Written by: Lennon
Recorded: 6, 7, 9, 18, 19 October 1970
Producers: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Phil Spector
Released: 11 December 1970
Available on:
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
John Lennon Anthology
Personnel
John Lennon: vocals, piano, jaw harp
Klaus Voormann: bass guitar
Ringo Starr: drums
‘Remember’ was the first song on side two of John Lennon’s début solo album. It was recorded on 9 October 1970, his 30th birthday.
The melody of ‘Remember’ was adapted from a Lennon composition called ‘Across The Great Water’, which went unrecorded in the studio but had been captured on film earlier in 1970. Once in the studio, however, the driving rhythms from Ringo Starr and Klaus Voormann turned the song into one of John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band’s most compelling rockers.
The song was inspired by the Primal Therapy that Lennon underwent during the summer of 1970 with Dr Arthur Janov. The lyrics referred to Lennon’s childhood and the disappointment he felt at his unstable family life, themes which the therapy had helped uncover.
The lyrics to ‘Remember’ contain a couplet adapted from the opening lines of Sam Cooke’s 1962 song ‘Bring It On Home To Me’: “If you ever change your mind/About leaving it all behind”. Lennon later recorded the song for his 1975 album Rock ‘N’ Roll.
In the studio
John Lennon began recording ‘Remember’ on 6 October 1970. He taped two solo demos of the song before it was set aside. The following day the Plastic Ono Band recorded just one take, which broke down during the third verse.
The master take was recorded on 9 October, Lennon’s 30th birthday. Earlier in the day Lennon had had his final meeting with his father Alf, at Tittenhurst Park.
Thirteen new takes were recorded on that day, the last of which, take 13, became the album’s master version. Two vocal overdubs were also recorded during the session, with more additions following on 18 and 19 October. The song was mixed on 24 October.
One of the outtakes from the 9 October session had Lennon singing “Happy birthday… to me…” to the tune of ‘Remember’, while Starr and Voormann performed the backing track.
While the band were working on the song, George Harrison arrived at Abbey Road in his dark blue Ferrari. He presented Lennon with a plastic flower and the pair hugged one other.
George Harrison had a Ferrari, a 330 GTC, which was dark blue with a cream interior, and it was parked out the front of the studio. And stuck to his windscreen he had a little vase holder with a little plastic flower in it. He took it out, walked into Studio 3 and said, ‘Happy birthday, John.’ He gave him the plastic flower and they had a hug. Yoko had brought in this present for John, which was a sensory box. It was about twice the size of a shoebox, with lots of holes in it. You had to put your finger in – one hole would be warm and mushy, one would be wet, one would have a pin in it. John had such a ball with it.
#OTD 9OCT1970 George presents @johnlennon with #ItsJohnnysBirthday @AbbeyRoad for his 30th. http://t.co/wJmFMKhXb2 pic.twitter.com/1bsr1YMVi3
— George Harrison (@GeorgeHarrison) October 9, 2014
‘Remember’ was given an organ overdub on 18 October, but it was replaced the next day by two jaw harp parts. The song was then complete and mixed on 24 October.
During the mixing session, Lennon cut the eight-minute ‘Remember’ recording and added the sound of an explosion from an EMI effects tape. It was a reference to Guy Fawkes’ 1605 attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London.
In Britain on the fifth of November each year fireworks and bonfires are set alight. A nursery rhyme also ensures that children remember the origins: “Remember, remember the fifth of November/Gunpowder, treason and plot/I see no reason why gunpowder, treason/Should ever be forgot.”
In England it’s the day they blew up the Houses of Parliament. We celebrate it by having bonfires every November the fifth. It was just an ad lib. It was about the third take, and it begins to sound like Frankie Laine – when you’re singing ‘remember, remember the fifth of November.’ And I just broke and it went on for about another seven or eight minutes. I was just ad libbing and goofing about. But then I cut it there and it just exploded ’cause it was a good joke.
Lennon Remembers, Jann S Wenner
A sad story (the meeting between John and Alfred) but really beautifully written by Alf. A bit unexpected that a guy who was basically a sailor would have such a refined language.
It is a sad story. But Alfred Lennon’s wife Pauline contacted John through Apple to inform him his father was dying. According to Wikipedia John sent a large bouquet of flowers to the hospital, phoning Alfred on his deathbed, and apologized for his [John’s] past behavior.