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"Instant Karma!" was recorded for and is John Lennon's third solo single on Apple Records. The song is one of three Lennon solo songs, along with "Imagine" and "Give Peace a Chance", in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It ranks as one of the fastest-released songs in pop music history, recorded (at London's Abbey Road Studios) the same day it was written, and coming out only ten days later. Lennon remarked to the press, he "wrote it for breakfast, recorded it for lunch, and we're putting it out for dinner." The song was produced by music producer Phil Spector, the first of many solo recordings by The Beatles that Spector worked on through 1970; Lennon may have been trying out Spector for work on the then-dormant Let It Be / Get Back project, which Spector would controversially rework for release that May.

Featuring a version of the ever-changing Plastic Ono Band — Lennon on lead vocals, acoustic guitar and electric piano, Billy Preston on grand piano, Klaus Voorman on bass guitar and backing vocals, Alan White on drums, George Harrison on electric guitar and backing vocals, Yoko Ono on backing vocals, Beatles assistant Mal Evans on chimes and handclaps, Beatles then-manager Allen Klein and a dozen or so late-night pub revellers from Hatchetts Pub on overdubbed backing vocals — it was released on February 6, 1970. Backed by Ono's "Who Has Seen the Wind?" (which Lennon produced), it peaked at number three on the US charts and number five on the UK charts. The pair appeared on Top of the Pops, to perform the song live.

Harrison would later remark that he was enticed and interested by Lennon's idea of an instant single release, and this partially contributed to Harrison's willingness to participate. Harrison felt that it related in some way to his devotion to the Hindu religion (karma) and he therefore felt Lennon could use the single to promote it.

The single was released with a standard green Apple label (UK number: APPLES 1003; US number: 1818), with the words "Play Loud" printed above and beneath the spindle. (The B-side label, by contrast, carried the words "Play Soft.")

Cover versions

• The song has been covered by Toad the Wet Sprocket, Paul Weller, Duran Duran, Campaign for Real Time, U2, Beat Crusaders, Tokio Hotel, John Hiatt, The Adolescents, Vida Blue, The Rascals, Midnight Oil, Voodoo Loons, Gomez and Of Montreal.

Cultural references

• The title for Stephen King's The Shining comes from Lennon's line in this song, "We all shine on..." King has said he was going to call the book The Shine, before realizing that shine was a derogatory term for Black people.
• In the "Your Move" part of the Yes song "I've Seen All Good People", written by Jon Anderson for the 1971 album The Yes Album, the background singers sing "All we are saying, is give peace a chance" (from Give Peace a Chance). Alan White, who performed drums on "Instant Karma!", went on to join Yes the following year.
• In Tom DiCillo's 2006 movie Delirious the protagonist Toby falls in love with a beautiful singer named K'harma Leeds Alison Lohman who is repeatedly called "Instant K'harma" Her character releases a fragrance line also called "Instant K'harma".
• An episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 featured Joel Robinson and his robot companions pitching "Instant Karma", dissolve-in-water tickets that would yield rewards or punishments dependent on the user's karma. (Tom Servo's karma was bad, and he received Michael Bolton concert tickets.) Lennon and the song were directly referenced as the inspiration for the skit.
• Midnight Oil performed the song live on the streets of New York City on May 20 1990 in front of the Exxon building. The live recording was released on the B'side to the Midnight Oil EP 'King of the Mountain'.
• For its entry into the California banking market in 2009, Chase used a remake of this song, and particularly the song's chorus, in various television and radio commercials that played throughout California in 2009.

• 1970 singles
• Apple Records singles
• John Lennon songs
• Songs produced by Phil Spector
• Songs written by John Lennon