Listen to Robin Williams breathe new life into The Beatles song ‘Come Together’
Is it a coincidence that the world has been on an increasingly dangerous slide into oblivion since Robin Williams died in 2014? Probably. Still, these tempestuous times would have been much easier to navigate with the late comedian here to alleviate fans of the burden of modern life.
Williams accomplished many memorable things in his life, from heartbreaking dramas to touching comedies. However, one of his most uplifting moments was a cover of The Beatles’ classic song ‘Come Together’, performed alongside his old friend Bobby McFerrin. Although it is one of the most unlikely covers in existence, there should be no surprise that Williams could sing well and that his take on the Beatles was a scintillating one. It also makes a lot of sense that Williams was a fan of John Lennon and the gang. After all, he was a teenager in the 1960s when the Liverpudlians were all the rage and the counterculture movement was swinging.
So how did this unexpected cover of a Beatles classic come to be? Williams and McFerrin’s take on the track appears on 1999’s In My Life, the album produced by The Beatles’ producer, George Martin, the man affectionately dubbed the ‘Fifth Beatle’. The record is comprised of well-known figures covering songs from across the Beatles’ discography, including Jim Carrey, Goldie Hawn, Sean Connery, Jeff Beck, Celine Dion, Billy Connolly, and Phil Collins.
Famously, ‘Come Together’ was first released as the split lead single from 1969’s Abbey Road alongside ‘Something’. The Williams and McFerrin cover remains faithful to the original but is augmented by the expansive sound that digital recording allows. However, in a masterful take on the original’s iconic introduction, Paul McCartney’s bassline is swapped for Williams’ deep, layered vocals, which descant the same notes but add a different dimension entirely to this segment.
In the album’s liner notes, Martin explained how the cover of ‘Come Together’ came to fruition: “One of the joys of making this album was being able to work alongside some of my idols,” he said. “Although we had not met before, I had the nerve to contact Robin Williams and ask him if he felt like going out on a limb and singing a Beatles song for me. He suggested bringing in Bobby McFerrin, a great musician whose vocal dexterity is just unbelievable.”
He continued: “They are old friends, going back to the ‘Comedy Store’ days before Robin started his dazzling career in films. Bobby does a good deal of classical work these days, conducting symphony orchestras all over America, and of course, Robin never stops filming. So it was a great thrill for me to work with him, but getting them together was not easy; both have very tight schedules. But we snatched a few days in San Francisco, and we had a ball.”
Listen to the cover below.
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