Editing Instant Karma!

{{About|the John Lennon song|other uses|Instant Karma (disambiguation)}}
{{good article}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = Instant Karma!
| cover      = Karma UK.jpg
| alt        = The artists name is on a background with a Apple catalog number 
| border = yes
| caption    = UK picture sleeve
| type       = single
| artist     = [[John Lennon|Lennon]]/[[Yoko Ono|Ono]] {{nowrap|with the [[Plastic Ono Band]]}}
| album      =
| B-side     = "[[Who Has Seen the Wind? (song)|Who Has Seen the Wind?]]" ([[Yoko Ono]])
| released   = {{start date|1970|2|6|df=yes}}
| recorded   = 27 January 1970
| studio     = [[Abbey Road Studios|EMI]], London
| genre      = [[Rock music|Rock]]
| length     = {{duration|m=3|s=18}}
| label      = [[Apple Records|Apple]]
| writer     = [[John Lennon]]
| producer   = [[Phil Spector]]
| chronology = [[John Lennon]]
| prev_title = [[Cold Turkey]]
| prev_year  = 1969
| next_title = [[Mother (John Lennon song)|Mother]]
| next_year  = 1970
| misc       = {{Extra album cover
 | header  = Alternative cover
 | type    = single
 | cover   = Instantk.jpg
 | border  = yes
 | alt     =
 | caption = US picture sleeve
}}
{{External music video|header=''Top of the Pops'' appearance|{{YouTube|xLy2SaSQAtA|"Instant Karma!"}}}}
}}

"'''Instant Karma!'''" (also titled "'''Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)'''") is a song by English musician [[John Lennon]], released as a single on [[Apple Records]] in February 1970. The lyrics focus on a concept in which the consequences of one's actions are immediate rather than borne out over a lifetime. The single was credited to "Lennon/[[Yoko Ono|Ono]] with the [[Plastic Ono Band]]", apart from in the US, where the credit was "John Ono Lennon". The song reached the top five in the British and American charts, competing with [[the Beatles]]' "[[Let It Be (song)|Let It Be]]" in the US, where it became the first solo single by a member of the band to sell a million copies.

"Instant Karma!" was conceived, written, recorded, and released within a period of ten days, making it one of the fastest-released songs in pop music history. The recording was produced by [[Phil Spector]], marking a comeback for the American producer after his self-imposed retirement in 1966, and leading to him being offered the producer's role on the Beatles' ''[[Let It Be (album)|Let It Be]]'' album. Recorded at London's EMI Studios (now [[Abbey Road Studios]]), "Instant Karma!" employs Spector's signature [[Wall of Sound]] technique and features contributions from [[George Harrison]], [[Klaus Voormann]], [[Alan White (Yes drummer)|Alan White]], and [[Billy Preston]]. The [[B-side]] was "[[Who Has Seen the Wind? (song)|Who Has Seen the Wind?]]", a song composed and performed by Ono. When released in the US, the single was given a minor [[remix]] by Spector.

Recently shorn of the long hair synonymous with their [[Bed-In|1969 campaign]] for [[Peace movement|world peace]], Lennon and Ono promoted the single with an appearance on Britain's ''[[Top of the Pops]]'' five days after its release. The song received positive reviews and is considered by some music critics to be among the finest recordings from Lennon's solo career. A live performance recorded at his and Ono's "One to One" concerts in August 1972 was included on the posthumously released ''[[Live in New York City (John Lennon album)|Live in New York City]]'' (1986). [[Paul Weller]], [[Duran Duran]], and [[U2]] are among the acts who have covered "Instant Karma!" Its chorus also inspired the title to [[Stephen King]]'s 1977 novel ''[[The Shining (novel)|The Shining]]''.

==Background==
{{quote box|quote= Everybody was going on about [[karma]] ... but it occurred to me that karma is instant, as well as it influences your past life or your future life. There really is a reaction to what you do now ... Also, I'm fascinated by commercials and promotion as an art form ... So, the idea of instant karma was like the idea of instant coffee: presenting something in a new form.<ref>Spizer, pp. 27–28.</ref>|source= – John Lennon to ''[[Playboy]]'' magazine, 1980|width=25%|align=left|style=padding:8px;}}
Together with his wife, [[Yoko Ono]], [[John Lennon]] spent New Year 1970 in [[Aalborg]], Denmark,<ref>Miles, p. 363.</ref> establishing a relationship with Ono's former husband, artist [[Anthony Cox (producer)|Tony Cox]], and visiting Cox's and Ono's daughter Kyoko.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 33">Madinger & Easter, p. 33.</ref> The visit coincided with the start of what Lennon termed "Year 1 AP (After Peace)",<ref>Miles, pp. 363–64.</ref> following his and Ono's heavily publicised [[Bed-In]]s and other [[World peace|peace-campaign]] activities throughout 1969.<ref>Doggett, pp. 89–90.</ref><ref name="RS bio">{{cite web |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/john-lennon/biography |title=John Lennon Biography |publisher=[[rollingstone.com]] |access-date=13 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312140222/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/john-lennon/biography |archive-date=12 March 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> To mark the new era,<ref name="Woffinden p 39">Woffinden, p. 39.</ref> on 20 January 1970, the couple shaved off their shoulder-length hair – an act that Britain's ''[[Daily Mirror]]'' described as "the most sensational scalpings since the [[Red Indian]]s went out of business."<ref name="Miles p 367" /> Having been recognised for his peace efforts in a segment on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]'s ''Man of the Decade'' documentary, and then chosen as ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine's "Man of the Year" for 1969, Lennon said he cut his hair to "stop being hyped by revolutionary image and long hair."<ref>Frontani, pp. 168–69.</ref> Lennon and Ono promised to auction the shorn hair for a charitable cause.<ref name="Doggett p 118">Doggett, p. 118.</ref> This pledge followed the couple's announcement, on 5 January,<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 33" /> that they would donate all future royalties from their recordings to the [[peace movement]].<ref>Miles, p. 364.</ref>

[[File:Aalborg 2010 - 125 ubt.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|right|Lennon was inspired to write the song by conversations he had when visiting the Danish city of [[Aalborg]] in January 1970.]]
While in Denmark, the Lennons, Cox, and Cox's current partner, Melinde Kendall, discussed the concept of "instant [[karma]]",<ref name=Listen50/> whereby the [[causality]] of one's actions is immediate rather than borne out over a lifetime.<ref>Rodriguez 2010, pp. 8, 21.</ref><ref>Urish & Bielen, pp. 15–16.</ref> Author [[Philip Norman (author)|Philip Norman]] writes of the concept's appeal: "The idea was quintessential Lennon – the age-old Buddhist law of cause and effect turned into something as modern and synthetic as instant coffee and, simultaneously, into a bogey under the stairs that can get you if you don't watch out."<ref name="Norman p 635" /> On 27 January, two days after returning to the UK,<ref name="Miles p 367">Miles, p. 367.</ref> Lennon woke up with the beginnings of a song inspired by his conversations with Cox and Kendall.<ref name="Rodriguez 2010 p 21">Rodriguez 2010, p. 21.</ref> Working at home on a piano, he developed the idea and came up with a melody for the composition, which he titled "Instant Karma!"<ref>Browne, p. 76.</ref><ref name=AYNWL97>Blake, p. 97.</ref>

