments in line. He’d bought up hundreds of early rock songs, including the aforementioned Berry hit. Lennon delayed the trial as long as he could, finally agreeing to make an album of cover songs (1975’s Rock N Roll), two of which were owned by Levy.

Since the original release of the single (which featured “Something” on the flip side), a number of artists have covered it. Ike and Tina Turner took it to #57 in 1970; Aerosmith did their version for 1978’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band movie.

Others who’ve tackled it include Michael Jackson, Meatloaf, Oasis, Guns N’ Roses, and Marilyn Manson.

Since Timothy Leary’s governing aspirations, this quirky track has outlasted many political movements. So, in a way, his dream of “coming together” has happened, despite time, lawsuits, and lyrics that make more sense than most campaign promises.

-Cindy Grogan

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