Instant Karma - John Lennon (1970) 6/11/21

There are so many interesting factoids about today's "Great Song of 1970," it's hard to write a coherent narrative...but I'll give it a try!

Let's start with this: "Instant Karma" was conceived, written, recorded and released...all within 10 DAYS: one of the fastest turnarounds in music history. The song itself was composed in less than an hour!

To boil it down to basics, "Instant Karma" is about the concept of "cause and effect," in which "the effect of one's actions is immediate rather than borne out over a lifetime." Just the sort of thing John Lennon would write about.

John was still officially a member of The Beatles, but even though George Harrison and "Honorary Beatle" Billy Preston played on the track, the song was credited to John Ono Lennon in the US and The Plastic Ono Band in the UK and elsewhere.

Phil Spector produced it and added the echo effects. John was so impressed with the finished track, he hired Phil to work on the Beatles "Let It Be" album.

"Instant Karma" was a Top 10 hit in 13 countries, including #2 in Canada, #3 in the US and #5 in the UK, and it became the first million-seller for a solo member of The Beatles.

Music critics went nuts! The song received glowing reviews from several magazines, including Melody Maker, Record World, Cashbox, and The Village Voice. Many consider it to be one of John's overall best works. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame includes it among its "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll."

"Instant Karma" by John Lennon/John Ono Lennon/The Plastic Ono Band: It doesn't matter what name is on the label, it most certainly is a "Great Song of the'70s!"