This wordless tune was the closing track on both the John Lennon Anthology box set and the Acoustic collection.
‘It’s Real’ features John Lennon whistling a melody over a set of chords played on an acoustic guitar. Lasting little over a minute, it was a peculiar choice to end the releases.
Towards the end of the tune Yoko Ono can be heard speaking. Evidently looking for something, Lennon speaks to her, saying: “It’s over there, on the chest of drawers”.
‘It’s Real’ was taped on cassette at the Dakota building in New York City in 1979. It was one of many songs Lennon worked on at his home prior to returning to the studio for Double Fantasy.
The tune was selected for John Lennon Anthology by Ono and studio engineer Rob Stevens. The Acoustic album carried a production credit for Ono alone. It is likely that the song was subjected to some noise reduction before its release, but the performance itself was produced by Lennon alone.
