RockLists.com

Song · John Lennon

“Instant Karma!” by John Lennon

Released 1987

“Instant Karma!” by John Lennon appears on 67 radio countdowns from 23 stations between 1982 and 2026. It was first released in 1987. Its best result is #11 on the 102.9 The Whale Rocktober: Lennon 24. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,739 alternative song of all time.

67countdowns
23stations
#11best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1982–2026years charted

Watch

INSTANT KARMA! (WE ALL SHINE ON). (Ultimate Mix, 2020) - Lennon/Ono with The Plastic Ono Band

Video from YouTube (johnlennon). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

John Lennon dreamed up, wrote, cut and shipped "Instant Karma!" inside ten days in early 1970, and it still sounds like it was grabbed hot off the stove. Issued on Apple and credited to Lennon/Ono with the Plastic Ono Band, it takes karma and hits fast-forward: payback doesn't wait for the next life, it arrives right now.

Phil Spector, lured out of his self-imposed retirement, produced it at EMI Studios in London and threw his Wall of Sound at it: Lennon, George Harrison and Alan White all on pianos, Harrison on acoustic guitar, Billy Preston on organ, Klaus Voormann on bass and electric piano, White on drums, Mal Evans on handclaps and chimes, and Yoko Ono, Evans and Allen Klein in the backing chorus. It went top five in Britain and America, became the first solo single by a Beatle to sell a million in the States, and won Spector the producer's job on Let It Be.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1982 252 95.5 KLOS KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) 499
1991 178 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1994 680 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 507 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 720 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1996 377 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996) 500
1997 571 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1997 340 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (1997) 499
1997 338 104.5 KZEP KZEP Memorial Weekend Top 500 (1997) 500
1998 428 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 664 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 271 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2000 664 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 669 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 173 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 500
2001 837 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2002 669 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 394 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2002 268 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2003 669 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 669 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 393 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2005 669 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 494 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 500
2007 436 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2009 274 WYEP WYEP 913 Essential Songs 913
2011 198 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2012 199 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 602 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 359 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2013 461 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 146 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2013 339 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2014 495 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 170 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 359 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 117 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2015 392 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2015 11 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Rocktober: Lennon 24 24
2016 308 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 459 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2016 299 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2017 456 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2019 399 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2020 486 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2021 474 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2021 517 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2022 84 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s 908
2022 495 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 221 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 169 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2022) 500
2022 583 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2023 846 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 477 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 651 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 188 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2023 326 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 374 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2023) 500
2024 474 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 269 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2024 261 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2025 95 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 407 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2025 552 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs 800
2026 104 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 U-Man 500 (2026) 499
2026 861 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180
2026 468 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: Instant Karma (We All Shine On); Instant Karma; Instant Karma (We All Shind On); Instant Karma(We All Shine On).

Comments

Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Instant Karma!" by John Lennon.

Be kind and stay on topic. Guidelines

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.