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From album
Imagine
John Lennon · 1971 · Track 8
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The story behind
The song How Do You Sleep? is not just another track from the album Imagine: it is a direct hit, recorded with the tension of someone who has nothing left to lose. Lennon wrote it in May 1971, during the recording sessions, as a response to what he considered veiled attacks in Paul McCartney's album Ram. But this is no ordinary feud: the original lyrics reference conspiracy theories like "Paul is dead", and it opens with an ironic nod to the classic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, using ambient sounds that mimic its intro. The detail lies in how the lyrics dismantle, line by line, McCartney’s image: from references to Yesterday to the single Another Day, released that same February 1971. What’s most striking is that, although Lennon is credited as the sole composer, there are records of Yoko Ono and then-manager Allen Klein contributing verses, adding layers of irony to the conflict.
The recording itself was a charged moment. It was recorded on May 26, 1971, at Ascot Sound Studios, but the strings were added later, on July 4 at Record Plant in New York. The sound is dense, with a George Harrison slide guitar that cuts like a knife, and a rhythmic base featuring Klaus Voormann on bass, Alan White on drums, and even Nicky Hopkins on piano. Harrison, who had been caught in the middle of the legal battle between the former Beatles, admitted he was initially wary of collaborating, but ended up relieved to see Lennon was "openly happy" with his involvement. The song’s 5:36 length gives it room to develop that controlled aggression without tipping into the grotesque. Even Ringo Starr stopped by the studio and, according to accounts, told Lennon: "Enough, John."