The Time John Lennon Cut His Beatles Bandmates Out of a Classic Track: “For a Moment I Thought There Was Going To Be an Explosion”

It’s no secret that The Beatles weren’t seeing eye to eye by the end of their tenure. That tension was especially a shame in the collaborative partnership between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Though they still shared ideas even as they fell out, it wasn’t like their early years, when the Lennon-McCartney credit more accurately reflected the writing process.

One example of how their working relationship changed came when Lennon was working out “Come Together.” This classic hit features all four Beatles, but it wasn’t without pushback. Lennon reportedly dismissed McCartney from his typical duties on this track.

[RELATED: Remembering When a Frustrated George Martin Had to Be Coaxed Back Into the Beatles Fold in 1969]

Time John Lennon Pushed Back Against Collaborating With Paul McCartney

“Come Together” is one of the most beloved songs on Abbey Road. By the time this album came out, the band was all but done. Despite breaking at the seams, this album proved a stellar body of work. It wasn’t thrown together, even though the band wasn’t in the best headspace while working on it.

“Here come old flat-top, he come grooving up slowly / He got ju-ju eyeball, he one holy roller / He got hair down to his knee / Got to be a joker, he just do what he please,” the off-kilter lyrics to “Come Together” read. For all its weirdness, this song became one of The Beatles’ most beloved late-career tracks.

A particularly contentious moment in the recording process, however, came as Lennon mapped out this track. According to engineer Geoff Emerick, McCartney left the studio after his writing partner told him to sit things out.

“Paul blurted out, ‘What do you want me to do on this track, John?’ John’s reply was a diffident ‘Don’t worry. I’ll do the overdubs on this,’” Emerick once recalled.

“Paul looked a bit hurt, then angry,” he continued. “For a moment, I thought there was going to be an explosion. Instead, he contained himself, shrugged his shoulders, and simply walked out of the studio.”

This song was very Lennon. He composed it as a rallying cry for pro-drugs activist Timothy Leary’s gubernatorial campaign against Ronald Reagan. In that respect, it makes sense that Lennon would want to hover over the track. But at the same time, it signaled the end of the band.

Lennon and McCartney no longer saw eye to eye creatively. Lennon was focused on socially conscious tunes with no shortage of perspective. McCartney was leaning further and further into his pop appeal. “Come Together” is one example of how they were drifting apart.

(Photo by Jim Gray/Keystone/Getty Images)

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