10 Classic Songs That Were Recorded Incredibly Fast

After making one studio masterpiece after another with the Beatles, John Lennon wanted to return to the back to basics approach to recording he knew back in the old days. Starting with the group's Don't Let Me Down, Lennon was making every aspect of his music much simpler, focusing more on the artistic statement rather than the studio inventions on every track. As far as production is concerned though, Instant Karma may be one of the first singles that was recorded in a single day.

During the time when the Fabs were breaking up, Lennon wrote Instant Karma in the morning at the piano and decided to take it into the studio and record it the same day. Meeting Phil Spector in the same studio, Lennon asked Spector to adopt his Wall of Sound to his song, which made everything sound like a fresh update of the classic '50s sound Lennon envisioned.

There wasn't even a need to make a fuss about post production, with Lennon taking the rough mix made that day and sending that in as the final single. Even years after the fact, what you're listening amounts to a rough demo that Lennon had at the end of the day. Though the punk scene may have been known for their back to basics approach, this kind of method takes DIY to a whole different level.