Lennon completed the writing of "Instant Karma!" in an hour.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 33" /> Eager to record the song immediately, he then telephoned his [[Beatles]] bandmate [[George Harrison]]<ref name="Rodriguez 2010 p 21" /> and American producer [[Phil Spector]],<ref name=AYNWL97/> who was in London at the invitation of [[Allen Klein]], the manager of the Beatles' [[Apple Corps]] organisation.<ref>Brown, p. 240.</ref><ref name="Woffinden p 31" /> According to Lennon's recollection, he told Spector: "Come over to Apple quick, I've just written a monster."<ref name=AYNWL97/>

==Composition==
The song employs a descending three-note melodic progression similar to "[[Three Blind Mice]]"<ref name=Listen50/> and an intro reminiscent of "[[Some Other Guy]]".<ref>Wiener, p. 114.</ref> Lennon had used a similar-sounding chord progression in the Beatles' 1967 single "[[All You Need Is Love]]".<ref name=JLBio133>Edmondson, p. 133.</ref>{{refn|group=nb|When its similarity to "All You Need Is Love" was pointed out to Lennon by a [[BBC Radio 1]] listener, shortly after the release of "Instant Karma!", Lennon acknowledged that he had been playing the chords from the 1967 song when writing the melody.<ref name="Winn p 370">Winn, p. 370.</ref> In a subsequent interview on the New York radio station [[WPLJ]], Lennon said he had "stole[n] the introduction" from "Some Other Guy".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Waller |first=Don |title=Independent Music Publishing – Time-Bomb Songs: They Lie Dormant, Then Blow Up Big |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3gkEAAAAMBAJ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=13 December 1997 |access-date=11 February 2015 |page=10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125080827/https://books.google.com/books?id=3gkEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0 |archive-date=25 November 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} Later in 1970, he would adopt the melody of "Three Blind Mice", an English [[nursery rhyme]], for his song "[[My Mummy's Dead]]".<ref>Rogan, p. 47.</ref><ref>Spizer, p. 36.</ref>

In their book ''The Words and Music of John Lennon'', Ben Urish and Kenneth Bielen write that in the first verse of "Instant Karma!", Lennon employs sarcasm as he urges the listener to "Get yourself together / Pretty soon you're gonna be dead" and emphasises "It's up to you – yeah, you!"<ref name=W&MJL16/> Norman comments on the "hippie catchphrase of the moment" contained in this instruction to "Get yourself together", and he says that the warning of imminent death is "obviously not to be taken literally."<ref name="Norman p 635" /> Author [[Mark Hertsgaard]] cites the lines "Why in the world are we here? / Surely not to live in pain and fear" as a further example of Lennon "asking what purpose his life on earth was to serve," after his 1966 composition "[[Strawberry Fields Forever]]".<ref>Herstgaard, p. 203.</ref> According to Urish and Bielen, "Instant Karma!" conveys the need to recognise and act upon a shared responsibility for the wellbeing of humankind; the karmic rewards of this mindset are available to all, as implied in Lennon's exhortation to "Come and get your share".<ref name=W&MJL16/> The same authors pair the song with Lennon's and Ono's "[[Happy Xmas (War Is Over)]]" single from 1971, in terms of how the song "both prods and challenges listeners before providing reassurance."<ref>Urish & Bielen, p. 34.</ref>

As with "[[Give Peace a Chance]]" and "[[Power to the People (song)|Power to the People]]"<ref name=W&MJL25>Urish & Bielen, p. 25.</ref> – Lennon singles from 1969 and 1971 – the chorus has an anthem-like quality, as he sings: "We all shine on, like the moon and the stars and the sun."<ref name=W&MJL16/> Norman describes the chorus as Lennon restating his message of "peace campaigning and non-violent, optimistic togetherness."<ref name="Norman p 635" /> According to Lennon biographer John Blaney, the song is an appeal "for mankind to take responsibility for its fate" and represents "Lennon developing his own brand of [[egalitarianism]]."<ref name=Listen50/>
{{Clear}}

==Recording==
[[File:Phil Spector.jpg|thumb|upright=.55|left|[[Phil Spector]] made his first contribution as a Beatles producer with Lennon's "Instant Karma!"]]
Although still officially a member of the Beatles, Lennon had privately announced his departure from the band in September 1969.<ref>Doggett, pp. 101, 103, 108.</ref> He was keen to issue "Instant Karma!" immediately as a single,<ref name="Womack p 468">Womack, p. 468.</ref> the third under his and Ono's [[Plastic Ono Band]] moniker.<ref name="Schaffner p 137">Schaffner, p. 137.</ref>{{refn|group=nb|While the Beatles had been inactive as a group over the ensuing months, Harrison, [[Paul McCartney]], and [[Ringo Starr]] came together for the last time in January 1970 to record "[[I Me Mine]]" and complete "[[Let It Be (song)|Let It Be]]", for their inclusion on the soundtrack album accompanying the ''[[Let It Be (1970 film)|Let It Be]]'' documentary film.<ref>Doggett, pp. 112–13.</ref> During his stay in Aalborg, Lennon kept in touch with Harrison by telephone<ref name="Winn p 367">Winn, p. 367.</ref> but he did not return to London for these sessions.<ref>Hertsgaard, p. 272.</ref>}} The recording session took place at EMI Studios (now [[Abbey Road Studios]]) in north-west London, on the evening of 27 January.<ref name="Rodriguez 2010 p 21" /> Lennon's fellow musicians at the session were Harrison, [[Klaus Voormann]], [[Alan White (Yes drummer)|Alan White]],<ref name="Ribowsky p 251">Ribowsky, p. 251.</ref> and [[Billy Preston]]<ref name="Spizer p 28" /> – all of whom had performed at the December 1969 [[Some Time in New York City#Recording|Peace for Christmas Concert]],<ref>Leng, p. 67.</ref><ref>Madinger & Easter, p. 32.</ref> as part of the [[Plastic Ono Band|Plastic Ono Supergroup]].<ref>Miles, p. 362.</ref><ref>Woffinden, p. 30.</ref> The recording engineer for "Instant Karma!" was [[EMI]] mainstay [[Phil McDonald]].<ref name="Spizer p 28">Spizer, p. 28.</ref> Spector produced the session,<ref name=Listen51/> arriving late<ref name="Williams p 143" /> after Harrison had found him at Apple's office and persuaded him to attend.<ref name="Doggett p 115">Doggett, p. 115.</ref>

According to author [[Bruce Spizer]], the line-up for the basic track, before [[Overdubbing|overdubs]], was Lennon (vocals, acoustic guitar), Harrison (electric guitar), Preston (organ), Voormann (bass), and White (drums).<ref name="Spizer p 28" />{{refn|group=nb|In Harrison's recollection, however, Preston was not present at this point. He also says that Lennon played piano rather than guitar.<ref name="Womack p 468" />}} Lennon later recalled of the recording: "Phil (Spector) came in and said, 'How do you want it?' And I said, '1950s' and he said 'Right' and BOOM! ... he played it back and there it was."<ref name=Listen50-51>Blaney, pp. 50–51.</ref><ref>Brown, p. 253.</ref> The song uses a similar amount of [[Reverberation|echo]] to 1950s [[Sun Records]] recordings.<ref name=W&MJL16>Urish & Bielen, p. 16.</ref>

