of pure Beatle." Referring to the lyrics "I used to be cruel to my woman / I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved / Man I was mean but I'm changing my scene / And I'm doing the best that I can", Lennon admitted that he had done things in relationships in the past that he was not proud of. In a 1980 interview in Playboy with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Lennon, when asked about the song, said that the song's lyrics came personally from his own experience abusing women in relationships in the past. He states: "It is a diary form of writing. All that 'I used to be cruel to my woman / I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved' was me. I used to be cruel to my woman, and physically – any woman. I was a hitter. I couldn't express myself and I hit. I fought men and I hit women. That is why I am always on about peace, you see. It is the most violent people who go for love and peace. Everything's the opposite. But I sincerely believe in love and peace. I am a violent man who has learned not to be violent and regrets his violence. I will have to be a lot older before I can face in public how I treated women as a youngster." Lennon's LSD incident One of the recording sessions for "Getting Better" is infamous for an incident involving Lennon. During the 21 March 1967 session in which producer George Martin added a piano solo to "Lovely Rita", Lennon complained that he did not feel well and could not focus. He had accidentally taken LSD when he meant to take an upper. Unaware of the mistake, Martin took him up to the roof of EMI Studios for some fresh air, and returned to Studio Two where McCartney and Harrison were waiting. They knew why Lennon was not well, and upon hearing where Lennon was, rushed to the roof to retrieve him and prevent a possible accident. Personnel According to Ian MacDonald: Paul McCartney – double-tracked vocals, bass guitar, handclapping John Lennon – backing vocals, rhythm guitar, handclapping George Harrison – backing vocals, lead guitar, tambura, handclapping Ringo Starr – drums, congas, handclapping George Martin – piano, pianet Live performances Paul McCartney performed the