Two teenage fans, Lizzie Bravo and Gayleen Pease, so-called Apple scruffs, were invited in off the street to provide backup vocals. Along with acoustic guitar, percussion and tambura, it featured an overdubbed sitar introduction by Harrison. Both tracks were recorded along with Lennon’s “ Hey Bulldog” and the vocal track for Harrison’s “ The Inner Light” between 3 and 11 February. Paul McCartney had written “ Lady Madonna“, and Lennon had “Across the Universe”. In February 1968, the Beatles convened at the EMI Abbey Road studios to record a single for release during their absence on their forthcoming trip to India. The verse beginning “Words are flowing out like endless rain …” is also notable for the suitably breathless phrasing and almost constant 8th-note rhythm (initially four D melody notes, then C#, B, A, B). The vi–ii minor drop leading to V had been used earlier in “ I Will” (on “how long I’ve loved you”) and George Harrison utilised a shorter vi–iii minor alternation to delay getting back to the dominant (V) in “ I Need You“. On the repeat of this chord sequence a turn following the ii7 (Em7) through a iv minor (Gm) brings the verse to a close before moving on directly to the tonic on the “Jai Guru Deva Om” refrain. The verse beginning “ Words are flowing out” (I (D) chord) is notable for a prolonged vi (Bm)–iii (F#m) to ii7 (Em7) minor drop to the dominant chord V7 (A7) on “across the universe” in the 4th bar. On a standard-tuned guitar (EADGBE) the song is played in the key of D however, the recording was slowed electronically, resulting in a lower C# tuning to the ear. They don’t have to have any melody, like a poem, you can read them.” See, the ones I like are the ones that stand as words, without melody. It’s good poetry, or whatever you call it, without chewin’ it. In his 1970 interview with Rolling Stone, Lennon referred to the song as perhaps the best, most poetic lyric he ever wrote: “It’s one of the best lyrics I’ve written. It finishes on the leading note to the Western musical ear, the next musical note would be the tonic and would therefore sound complete. The title phrase “across the universe” appears at intervals to finish lines, although it never cadences, always appearing as a rising figure, melodically unresolved. The lyrics are highly image-based, with abstract concepts reified with phrases like thoughts “meandering”, words “slithering”, and undying love “shining”. The song’s lyrical structure is straightforward: three repetitions of a unit consisting of a verse, the line “Jai guru deva om” and the line “Nothing’s gonna change my world” sung four times. Literally it approximates as “glory to the shining remover of darkness” and can be paraphrased as “Victory to God divine”, “Hail to the divine guru”, or the phrase commonly invoked by the late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in referring to his spiritual teacher, “All glory to Guru Dev”. The Sanskrit phrase is a sentence fragment whose words could have many meanings. Based on this, he added the mantra “Jai guru deva om” (Sanskrit: जय गुरुदेव ॐ) to the piece, which became the link to the chorus. The flavour of the song was heavily influenced by Lennon’s and the Beatles’ interest in Transcendental Meditation in late 1967 – early 1968, when the song was composed. I went downstairs and it turned into a sort of cosmic song rather than an irritated song, rather than a “Why are you always mouthing off at me?” were purely inspirational and were given to me as boom! I don’t own it you know it came through like that.” She must have been going on and on about something and she’d gone to sleep and I kept hearing these words over and over, flowing like an endless stream. “I was lying next to my first wife in bed, you know, and I was irritated, and I was thinking. One night in 1967, the phrase “words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup” came to Lennon after listening to the voice of his then-wife Cynthia. The song has been covered by many artists, including David Bowie on his 1975 album Young Americans, which featured contributions from Lennon. The song first appeared on the 1969 various artists’ charity compilation album No One’s Gonna Change Our World and later, in a different form, on their 1970 album Let It Be, the group’s final released album. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. “Across the Universe” is a song by the English rock band the Beatles.
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