{{quote box|quote= [T]here was this little guy walking around with "PS" on his shirt, and I was thinking, "Who is this guy?" … When he turned on the playback [after recording], it was just incredible. First, it was ridiculously loud, but also there was the ring of all these instruments and the way the song had such motion. As a first experience of the difference from the way you played it to the sound in the control room, it was overwhelming. And I knew immediately who he was – Phil Spector.<ref name="Leng p 70" />|source= – [[Klaus Voormann]], describing his first experience of working with Spector and his [[Wall of Sound]] technique|width=30%|align=right|style=padding:8px;}}
The musicians recorded ten takes,<ref name="Norman p 635">Norman, p. 635.</ref> the last of which was selected for overdubbing.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 33" /> To create what Spector biographer Mark Ribowsky terms a "four-man [[Wall of Sound]]" production,<ref>Ribowsky, pp. 251–52.</ref> Lennon added [[grand piano]] onto the basic track,<ref name="Williams p 143">Wiliams, p. 143.</ref><ref name="Carr & Tyler p 86" /> while Harrison and White shared another piano and Voormann played electric piano.<ref name="Brown p 242" />{{refn|group=nb|Although authors such as [[Richard Williams (journalist)|Richard Williams]],<ref name="Williams p 143" /> [[Mick Brown (journalist)|Mick Brown]],<ref name="Brown p 242" /> [[Mark Lewisohn]],<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 33" /> and Ribowsky<ref name="Ribowsky p 252" /> state that Lennon played piano, some sources give electric piano as his keyboard instrument on the song.<ref name="Spizer p 28" /><ref name="C&P p 171" />}} In addition, Beatles aide [[Mal Evans]] overdubbed chimes (or [[tubular bells]])<ref name="C&P p 171" /> and White added a second, muffled drum part.<ref name="Ribowsky p 252" /> Rather than an instrumental solo over the third verse, Lennon vocalised a series of what Urish and Bielen term "grunts and moans".<ref name=W&MJL16/> Lennon felt that the chorus was missing something, and so Preston and Evans<ref name="Rodriguez 2010 p 21" /> were sent to a nearby nightclub to bring in a group of people to provide backing vocals.<ref name=Listen52>Blaney, p. 52.</ref> These newcomers and all the musicians, along with Allen Klein, then added chorus vocals,<ref name="C&P p 171" /> with Harrison directing the singing.<ref name="Spizer p 28" />

Although Lennon and Spector disagreed over the bass sound,<ref name=Listen51>Blaney, p. 51.</ref> Lennon was delighted with the producer's work on "Instant Karma!"<ref name="Doggett p 115" /> White's drums assumed the role of a lead instrument,<ref>Rodriguez 2010, pp. 21, 76.</ref> positioned prominently in the mix.<ref name="Brown p 242">Brown, p. 242.</ref> Spector biographer [[Richard Williams (journalist)|Richard Williams]] wrote in 1972: "No Beatles record had ever possessed such a unique sound; Spector had used echo to make the drums reverberate like someone slapping a wet fish on a marble slab, and the voices sounded hollow and decayed."<ref name="Schaffner p 138">Schaffner, p. 138.</ref> Spector wanted to add a [[string section]] to the track in Los Angeles, but Lennon insisted that the recording was complete.<ref name="Brown p 242" /><ref name="Ribowsky p 252" />

Having only recently returned to producing, after the commercial failure of [[Ike & Tina Turner]]'s 1966 single "[[River Deep – Mountain High]]" in America,<ref>Williams, pp. 129–30.</ref> Spector had "passed the audition", according to ''Beatles Forever'' author [[Nicholas Schaffner]].<ref name="Schaffner p 138" /> "Instant Karma!" was the first of many Beatles-related recordings that Spector worked on during the early 1970s.<ref name=JLBio133/><ref>Du Noyer, p. 30.</ref> Lennon and Harrison were sufficiently impressed with his production on the song that they asked Spector to work on the tapes for the Beatles' final album release, ''[[Let It Be (album)|Let It Be]]'',<ref name="Brown p 243">Brown, p. 243.</ref> and then to produce their respective 1970 solo albums, ''[[John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band]]'' and ''[[All Things Must Pass]]''.<ref name="Schaffner p 138" /><ref name="Winn p 365">Winn, p. 365.</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Lennon and Harrison had long been admirers of Spector's work in the 1960s,<ref name="Woffinden p 31">Woffinden, p. 31.</ref> with [[the Ronettes]] and other vocal groups.<ref>Schaffner, pp. 136, 137.</ref> Lennon later said that the Beatles had discussed using Spector before 1970 as an alternative to their usual producer, [[George Martin]].<ref>Williams, pp. 141–42.</ref>}}

==Release==
"Instant Karma!" ranks as one of the fastest-released songs in pop music history,<ref name='HIST' /> arriving in UK record stores just ten days after it was written.<ref name=Stories31>Du Noyer, p. 31.</ref> [[Apple Records]]' tagline in trade advertisements for the single read: "Ritten, Recorded, Remixed 27th Jan 1970."<ref name="Winn p 364">Winn, p. 364.</ref> Lennon remarked to the press that he "wrote it for breakfast, recorded it for lunch, and we're putting it out for dinner."<ref name='HIST'>{{cite web | url = http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-lennon-writes-and-records-quotinstant-karmaquot-in-a-single-day | title = John Lennon writes and records 'Instant Karma' in a single day | access-date = 26 January 2011 | date = 27 January 2010 | publisher = [[history.com]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121029062342/http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-lennon-writes-and-records-quotinstant-karmaquot-in-a-single-day | archive-date = 29 October 2012 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Apple issued the single on 6 February 1970 in Britain – credited to the Plastic Ono Band – and on 20 February in America, where the [[A-side]] was retitled "Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)" and credited to John Ono Lennon.<ref name=Listen45>Blaney, p. 45.</ref>{{refn|group=nb|The single's catalogue number was Apple 1003 in the UK and Apple 1818 in America.<ref>Castleman & Podrazik, pp. 85, 303.</ref>}} Spector remixed "Instant Karma!" for the US release without Lennon's knowledge.<ref name="Ribowsky p 252">Ribowsky, p. 252.</ref><ref>Miles, p. 370.</ref> Continuing the approach of the Plastic Ono Band's previous singles, "Give Peace a Chance" and "[[Cold Turkey]]", the [[B-side]] was an Ono composition, in this case "[[Who Has Seen the Wind? (song)|Who Has Seen the Wind?]]"<ref>Spizer, pp. 27, 343.</ref>{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=353}}

As with "Cold Turkey", the single's standard Apple Records A-side face label carried the words "PLAY LOUD", in both the UK<ref name=Listen45/><ref name=pobKarma>{{cite web|url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/carousel/pob/pob04.html |title=John Lennon Discography |publisher=Homepage.ntlworld.com |access-date=24 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528170131/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/carousel/pob/pob04.html |archive-date=28 May 2013  }}</ref> and America.<ref name="Spizer pp 28-29">Spizer, pp. 28, 29.</ref> Reflecting the tender sound of "Who Has Seen the Wind?", the B-side label read "PLAY QUIET"<ref name=Listen45/> (or "PLAY SOFT" in the US).<ref name=pobKarma/><ref name="Spizer pp 28-29" /> The front of the US picture sleeve featured a black-and-white photo of Lennon along with a prominent producer's credit for Spector, while the reverse had a similar picture of Ono.<ref name="Spizer pp 28-29" />

