The oldest song on the Let It Be
album, 'Across The Universe' was recorded in February 1968
and first featured on a charity album for the World Wildlife
Fund in December 1969 (also known as the Wildlife
version).
A song about writing songs, or at
least about the wonders of creative process, John was often
to refer to it as one of his favourite Beatles' songs
because of the purity of the lyric. The words had come to
him while in bed at Kenwood. He had been arguing with
Cynthia and, as he lay there trying to sleep, the phrase
'pools of sorrow, waves of joy' came to him and wouldn't
leave until he got up and started writing the words down.
"It drove me out of bed," John said. "I didn't want to write
it. I was just slightly irritable and I couldn't go to
sleep."
Written after having met the
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in England but before studying with
him in India the chorus makes mention of Guru Dev, who was
Maharishi's guru. John wanted this to be the single that the
Beatles put on while they were away in India but it lost out
to 'Lady Madonna'. Davis Bowie later recorded a cover
version on his Young Americans album (1975) on which John
played guitar.
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