"Come Together" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. It was written by John Lennon and shared credit with Paul McCartney as Lennon–McCartney. The song is the first track on the band's 1969 studio album Abbey Road. It was released as a double A-side in the United Kingdom with the song "Something," reaching number 4 on the UK charts and number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Many other artists have performed the song, including Ike & Tina Turner, Aerosmith, Eurythmics, Michael Jackson, Joe Cocker, Arctic Monkeys, Marcus Miller, and Gary Clark Jr.

Background and inspiration

In early 1969, John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, organized peaceful protests against the Vietnam War called the Bed-ins for Peace. In May, during the Montreal part of the protest, many people who supported different ideas from across North America visited Lennon. One visitor was Timothy Leary, an American psychologist who supported the use of LSD and was admired by Lennon. Leary planned to run for Governor of California in the next year’s election and asked Lennon to write a campaign song based on the slogan, "Come Together – Join the Party!" The song’s first line was "Come together and join the party." Lennon promised to complete and record the song, and later gave Leary a tape of the piece, but they did not speak again.

In July 1969, while working on the Beatles’ album Abbey Road, Lennon used the phrase "come together" from Leary’s campaign song to create a new song for the album. Inspired by the 1956 song "You Can’t Catch Me" by American guitarist Chuck Berry, Lennon changed Berry’s lyrics slightly, turning "Here come a flattop / He was movin’ up with me" into "Here come ol’ flattop / He come groovin’ up slowly." Lennon also included the phrase "shoot me" from his unfinished song "Watching Rainbows," which he had written in January 1969 but never released. Peter Doggett, a writer, noted that the song’s phrases are short and quick, making them hard to understand at first, with the sound being as important as the words.

In a December 1987 interview on the television show West 57th Street, George Harrison said he wrote two lines of the song.

Production

The Beatles recorded the basic track for "Come Together" at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in Studio Three on July 21, 1969, during the Abbey Road album sessions. George Martin produced the session, with help from sound engineers Geoff Emerick and Phil McDonald. At McCartney's request, this session marked Emerick's first work with the group since July 1968. Emerick had stopped working with the band during the 1968 album sessions for The Beatles (also called "the White Album") because he felt the atmosphere was tense and negative. The song was Lennon's first new composition for the band in three months, following the recording of "The Ballad of John and Yoko" on April 14.

The group recorded eight versions of "Come Together," with take six labeled "best." The lineup included Lennon on lead vocals, McCartney on bass, George Harrison on rhythm guitar, and Ringo Starr on drums. Starr used tea towels on his tom drums to reduce their sound. Without using his hands, Lennon added handclaps during the line "Shoot me!" and played tambourine during the solo and coda. The recording used 4-track equipment. After the session, take six was copied to 8-track tape in Studio Two, allowing for overdubs and easier sound adjustments.

Overdubbing for "Come Together" happened the week after the basic track was recorded. On July 22, Lennon sang a new lead vocal and added handclaps, both using tape delay. Automatic double tracking was added during the choruses. At Lennon's request, McCartney played a Fender Rhodes electric piano. McCartney later said Lennon wanted the piano sound to be "swampy and smokey," which he achieved. Harrison added heavily distorted guitar during the refrains, and Starr added a maraca. More vocals were added the next day. On July 25, McCartney sang a harmony vocal below Lennon's part. On July 29, Lennon overdubbed a guitar during the song's middle section. The final work was completed the next day, with Harrison playing a lead guitar solo on a Gibson Les Paul during the coda.

Mixing for "Come Together" was finished on August 7 in Studio Two. The process used EMI's new solid-state mixing console, the EMI TG12345. Emerick later said the console's "softer and rounder" sound influenced the band's performances, making rhythm tracks less forceful and overdubs less intense. He also noted that only "Shoot" from Lennon's line "Shoot me!" is clearly heard on the final recording, as McCartney's bass hits on "me" are quieter. Ten stereo mixes were made, with the first attempt labeled "best." Like the rest of Abbey Road, the song was never mixed for mono.

Commentary by band members and George Martin

John Lennon later said that "Come Together" was one of his favorite Beatles songs. He described it as having a funky and bluesy sound and noted that he sang it well. In May 2021, Ringo Starr told an interviewer on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that "Come Together" was his favorite Beatles song.

Release and legacy

Apple Records, the Beatles' record label that EMI helped distribute, released the album Abbey Road on September 26, 1969. The song "Come Together" was the first track on the album. It was released as a double A-side single (Apple 2654) with George Harrison's song "Something" on October 6, 1969, in the United States. The single was very successful, staying on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for 16 weeks and reaching the number one position. In the United Kingdom, the single was released on October 31, 1969 (Apple R5814) and reached number four on the charts.

The first recording of "Come Together," made on July 21, 1969, with slightly different lyrics, was released in 1996 on the outtake compilation Anthology 3. A later version, take five, was included in the Abbey Road 50th Anniversary release.

Tony Barrow, who reviewed Abbey Road for the Liverpool Echo, described "Come Together" as "magnificently funky" and noted its "intriguing lyrics." A reviewer for the Western Daily Press called it one of the album's best tracks. Jack Batten of The Toronto Star praised the song's "easy-to-hum little melodic riff."