===Promotion===
Following a year of highly publicised peace campaigning by the Lennons in 1969, Apple press officer [[Derek Taylor]] was concerned that they had exhausted the media's interest in their causes.<ref>Doggett, pp. 89, 118.</ref> On 4 February 1970, Lennon and Ono staged a publicity stunt at the Black Centre in north London,<ref name="Winn p 367" /> where they donated a large plastic bag full of their hair, along with Apple's poster for the new single,<ref name="Woffinden p 39" /> to [[black power]] activist [[Michael X]], in return for a pair of [[Muhammad Ali]]'s bloodstained boxing shorts.<ref name="Norman p 636">Norman, p. 636.</ref><ref name="Miles p 368">Miles, p. 368.</ref> The "final proof" of the Lennons' "overexpose[ure]", according to Taylor, was that there was a large press turnout for the event, yet "nobody printed anything."<ref name="Doggett p 118" />{{refn|group=nb|Author [[Jon Wiener]] also writes of the media's disinterest in the couple by the end of 1969. He quotes Apple executive [[Peter Brown (music industry)|Peter Brown]]'s assertion that Lennon's new adopted cause "destroyed his last shred of credibility with the press."<ref>Wiener, pp. 114–15.</ref>}}

On 11 February, Lennon and Ono filmed an appearance on [[BBC Television]]'s ''[[Top of the Pops]]'' to promote "Instant Karma!",<ref name=Stories31/> accompanied by White, Voormann, Evans, and [[BP Fallon]].<ref name=Listen50/> While the other musicians mimed their contributions, Lennon sang a live vocal over a mix of the song's instrumental track,<ref name=Listen50/> prepared by EMI engineer [[Geoff Emerick]].<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 34">Madinger & Easter, p. 34.</ref> It was the first appearance on the program by any member of the Beatles since 1966,<ref name=Listen50>Blaney, p. 50.</ref> as well as the public unveiling of the Lennons' new cropped look.<ref name="Schaffner p 137" /><ref name="Madinger & Easter p 34" /> Two versions of "Instant Karma!" – known as "knitting" and "cue card" – were taped for ''Top of the Pops'', and aired on 12 and 19 February, respectively.<ref name="Rodriguez 2013 pp 1-2">Rodriguez 2013, pp. 1–2.</ref><ref>Miles, pp. 369–70.</ref>

[[File:Instant Karma! 1970 Top of the Pops.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left|Lennon and Ono (wearing a white blindfold) performing the song on ''[[Top of the Pops]]'' in February 1970]]
The clips differ in terms of Lennon's attire and the nature of Ono's role as, in author Robert Rodriguez's description, "an onstage focal point around which all activity was staged."{{refn|group=nb|As with the press conference with Michael X, the Lennons' rehearsals and performances for ''Tops of the Pops'' were simultaneously filmed by Tony Cox for a possible [[documentary film]] on the couple.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 34" />}} In addition, for the 19 February broadcast, Lennon's vocal was treated with echo.<ref>Rodriguez 2013, p. 1.</ref> In the "knitting" clip, Lennon is wearing a black [[polo neck|polo-neck]] jumper as Ono sits beside his piano,<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 34" /> blindfolded, and knitting throughout.<ref>Norman, pp. 635–36.</ref> In "cue card", Lennon wears a flower-pattern shirt under a denim jacket, while Ono, seated on a stool, holds up a series of cryptically worded [[cue card]]s<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 34" /> and speaks into her microphone.<ref name="Rodriguez 2013 p 2" /> The cards' messages include "Smile", "Hope", and "Peace".<ref name="Rodriguez 2013 p 2" /> Although Ono appears to have a more active role, she is again blindfolded and the words she utters cannot be heard.<ref name="Rodriguez 2013 p 2" />{{refn|group=nb|According to Kate Greer, an associate producer of ''Top of the Pops'' at the time, Ono used a [[sanitary towel]] for her blindfold.<ref>{{cite web|first=Dave|last=Simpson|title=Interview: How We Made Top of the Pops|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/feb/04/how-we-made-top-of-the-pops|publisher=[[The Guardian|theguardian.com]]|date=4 February 2014|access-date=31 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831174959/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/feb/04/how-we-made-top-of-the-pops|archive-date=31 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

Lennon and Ono also promoted the single with an appearance on [[Emperor Rosko]]'s [[BBC Radio 1]] show ''Midday Spin'', shortly after the "cue card" clip aired.<ref name="Winn p 370" /> In response to the many letters asking about her role in the ''Top of the Pops'' performance, Ono said "the blindfold means to me like everybody in the world is like blind ... the stool was like a [[Grove (nature)|grove]] ... And everybody's sitting on the grove blindfolded and trying their best, you know."<ref name="Winn p 370" /> Rodriguez describes both clips as "terrifically engaging, providing suitably dynamic visuals to a powerful song." He says that the "cue card" performance "captures much more of the ambience, with frequent shots of White's stellar work and the studio dancers."<ref name="Rodriguez 2013 p 2">Rodriguez 2013, p. 2.</ref> In the view of media analyst Michael Frontani, Lennon's and Ono's untidy, cropped hairstyle befitted the couple's "new agenda" for 1970 – a year in which Lennon, still mistrusted by the political left for his rejection of their principles in the Beatles' 1968 single "[[Revolution (Beatles song)|Revolution]]", sought "greater confrontation with the system." Frontani writes of Lennon's appearance on ''Top of the Pops'', that it "was a stark picture, one at odds with his Beatles past. For Lennon, ragged and ugly in comparison to the Beatle image, it was a means of breaking even more fully with his pop star past."<ref>Frontani, p. 169.</ref>

===Commercial success and aftermath===
"Instant Karma!" was commercially successful,<ref>Rodriguez 2010, pp. 2, 149.</ref> peaking at number 3 on America's [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart,{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=281}} number 2 in Canada,<ref name=RPM/> and number 5 on the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref name=OCC/>{{refn|group=nb|On the US listings compiled by ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' and ''[[Record World]]'' magazines, it also peaked at number 3,<ref name="Spizer p 27" /> while Britain's ''[[Melody Maker]]'' chart recorded the song at number 4.<ref>Castleman & Podrazik, p. 340.</ref>}} The single also reached the top ten in several other European countries<ref name=Ultra/> and in Australia.<ref name="auschart" /> The release took place two months before [[Paul McCartney]] announced the [[break-up of the Beatles]],<ref name=Listen45/> whose penultimate single, the [[George Martin]]-produced "[[Let It Be (song)|Let It Be]]", Lennon's record competed with on the US chart.<ref name="Spizer p 27">Spizer, p. 27.</ref> "Instant Karma!" went on to become the first single by a solo Beatle to achieve US sales of 1 million,<ref name="Norman p 635" /> earning [[Music recording sales certification|gold]] certification by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] on 14 December 1970.<ref name="RIAA">{{cite web|title=RIAA Gold and Platinum|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&title=Instant_Karma&format=SINGLE&go=Search&perPage=50|publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America]]|access-date=24 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924160932/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&title=Instant_Karma&format=SINGLE&go=Search&perPage=50|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="C&P p 332">Castleman & Podrazik, p. 332.</ref>{{refn|group=nb|The award came on the same day that Harrison's debut single, "[[My Sweet Lord]]", was certified gold by the RIAA,<ref name="C&P p 332" /> yet that song's US release took place nine months after "Instant Karma!"<ref>Schaffner, pp. 211, 212.</ref>}} Until [[Death of John Lennon|Lennon's death]] in December 1980, "Instant Karma!" remained his sole RIAA-certified gold single.<ref name="RIAA" /><ref>{{cite web|first=Nick|last=DeRiso|title=Revisiting John Lennon's Quickly Recorded 'Instant Karma'|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/john-lennon-instant-karma-song/|publisher=[[Ultimate Classic Rock]]|date=6 February 2016|access-date=3 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903082153/http://ultimateclassicrock.com/john-lennon-instant-karma-song/|archive-date=3 September 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Despite the stated intentions for Lennon's and Ono's Year 1 AP, the proceeds from the auctioning of their hair benefited Michael X's Black House commune<ref name="Norman p 636" /> rather than the peace movement;<ref name="Woffinden p 39" /><ref>Doggett, pp. 114, 118.</ref> according to ''Beatles Diary'' author [[Barry Miles]], the pledge to donate their royalties was also "discreetly forgotten."<ref>Miles, pp. 364, 368.</ref> In March 1970, Lennon publicly split with the organisers of the planned Toronto Peace Festival,<ref>Norman, p. 637.</ref> as he and Ono began treatment under [[Arthur Janov]]'s [[Primal Therapy]].<ref>Madinger & Easter, p. 35.</ref><ref>Doggett, pp. 117, 119–20.</ref>{{refn|group=nb|In author John Winn's description of the 4 February exchange of the Lennons' hair for Ali's shorts: "The plan was for Michael to auction off the hair to raise money for the Black Centre, a headquarters for various black power endeavors. John and Yoko would then auction off the trunks to raise money for their peace festival."<ref name="Winn p 367" />}} Before heading to California in April for intensive therapy through the summer,<ref>Schaffner, p. 143.</ref><ref>Woffinden, pp. 40–41.</ref> Lennon accused McCartney of using the Beatles' break-up to sell his album ''[[McCartney (album)|McCartney]]'',<ref>Rodriguez 2010, pp. 7–8.</ref> and admitted that he wished that he himself had announced the break-up months before to promote his own solo release.<ref>Madinger & Easter, p. 154.</ref><ref>Spitz, pp. 853–54.</ref>

