Come Together - Definition and Overview

"Come Together" was the lead-off track on The Beatles' September 1969 album Abbey Road, and also appeared as the B-side one month later of the group's twenty-first single in Britain and twenty-sixth in America, the A-side being George Harrison's "Something", the only A-side Harrison would receive during his tenure with The Beatles.

The song's history began with John Lennon writing a song for Timothy Leary's failed gubernatorial campaign in California against Ronald Reagan, one which promptly ended when Leary was arrested for possession. It was transformed by Lennon into a track with digs at Paul McCartney and George Harrison interspersed alongside tales of his Bagism movement with wife Yoko Ono. It was the subject of a lawsuit brought against Lennon by Chuck Berry's music publisher, Morris Levy, due to the fact that some lines in Lennon's track closely resembled some of Berry's. After settling out of court, Lennon promised to record other songs owned by Levy, all of which were released on Lennon's 1975 LP Rock and Roll.

Lennon played electric piano, rhythm guitar and tambourine in addition to singing the vocal. McCartney played bass, Harrison lead guitar and Ringo Starr drums and maracas. It was produced by George Martin and recorded at the end of July 1969 at Abbey Road Studios.