Recording: Midsummer New York by Yoko Ono

Studio A, Record Plant, New York City
Producers: John Lennon, Yoko Ono

Yoko Ono recorded ‘Midsummer New York’ for her second album Fly on 23 August 1971.

The song featured Ono on vocals, John Lennon on electric guitar, Klaus Voormann on bass guitar, and Jim Keltner on drums.

In ’71, John and I made a brief visit to New York mainly to finish bits and pieces of Imagine. In the middle of the night, after long hours of recording, when the musicians looked totally exhausted, John suddenly said ‘Yoko says she’s got something. Let’s try.’

I was surprised that he remembered the song I had shown him just briefly that morning. That’s how MIDSUMMER NEW YORK was made. The musicians found a second wind and they played well. We did two takes with no rehearsal. I sang normally in one and, for fun I did a take off of Elvis on the other. John selected the Elvis one to be on the record.