==Critical reception==
On release, [[Chris Welch]] of ''[[Melody Maker]]'' declared: "Instant hit! John Lennon is singing better than ever. With a beautiful rock 'n' roll echo chamber on his mean but meaningful vocals and some superb drumming, it makes up the Plastics' best piece of boogie yet."<ref>Sutherland, p. 74.</ref> ''[[Record World]]'' listed the song first on its three "Single Picks of the Week" predictions, saying: "John Ono Lennon is now produced by Phil Spector. 'Instant Karma' ... is gonna get YOU."<ref>{{cite magazine|author=((Record World editors))|title=Picks of the Week|magazine=[[Record World]]|date=21 February 1970|page=1}}</ref> ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' predicted the same success, saying: "'Instant Karma' has made it to New York, full reverb blaring and Lennon's guts pouring out in a most exciting and involving manner. The song tears out with a '50s shuffle style that really makes it."<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Cash Box staff|title=Cash Box Record Reviews|magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]|date=21 February 1970|page=16}}</ref> Writing in the ''[[NME]]'' in 1975, [[Charles Shaar Murray]] wrote of the song's "volcanically desperate optimism" and rated it "a classic". Shaar Murray added, with reference to "Cold Turkey" also: "I can't remember anybody else who put out two such utter killers in a row over the same period of time."<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Shaar Murray, Charles|title=John Lennon: ''Shaved Fish''|magazine=[[NME]]|date=1 November 1975|page=24}} Available at [http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/john-lennon-shaved-fish Rock's Backpages] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906150538/http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/john-lennon-shaved-fish |date=6 September 2015 }} (subscription required).</ref><ref>Sutherland, p. 126.</ref>

''[[Village Voice]]'' critic [[Robert Christgau]] described "Instant Karma!" as Lennon's "best political song,"<ref>{{cite web |last=Christgau |first=Robert |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=684 |title=Consumer Guide: John Lennon |publisher=robertchristgau.com |access-date=14 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202221521/http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=684 |archive-date=2 December 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> while some other reviewers consider it to be the artist's finest post-Beatles recording.<ref>Lawrence, p. 6.</ref> In their 1975 book ''[[The Beatles: An Illustrated Record]]'', [[Roy Carr]] and [[Tony Tyler]] describe "Instant Karma!" as a "snappy little rocker" that "owes as much to the skilful production of Phil Spector as to the vitality of the overall performance," on which "[d]rummer Alan White excels."<ref name="Carr & Tyler p 86">Carr & Tyler, p. 86.</ref> Another to highlight White's drumming amid the "collective genius" of all the musicians on "Instant Karma!", author Robert Rodriguez concludes of Lennon's activities on 27 January 1970: "Not many days in the history of rock and roll proved as everlastingly fruitful."<ref name="Rodriguez 2010 p 21" /> In 1981, ''NME'' critic [[Bob Woffinden]] wrote of the single: "It was excellent. Lennon was characteristically simple and direct, but this time on a song with one of those magically catchy refrains."<ref name="Woffinden p 32">Woffinden, p. 32.</ref>

Among Lennon biographers, [[Jon Wiener]] praises Lennon's "rich, deep voice" on a recording where the sound is "irresistible".<ref>Wiener, p. 113.</ref> Philip Norman describes the song as "similar to 'Cold Turkey' in [[tempo]] but far more relaxed and humorous", adding that Spector's production gave Lennon's voice "a taut expressiveness it had not had since '[[Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)|Norwegian Wood]]'."<ref name="Norman p 635" /> While noting the significance of the session for George Harrison's career, author Simon Leng praises the recording as being "full of urgency and sheer excitement."<ref name="Leng p 70">Leng, p. 70.</ref>

''Stereogum'' contributors Timothy and Elizabeth Bracy rated it as Lennon's greatest solo song, calling it "an exhilarating gesture and proof that Lennon didn’t need anyone — even the [[Beatles]] — in order to make timeless music."<ref>{{cite web|title=The 10 Best John Lennon Songs|date=13 May 2014|last1=Bracy|first1=Timothy|last2=Bracy |first2=Elizabeth|accessdate=2023-05-03|publisher=Stereogum|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1681100/the-10-best-john-lennon-songs/lists/}}</ref>

In 1989, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked "Instant Karma!" the 79th best single of the previous 25 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/rstone.html |title=Rolling Stone lists |publisher=rocklistmusic.co.uk |access-date=23 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718180414/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/rstone.html |archive-date=18 July 2011 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> In ''[[NME|NME Originals]]: Beatles – The Solo Years 1970–1980'', [[David Stubbs]] lists the song second among Lennon's "ten solo gems" (behind "Cold Turkey"), with the comment: "'Instant Karma!' epitomises the Lennon paradox, melding hippie idealism and rock'n'roll primal energy in an exhilarating mix."<ref>{{cite book|editor=Hunt, Chris|title=[[NME|NME Originals]]: Beatles – The Solo Years 1970–1980|year=2005|publisher=IPC Ignite!|location=London|page=19}}</ref> Matt Melis of [[Consequence of Sound]] placed it third on his 2009 list of "Top Ten Songs by Ex-Beatles".<ref>{{cite web|author=Melis, Matt|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/04/list-em-carefully-top-ten-songs-by-ex-beatles/|publisher=[[Consequence of Sound]]|date=8 April 2009|access-date=30 March 2014|title=List 'Em Carefully: Top Ten Songs by Ex-Beatles|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160728214911/http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/04/list-em-carefully-top-ten-songs-by-ex-beatles/|archive-date=28 July 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> "Instant Karma!" has also appeared in the following critics' best-songs lists and books: [[Dave Marsh]]'s ''The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made'' (1989; at number 638),{{CN|date=December 2023}} ''1000 Songs that Rock Your World'' by [[Dave Thompson (author)|Dave Thompson]] (2011; number 56),{{CN|date=December 2023}} the ''NME''{{'}}s "The 100 Best Songs of the 1970s" (2012; number 77),{{CN|date=December 2023}} and ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' magazine's "The 1001 Best Songs Ever" (2003; number 193).{{CN|date=December 2023}} The [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] includes the track among its "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll".<ref>Womack, pp. 469–70.</ref>

