Recording: Have You Seen A Horizon Lately? by Yoko Ono – 2 November 1972

Thursday 2 November 1972 | Recording | Record Plant, New York City | By Beatles Fabdom

On 2 November 1972, Yoko Ono worked on “Have You Seen A Horizon Lately?” at New York’s Record Plant, with John Lennon co-producing. The song was being prepared for her third solo studio album, Approximately Infinite Universe.

This was the first of two recording dates documented for the track. Ono returned to it on 6 November, when it was re-recorded, before mixing sessions on 19 and 22 November.

The Approximately Infinite Universe sessions

Ono’s work on Approximately Infinite Universe extended through the autumn of 1972. The double album followed Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band and Fly, and brought together a substantial collection of songs with backing from members of the New York band Elephant’s Memory.

Our earlier article on the Approximately Infinite Universe sessions of 24 October 1972 covers an earlier stage of the project. “Have You Seen A Horizon Lately?” entered the recording chronology on 2 November.

The album credits identify Ono as the writer of the words and music and credit production jointly to Ono and Lennon. Arrangements are credited to Ono, with string orchestration by Ron Frangipane.

Recording on 2 November 1972

The work at Record Plant on 2 November was an initial recording session for “Have You Seen A Horizon Lately?”. It was not the final mixing date, and the song was not completed for release that day.

The subsequent remake is an important part of its history: four days later, Ono returned to the song rather than simply proceeding directly from the first recording to a finished mix.

The dated session account names Ono and Lennon as producers. It does not provide a take-by-take breakdown of the 2 November work, so the documented recording and mixing dates provide the clearest outline of the track’s progress.

Re-recording the song on 6 November

Ono re-recorded “Have You Seen A Horizon Lately?” at Record Plant on Monday 6 November 1972. That session also saw work on “Shiranakatta (I Didn’t Know)”, another song destined for Approximately Infinite Universe.

The two songs subsequently shared mixing dates. Both were mixed on 19 November and revisited on 22 November.

Yoko Ono and John Lennon as co-producers

The album’s production credit reads “Produced by Yoko Ono & John Lennon”. Lennon’s role in this session therefore belongs to the making of Ono’s album, rather than to a new John Lennon solo recording.

The wider album credits also list Lennon under the name Joel Nohnn for guitar contributions. Those album-level credits should not be treated as a complete musician list for this particular day.

The John & Yoko On White magnet features a line drawing of the couple embracing, a related collectible for readers interested in their partnership.

The album’s musicians and engineers

Approximately Infinite Universe was credited to Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band with Elephant’s Memory, Endless Strings and Choir Boys. Its principal band credits include Stan Bronstein, Richard Frank Jr., Gary Van Scyoc, Adam Ippolito and Wayne Gabriel.

Most of the album was recorded at Record Plant. The basic tracks for “Catman” and “Winter Song” were exceptions, recorded at Butterfly Studio.

Mixing on 19 and 22 November

On 19 November, “Have You Seen A Horizon Lately?” was among six album songs mixed at Record Plant. The others included “Shiranakatta (I Didn’t Know)”, “What Did I Do!”, “Air Talk”, “Kite Song” and “Death Of Samantha”.

The song was mixed again on 22 November, alongside “Winter Song” and “Shiranakatta (I Didn’t Know)”. The new mixes of “Have You Seen A Horizon Lately?” replaced those made three days earlier.

These dates distinguish the stages of production: the first recording on 2 November, a remake on 6 November, and the later preparation of the mixes.

Where the song appears on the album

“Have You Seen A Horizon Lately?” appears as the fifth track on the first disc of Approximately Infinite Universe, between “What Did I Do!” and the title track.

John Lennon’s official album listing gives its duration as 1:57. The same page uses the title variant “Have You Seen The Horizon Lately?”, while Ono’s Imagine Peace archive and the reissue label list “Have You Seen A Horizon Lately”.

Ono’s official archive dates the original Apple release to 8 January 1973. The song therefore reached listeners as part of the following year’s double album, after the November recording and mixing sessions had been completed.

John and Yoko Embrace collectible

The John & Yoko Embrace HiChrome pin badge presents the embracing-couple design in a metallic finish.

Record Plant location map

The recording took place at Record Plant, 321 West 44th Street, Manhattan, New York City. This is the historic New York studio address, not a California Record Plant location.

The former New York Record Plant no longer operates there as a recording studio. The map identifies the historic site.

Open the historic Record Plant location in Google Maps.

Frequently asked questions

What did Yoko Ono record on 2 November 1972?

She worked on Have You Seen A Horizon Lately? at Record Plant in New York for Approximately Infinite Universe.

Who produced the session?

Yoko Ono and John Lennon were the co-producers.

Was the song re-recorded?

Yes. Ono re-recorded it on 6 November 1972.

When was Have You Seen A Horizon Lately? mixed?

It was mixed on 19 November and again on 22 November 1972, with the later mixes replacing the earlier versions.

Which album includes the song?

It appears on Yoko Ono’s 1973 double album Approximately Infinite Universe, as the fifth track on the first disc.

Where was New York’s Record Plant?

The historic studio was at 321 West 44th Street in Manhattan, New York City.

Official album information: Approximately Infinite Universe credits and track listing and Yoko Ono’s Imagine Peace album archive.