The advice John Lennon gave Jimmy Iovine about Elton John
A convergence of legendary music figures was occurring at the Record Plant in New York City. John Lennon was recording his album Walls and Bridges when Elton John, then at the height of his American fame, came walking through the door. John helped Lennon finish writing a new song, ‘Whatever Gets You Thru The Night’, and agreed to duet with him on the track. The pair didn’t know it at the time, but there was another iconic music figure in the making sitting just behind the glass to the control room: future super producer and music executive Jimmy Iovine.
Iovine was employed as an engineer at the Record Plant. Before his resume included rock stars like Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty, Iovine was simply setting up mics and capturing the sounds of whoever walked through the door. It wasn’t every day that John Lennon and Elton John entered the room, so Iovine was understandably nervous. On this day, head engineer Roy Cicala was absent. With Lennon producing the session, it left Iovine in charge of the control room while Lennon performed with John.
Iovine had already met and grown comfortable with Lennon, but John was another story entirely. When Iovine expressed his nervousness to Lennon, the former Beatle had some simple advice. “John said, ‘James, he’s as terrified as you,'” Iovine revealed to Variety. “‘I live my life as a Beatle. It’s very hard for me to get people to be comfortable. Believe me; he’s as nervous as you are.'”
Iovine got himself under control enough to record Lennon and John singing in close harmony together. The session was almost done, but John heard something in his head that Iovine was dreading. Recording vocals was fine – Iovine could handle that. But trying to get John’s iconic piano sound on tape? That was enough to send shivers down his spine.
“I said OK — as long as Elton didn’t want to play the piano because everybody that walked into the studio at that time wanted that Elton John piano sound, and I didn’t know how to mic it,” Iovine added. “So Elton comes in, sings the song, comes into the control room… and says, ‘It needs piano.’ Fuck! But I learned an incredible lesson that day. I was alone, but I set up mics the way I thought Roy would. Elton plays the piano, comes in and listens, and says, ‘Great piano sound!’ John says, ‘He’s famous for that.'”
Check out ‘Whatever Gets You Thru The Night’ down below.