==Re-releases and live version==
"Instant Karma!"'s first appearance on a Lennon album, albeit slightly edited in length, was the 1975 compilation ''[[Shaved Fish]]''.<ref name=pobKarma/> Urish and Bielen observe that the "advertising hyperbole" inherent in the song's title, through the inclusion of an exclamation mark, is given extra emphasis on this album cover.<ref name=W&MJL16/>{{refn|group=nb|Apple's artwork for ''Shaved Fish'' featured an illustration by Michael Bryan for each of the compilation's tracks. "Instant Karma!" is depicted as a jar of instant coffee, with the top removed and a spoon beside the jar.<ref>Spizer, p. 110, 111.</ref>}} The song has featured – often with the full title "Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)" – on numerous posthumous compilations,<ref>Womack, p. 470.</ref> including ''[[The John Lennon Collection]]'' (1982), the ''[[Lennon (album)|Lennon]]'' box set (1990), ''[[Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon|Lennon Legend]]'' (1997),<ref>Madinger & Easter, pp. 580–82.</ref> ''[[Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon]]'' (2005), and ''[[Power to the People: The Hits]]'' (2010).<ref>{{cite web |last=Diver |first=Mike |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/c6vh |title=John Lennon ''Power to the People: The Hits'' Review |publisher=[[BBC Online]] |access-date=13 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140425235507/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/c6vh |archive-date=25 April 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Lennon played "Instant Karma!" at his last full-length concert performance<ref>Madinger & Easter, pp. 79–80.</ref> – the One to One benefit shows held at [[Madison Square Garden]], New York, on 30 August 1972.<ref>Rodriguez 2010, pp. 56–57.</ref> His backing band comprised the group [[Elephant's Memory]],<ref>Doggett, p. 196.</ref> in addition to Ono and drummer [[Jim Keltner]].<ref>Rodriguez 2010, p. 57.</ref> The 1986 album and video ''[[Live in New York City (John Lennon album)|Live in New York City]]'' contains the afternoon performance of the song.<ref>Madinger & Easter, pp. 79, 81.</ref>

In July 1992, "Instant Karma!" was re-released as a single in the Netherlands, backed by "[[Oh My Love]]".<ref name=Listen50/> Originally, copies of it were given away with early editions of ''The John Lennon Video Collection''.<ref name=Listen50/> When released in the rest of Europe (barring the UK), this single reissue gained two extra B-sides: "[[Mother (John Lennon song)|Mother]]" and "Bless You".<ref name=Listen50/>

Of the two 1970 ''Top of the Pops'' performances, the "cue card" version appeared on ''[[The John Lennon Video Collection]]'' in October 1992,<ref>Madinger &  Easter, pp. 34, 147.</ref> while the "knitting" performance was remixed and extended for release on the [[Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon (DVD)|''Lennon Legend'' DVD]] (2003).<ref name=Listen50/> The "knitting" version was also included on the 8 December 2003 UK reissue of Lennon's and Ono's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" single.<ref name=Listen50/>

==Cover versions and cultural references==
Artists who have covered "Instant Karma!" include [[Toad the Wet Sprocket]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/working-class-hero-a-tribute-to-john-lennon-mw0000179837 |title=Various Artists ''Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon'' |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=24 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130324230032/http://www.allmusic.com/album/working-class-hero-a-tribute-to-john-lennon-mw0000179837 |archive-date=24 March 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Paul Weller]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Boraman |first=Greg |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/cjxm |title=Paul Weller ''Fly on the Wall'' Review |publisher=[[BBC Online]] |access-date=18 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925112511/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/cjxm |archive-date=25 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Duran Duran]],<ref>{{cite web|last= Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/instant-karma-the-amnesty-international-campaign-to-save-darfur-expanded-mr0001575386 |title=Various Artists ''Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur [Expanded&#93;'' (Digital Download – Warner Bros. #) |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=14 November 2013}}</ref> [[Tater Totz]] with [[Cherie Currie]],<ref>{{cite web|first=Ron|last=Kretsch|url=https://dangerousminds.net/comments/spastic_ono_band_redd_kross_beatles_yoko_freak-out_did_not_amuse_beatlefest|title=Spastic Ono Band: Redd Kross' Beatles/Yoko Freak-Out Did Not Amuse Beatlefest Attendees, 1988|publisher=[[Richard Metzger|Dangerous Minds]]|date=17 May 2017|access-date=31 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901003708/https://dangerousminds.net/comments/spastic_ono_band_redd_kross_beatles_yoko_freak-out_did_not_amuse_beatlefest|archive-date=1 September 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Tokio Hotel]].<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Spahr, Wolfgang |title=Lennon Cover Marks Tokio Hotel's Year on Charts |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pg8EAAAAMBAJ&q=Tokio+Hotel |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=4 November 2006 |page=87 |access-date=25 January 2015}}</ref> In 2007, the song provided the title for [[Amnesty International]]'s multi-artist compilation of Lennon compositions, ''[[Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur]]'',<ref>{{cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/instant-karma-the-amnesty-international-campaign-to-save-darfur-mw0000577865 |title=Various Artists ''Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur'' |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=14 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622051801/http://www.allmusic.com/album/instant-karma-the-amnesty-international-campaign-to-save-darfur-mw0000577865 |archive-date=22 June 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> for which [[U2]] recorded a cover version.<ref>Woods, p. 115.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.twincities.com/2007/06/11/shos-third-great-way-to-meet-great-band/|last=O'Hare|first=Kevin|title=''Instand Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur'', Various Artists|work=[[Pioneer Press]]|date=11 June 2007|access-date=11 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911225632/https://www.twincities.com/2007/06/11/shos-third-great-way-to-meet-great-band/|archive-date=11 September 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2022, the American group [[Bleachers (band)|Bleachers]], formed by the singer and producer [[Jack Antonoff]], covered the song for the [[Minions: The Rise of Gru (soundtrack)|soundtrack]] of the animated movie ''[[Minions: The Rise of Gru]]''. 

