Which Beatles song was inspired by Timothy Leary's campaign slogan?

The Beatles song inspired by Timothy Leary’s campaign slogan was “Come Together.”

In May 1969, psychologist and counterculture figure Timothy Leary visited John Lennon and Yoko Ono during their Montreal Bed-In for Peace. Leary was planning a campaign for governor of California and asked Lennon to write a campaign song based on the slogan “Come Together—Join the Party!” Lennon recorded a brief musical idea for him.

A few months later, Lennon revived the phrase during the Beatles’ Abbey Road sessions. The finished song was no longer a straightforward campaign jingle: it became a slow, bluesy, enigmatic Beatles track, released as the opening song on Abbey Road in 1969. Lennon also reshaped its sound and lyrics during recording, while drawing partly on Chuck Berry’s “You Can’t Catch Me.”

A common mix-up is assuming the entire song was written for Leary. More precisely, Leary’s slogan supplied the central phrase and initial spark; Lennon substantially transformed that idea into the Beatles recording. The song’s murky lyrics and unusual vocal delivery make its political origin easy to miss.