On This Day in 1969, Three Beatles Worked Tirelessly on ‘Abbey Road’ While John Lennon Was Hospitalized

On this day (July 2) in 1969, the Beatles were in the midst of recording their final album, Abbey Road. George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Paul McCartney were in the studio. John Lennon was in the hospital recovering from a car crash.

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The Beatles began work on Abbey Road in February 1969. On July 2, three of the band’s members were in the studio working on the album. That day, McCartney recorded “Her Majesty.” Later, he, Starr, and Harrison ran through 15 takes of “Golden Slumbers” and “Carry That Weight,” which were both part of the 16-minute medley that took up the bulk of the album’s second half. Lennon, however, was in the hospital.

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According to The Beatles Music History, Lennon had taken a vacation with Yoko Ono, her daughter Kyoko, and Julian Lennon in Golspie, Scotland. While there, they were in a car accident on July 1. Their car careened into a ditch, and Lennon, the driver, suffered injuries that landed him in the hospital. He received 17 stitches and was finally discharged on July 6. He returned to the studio on July 9.

The rest of the band was working on “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” when Lennon returned. He chose not to participate in the sessions.

John Lennon Wasn’t a Fan of the Beatles’ Final Record

While no one knew Abbey Road would be the final Beatles record, it allowed them to go out with a bang. Upon its release, it topped charts around the world. However, John Lennon had already left the band before the album hit record stores. He just hadn’t released his public statement or his debut solo album.

While the album was a massive success, it garnered mixed reviews from music critics. Lennon, on the other hand, was not a fan of Abbey Road. “I liked the A-side. I never like that sort of pop opera on the other side,” he said. “I think it’s junk. I was just bits of songs thrown together. I can’t remember what some of it is,” he added. He went on to say that the album had no “life” or “identity.”

His stance on Abbey Road stayed the same until his death. “Everybody praises the album so much, but none of the songs had anything to do with each other, no threat at all,” he said in a later interview. He added that the only thing that tied the tracks together was “the fact that we stuck them together.”

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