The title of [[Stephen King]]'s 1977 horror novel ''[[The Shining (novel)|The Shining]]'' came from Lennon's line "We all shine on." King was going to call the book ''The Shine'', before realising that "shine" had been used as a derogatory term for blacks.<ref>King, Underwood & Miller, pp. 125, 190.</ref>

In 1988,<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=vX5SckOt3jEC&dq=Nike+using+Lennon+song+%22Instant+Karma%21%22&pg=PT305 Southall & Perry].</ref> Ono allowed the footwear and apparel company [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] to feature "Instant Karma!" in an advertising campaign, after a public outcry the previous year had forced her to withdraw permission for the use of the Beatles' "Revolution".<ref>Klein, p. 28.</ref> [[Instant Karma (record label)|Instant Karma Records]] was named after the song,<ref>{{cite magazine|last=White |first=Adam |title=Dickins' New Sony Label Takes Shape |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XQ0EAAAAMBAJ&q=New+Sony+Label+Takes+Shape&pg=PA7-IA2|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=27 March 1999 |pages=3, 104|access-date=25 January 2015}}</ref> and [[the Flaming Lips]] recorded their track "I Don't Understand Karma" in 2009 as a reply to "Instant Karma!"<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Summer 2009 Preview |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E3Yx8-Sz2uAC&q=Instant+Karma |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=23 May 2009 |page=33 |access-date=25 January 2015}}</ref>

==Personnel==
According to Harry Castleman and Walter J. Podrazik,<ref name="C&P p 171">Castleman & Podrazik, p. 171.</ref> except where noted:
*[[John Lennon]] &ndash; lead vocals, acoustic guitar, piano,<ref name="Williams p 143" /> backing vocals
*[[George Harrison]] &ndash; electric guitar, piano, backing vocals
*[[Klaus Voormann]] &ndash; bass guitar, [[electric piano]], backing vocals
*[[Alan White (Yes drummer)|Alan White]] &ndash; drums, piano, backing vocals
*[[Billy Preston]] &ndash; [[Hammond organ]], backing vocals
*[[Yoko Ono]] &ndash; backing vocals
*[[Mal Evans]] &ndash; [[Tubular bells|chimes]], [[Clapping|handclaps]], backing vocals
*Scott CerJance &ndash; [[tambourine]]<ref name="Winn p 365" />
*[[Allen Klein]] and revellers from London's Hatchett Club &ndash; backing vocals<ref name=Stories31/>

==Charts and certifications==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}

===Weekly charts===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (1970)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|Australian ''[[Go-Set]]'' National Top 40<ref name="auschart">{{cite web |url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1970/19700530.html |title=Go-Set Australian charts – 30 May 1970 |publisher=poparchives.com.au |access-date=25 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070904062915/http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1970/19700530.html |archive-date=4 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|5
|-
|Austrian [[Ö3 Austria Top 40]]<ref name=AT>{{cite web |url=http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Lennon&titel=Instant+Karma%21&cat=s |title=Lennon – Instant Karma! |publisher=austriancharts.at |access-date=25 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103153838/http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Lennon&titel=Instant+Karma%21&cat=s |archive-date=3 November 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
|Belgian [[Ultratop|Ultratop Singles]] (Wallonia)<ref name=Ultra>{{cite web |url=http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Lennon&titel=Instant+Karma%21&cat=s |title=Lennon – Instant Karma! |publisher=ultratop.be |access-date=25 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203145101/http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Lennon&titel=Instant+Karma%21&cat=s |archive-date=3 December 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
|Canadian [[RPM (magazine)|''RPM'' 100]]<ref name=RPM>{{cite web |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.3782&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=1g6m3duo557qb290iqt8uq41q2 |title=''RPM'' 100 Singles, 26 December 1970 |publisher=[[Library and Archives Canada]] |access-date=13 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113102652/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.3782&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=1g6m3duo557qb290iqt8uq41q2 |archive-date=13 November 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
|Dutch [[MegaCharts|MegaChart Singles]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Lennon&titel=Instant+Karma%21&cat=s |title=Lennon – Instant Karma! |publisher=dutchcharts.nl |access-date=25 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730025438/http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Lennon&titel=Instant+Karma%21&cat=s |archive-date=30 July 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|7
|-
|[[Irish Singles Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement |title=''Search by Song Title'' > Instant Karma |publisher=irishcharts.ie |access-date=24 March 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929150455/http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement |archive-date=29 September 2011  }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
|align="left"| Italy (''[[Musica e dischi]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|title=Classifiche|work=[[Musica e dischi]]|language=it|access-date=January 24, 2024}} ''Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "John Lennon" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".''</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
|-
|Japanese [[Oricon|Oricon Singles Chart]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://homepage1.nifty.com/tuty/after_beatles_john_single1.htm |title=ジョン・シングル1 |publisher=homepage1.nifty.com |access-date=25 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113102852/http://homepage1.nifty.com/tuty/after_beatles_john_single1.htm |archive-date=13 November 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|58
|-
|New Zealand ''[[New Zealand Listener|Listener]]'' Chart<ref>{{cite web|title=NZ Listener chart statistics for Instant Karma ''(search by song title)''|url=http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qsongid=1902#n_view_location|publisher=Flavour of New Zealand|access-date=24 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404073757/http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qsongid=1902#n_view_location|archive-date=4 April 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
|Norwegian [[VG-lista|VG-lista Singles]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Lennon&titel=Instant+Karma%21&cat=s |title=Lennon – Instant Karma! |publisher=norwegiancharts.com |access-date=25 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108183547/http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Lennon&titel=Instant+Karma%21&cat=s |archive-date=8 November 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|9
|-
|Swedish [[Sverigetopplistan|Kvällstoppen Chart]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130220053554/http://hitsallertijden.nl/charts/swedish%20charts/SwedishCharts%200969-0872.pdf "Swedish Charts 1969–1972/Kvällstoppen – Listresultaten vecka för vecka" > April 1970] (in Swedish). hitsallertijden.nl. Archived version retrieved 15 November 2013.</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
|[[Swiss Hitparade]]<ref name="swiss"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|9
|-
|[[UK Singles Chart]]<ref name=OCC>{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/john%20lennon/ |title=John Lennon |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]] |access-date=24 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313015215/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/john%20lennon/ |archive-date=13 March 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|5
|-
|US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]<ref name=Bill>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/john-lennon-mn0000232564/awards |title=John Lennon: Awards |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=24 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015040256/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/john-lennon-mn0000232564/awards |archive-date=15 October 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
|US ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' Top 100<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/19700418.html |title=Cash Box Top 100 4/18/70 |publisher=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cashbox Archives]] |access-date=15 June 2016 |archive-date=17 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217125134/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/19700418.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
|West German [[Media Control Charts|Media Control Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-140 |title=John Lennon: Instant Karma! |publisher=charts.de |access-date=16 February 2022}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|7
|}

{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Chart (1992)
!Peak<br/>position
|-
|-
|Swiss [[Swiss Music Charts|Singles Top 75]]<ref name="swiss">{{cite web |url=http://hitparade.ch/song/John-Lennon/Instant-Karma!-140 |title=Lennon – Instant Karma! |publisher=hitparade.ch |access-date=11 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306225144/http://hitparade.ch/song/John-Lennon/Instant-Karma!-140 |archive-date=6 March 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|31
|-
|}
{{col-break}}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!align="left"|Chart (1970)
! style="text-align:center;"|Rank
|-
|Canadian ''RPM'' Top 100<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.3740&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.3740.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.3740|title=RPM's Top 100 of 1970|date=17 July 2013 |publisher=[[Library and Archives Canada]]|access-date=15 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828112032/http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.3740&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.3740.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.3740|archive-date=28 August 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|21
|-
|Netherlands ([[Single Top 100]])<ref>{{cite web |title= Jaaroverzichten – Single 1970 |publisher= [[Single Top 100]]. Hung Medien |access-date= 25 February 2018 |url= http://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1970&cat=s |language= nl |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140704082534/http://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1970&cat=s |archive-date= 4 July 2014 |url-status= live }}</ref>
|align="center"|81
|-
|US [[Billboard Year-End|''Billboard'' Year-End]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1970.htm |title=Top 100 Hits of 1970/Top 100 Songs of 1970 |publisher=musicoutfitters.com |access-date=10 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010063344/http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1970.htm |archive-date=10 October 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|34
|-
|US ''Cash Box''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/1970YESP.html |title=The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1970 |publisher=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cashbox Archives]] |access-date=15 June 2016 |archive-date=22 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922141548/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/1970YESP.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|20
|-
|}