"Come Together" has appeared on many lists of the Beatles' best songs. In 2006, Mojo magazine ranked it number 13 on its list of the Beatles' 101 best songs. In 2010, Rolling Stone placed it number 9 on its list of the band's 100 greatest songs. Entertainment Weekly and Ultimate Classic Rock ranked it number 44 and number 20, respectively. In 2015, NME and Paste listed it at number 20 and number 23 on their lists of the Beatles' best songs.

In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked "Come Together" number 202 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2010, the magazine re-ranked it number 205. In 2024, Consequence named the song's bassline the best of all time.

Lawsuit

In late 1969, the song "Come Together" was involved in a copyright dispute between John Lennon and Big Seven Music, the publisher of Chuck Berry's song "You Can't Catch Me." Morris Levy, who owned Big Seven Music, claimed that "Come Together" sounded similar to Berry's song and shared some lyrics. Lennon sang: "Here come ol' flattop, he come groovin' up slowly," while Berry sang: "Here come a flattop, he was movin' up with me." Before recording, Lennon and McCartney changed the song by slowing it down and adding a strong bass line to make it more unique. The case was resolved without going to court in 1973, with an agreement that Lennon would record three songs from Big Seven Music for his next album. A short version of "Ya Ya," featuring Lennon and his son Julian, was released on the 1974 album Walls and Bridges. "You Can't Catch Me" and another version of "Ya Ya" appeared on Lennon's 1975 album Rock 'n' Roll, but the third song, "Angel Baby," was not released until after Lennon's death. Later, Levy sued Lennon again for not fulfilling the contract and was awarded $6,795.00. Lennon then sued Levy for releasing an album of his songs using tapes Levy had in his possession and was awarded $84,912.96. The album was titled Roots: John Lennon Sings the Great Rock & Roll Hits.

Personnel

According to Kevin Howlett:

• John Lennon: lead and backing vocals, guitar, handclaps, and tambourine
• Paul McCartney: backing vocals, bass, and Rhodes piano
• George Harrison: lead and rhythm guitars
• Ringo Starr: drums and maraca

Cover versions

A month after the Beatles released their version of "Come Together," Ike & Tina Turner began performing their version of the song, especially at Madison Square Garden in November 1969. Because of the audience's positive reaction to their live shows, Minit Records quickly released a studio version of the song. The single, also credited to the Ikettes, was released in December 1969. It reached number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 21 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. The B-side of the single includes another rock version with soul influences, "Honky Tonk Women" by the Rolling Stones.

"Come Together" was the first single from Ike & Tina Turner's 1970 album of the same name. The song has appeared on several compilations, including Greatest Hits (1976), Proud Mary: The Best of Ike & Tina Turner (1991), and The Ike & Tina Turner Story: 1960–1975 (2007). A live version was recorded at L'Olympia in Paris on January 30, 1971, and released later that year on their live album Live in Paris.

"Come Together" was the only Beatles song John Lennon performed during his 1972 Madison Square Garden concerts. It was the only full-length concert performance Lennon gave after leaving the Beatles. He was supported by the band Elephant's Memory. This version of the song appears on the concert album Live in New York City, recorded on August 30, 1972, and released in 1986.

In 1978, the American hard rock band Aerosmith recorded one of the most successful cover versions of "Come Together." The band performed the song in the 1978 film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band; their recording was included on the film's soundtrack album. Released as a single in July 1978, Aerosmith's version reached number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, it was the last Top 40 hit for the band for nearly a decade.

A version of the song was also released several months later on Aerosmith's live album Live! Bootleg. The song appeared on Aerosmith's Greatest Hits, the band's first singles compilation released in 1980. A live performance from the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards was released on a Grammy compilation CD. The song has also been included on several Aerosmith compilations and live albums since then, as well as on the soundtrack for the film Armageddon.

In 2012, the band Godsmack released "Come Together" on their album Live & Inspired. An official music video was released, and the single entered the Hard Rock Charts at number 11. In 2017, the song reappeared and reached number 1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart.

In 2017, American musician Gary Clark Jr. and Dutch composer Junkie XL released a cover version of "Come Together" as the first single from the soundtrack of the superhero film Justice League. A music video featuring Gary Clark Jr. on guitar and vocals, along with footage from the film, was released on October 27. The single reached number 27 on the Billboard Digital Songs Sales chart and number 7 on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.

In 1995, Paul McCartney recorded an updated version of "Come Together" with Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller for the charity album Help, under the name the Smokin' Mojo Filters. Weller performed the lead vocals, with McCartney and Gallagher providing backing vocals, harmonies, and bass and guitar. Their version reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1995.

Michael Jackson covered the song in 1986. The song was recorded for his album Bad (1987) but was later removed and included on HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995). It was also a B-side on Jackson's "Remember the Time" CD single. The song appeared at the end of the 1988 film Moonwalker and had an official music video. It was the only Beatles song Jackson covered on an official release. Jackson had purchased the publishing rights to the Beatles' songs in 1985, so he owned the rights to "Come Together" when he recorded it.

Arctic Monkeys performed a version of "Come Together" for the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. The song was released on the album Isles of Wonder and reached number 21 on the UK Singles Chart.

In 2017, Foo Fighters, Liam Gallagher, and Joe Perry from Aerosmith performed "Come Together" at the CalJam Festival in San Bernardino, California. During the performance, Liam Gallagher forgot the lyrics and later said he thought they were singing "I Am the Walrus."