{{certification Table Top}}
{{certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|title=Instant Karma|artist=Lennon, John|award=Gold|certyear=1970}}
{{certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes}}

{{col-end}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em|group="nb"}}

==References==
{{reflist|20em}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book|last=Blake|first=John|title=All You Needed Was Love: The Beatles After the Beatles|year=1981|publisher=Hamlyn Paperbacks|location=Middlesex|isbn=0-600-20466-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Blaney|first=John|title=John Lennon: Listen to This Book ''(illustrated edn)''|year=2005|publisher=Paper Jukebox|location=[S.l.]|isbn=978-0-9544528-1-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Brown|first=Mick|title=Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector|year=2008|publisher=Vintage|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-1-4000-7661-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Browne|first=David|title=Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Bittersweet Story of 1970|year=2011|publisher=Da Capo Press|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-30681-986-5}}
* {{cite book|last1=Carr |first1=Roy |last2=Tyler |first2=Tony |title=The Beatles: An Illustrated Record |year=1978 |publisher=Trewin Copplestone Publishing |location=London |isbn=0-450-04170-0}}
* {{cite book|last1=Castleman|first1=Harry|last2=Podrazik|first2=Walter J.|title=All Together Now: The First Complete Beatles Discography 1961–1975|publisher=Ballantine Books|location=New York, NY|year=1976|isbn=0-345-25680-8|url=https://archive.org/details/alltogethernowfi0000cast}}
* {{cite book|last=Doggett|first=Peter|title=You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup|publisher=It Books|location=New York, NY|year=2011|isbn=978-0-06-177418-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Du Noyer|first=Paul|title=John Lennon: The Stories Behind Every Song 1970–1980 ''(rev. edn)''|year=2010|publisher=Carlton Books|location=London|isbn=978-1-84732-665-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Edmondson |first=Jacqueline |title=John Lennon: A Biography ''(illustrated edn)''|year=2010|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-37938-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Everett|first=Walter|year=1999|title=The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver Through the Anthology|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York, NY|isbn=0-19-512941-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Frontani|first=Michael|chapter=The Solo Years|editor-last=Womack|editor-first=Kenneth|year=2009|title=The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles|location=Cambridge, UK|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-68976-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Hertsgaard|first=Mark|title=A Day in the Life: The Music and Artistry of the Beatles|publisher=Pan Books|location=London|year=1996|isbn=0-330-33891-9}}
* {{cite book |last1=King |first1=Stephen |last2=Underwood |first2=Tim |last3=Miller |first3=Chuck |title=Bare Bones: Conversations on Terror with Stephen King |location=New York, NY |publisher=McGraw-Hill |year=1988 |isbn= 978-0-07065759-5}}
* {{cite book |last=Klein |first=Bethany |title=As Heard on TV: Popular Music in Advertising |year=2010 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |location=Farnham, Surrey |isbn=978-1-4094-0764-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/asheardontvpopul0000klei }}
* {{cite book|last=Lawrence|first=Ken|title=John Lennon: In His Own Words|year=2005|publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing|location=Kansas City, MO|isbn=978-0-7407-9312-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Leng|first=Simon|title=While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison|publisher=Hal Leonard|location=Milwaukee, WI|year=2006|isbn=978-1-423-406099}}
* {{cite book|last1=Madinger|first1=Chip|last2=Easter|first2=Mark|title=Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium|publisher=44.1 Productions|location=Chesterfield, MO|year=2000|isbn=0-615-11724-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Miles|first=Barry|title=The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years|publisher= Omnibus Press|location=London|year=2001|isbn=0-7119-8308-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Norman|first=Philip|title=John Lennon: The Life|year=2009|publisher=HarperCollins|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-06-075402-0|url=https://archive.org/details/johnlennonlife00norm}}
* {{cite book|last=Ribowsky|first=Mark|title=He's a Rebel: Phil Spector – Rock and Roll's Legendary Producer|year=2006|publisher=Da Capo Press|location=Cambridge, MA|isbn=978-0-306-81471-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Rodriguez|first=Robert|title=Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980|publisher=Backbeat Books|location=Milwaukee, WI|year=2010|isbn=978-1-4165-9093-4|url=https://archive.org/details/missodellmyhardd00odel}}
* {{cite book|last=Rodriguez|first=Robert|title=Solo in the 70s: John, Paul, George, Ringo: 1970–1980|publisher=Parading Press|location=Downers Grove, IL|year=2013|isbn=978-0-9892555-0-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Rogan|first=Johnny|title=The Complete Guide to the Music of John Lennon|year=1997|publisher=Omnius Press|location=London|isbn=0-7119-5599-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Schaffner|first=Nicholas|title=The Beatles Forever|publisher=McGraw-Hill|location=New York, NY|year=1978|isbn=0-07-055087-5|url=https://archive.org/details/beatlesforever00scha}}
* {{cite book|last1=Southall|first1=Brian|last2=Perry|first2=Rupert|title=Northern Songs: The True Story of the Beatles Song Publishing Empire |year=2009|publisher=Omnibus Press |location=London|isbn=978-0-85712-027-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Spitz|first=Bob|year=2005|title=The Beatles: The Biography|url=https://archive.org/details/beatlesbiography00spit|url-access=registration|publisher=Little, Brown|location=New York, NY|isbn=0-316-80352-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Spizer|first=Bruce|title=The Beatles Solo on Apple Records|publisher=498 Productions|location=New Orleans, LA|year=2005|isbn=0-9662649-5-9}}
* {{cite book|editor-last=Sutherland|editor-first=Steve|title=[[NME|NME Originals]]: Lennon|year=2003|publisher=IPC Ignite!|location=London}}
* {{cite book|last1=Urish |first1=Ben |last2=Bielen|first2=Kenneth G.|title=The Words and Music of John Lennon|year=2007|publisher=Praeger|location=Westport, CT|isbn=978-0-275-99180-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Wiener|first=Jon|title=Come Together: John Lennon in His Time ''(Illini Books edn)''|year=1991|publisher=University of Illinois Press|location=Urbana, IL|isbn=9780252061318|url=https://archive.org/details/cometogetherjohn00jonw}}
* {{cite book|last=Williams|first=Richard|title=Phil Spector: Out of His Head|publisher= Omnibus Press|location=London|year=2003|isbn=978-0-7119-9864-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Winn|first=John C.|year=2009|title=That Magic Feeling: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Volume Two, 1966–1970|publisher=Three Rivers Press|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-307-45239-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Woffinden|first=Bob|title=The Beatles Apart|publisher=Proteus|location=London|year=1981|isbn=0-906071-89-5}}
* {{cite book|last= Womack |first= Kenneth |year= 2014 |title=The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara, CA |isbn= 978-0-313-39171-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Woods |first=Robert H. |title=Evangelical Christians and Popular Culture: Pop Goes the Gospel ''(illustrated edn)'' |year=2013 |publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-38654-1}}
{{refend}}

{{John Lennon singles}}
{{Plastic Ono Band}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:1970 songs]]
[[Category:1970 singles]]
[[Category:John Lennon songs]]
[[Category:Apple Records singles]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Phil Spector]]
[[Category:Songs written by John Lennon]]
[[Category:Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements]]
[[Category:Plastic Ono Band songs]]
[[Category:Buddhism in music]]