Throughout the preceding weeks I had noticed that John's behavior was becoming increasingly erratic — his mood swings were more severe, and they were occurring more frequently. That was definitely the case with the recording of 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.' One moment he'd be into it, acting the fool and doing his fake Jamaican patois, the next minute he'd be sulking and grumbling about how the song was more of Paul's 'granny music shit.' [...] So when Paul announced several nights later that he wanted to scrap everything that had been done so far and start the song again from scratch, John went ballistic. Ranting and raving, he headed out the door, with Yoko trailing closely behind, and we thought that we'd seen the last of him that evening. But a few hours later he stormed back into the studio, clearly in a highly altered state of mind. 'I AM FUCKING STONED!!' John Lennon bellowed from the top of the stairs. [...] 'I am more stoned than you have ever been. In fact, I am more stoned than you will ever be!' [...] 'And this,' Lennon added with a snarl, 'is how the fucking song should go.' Unsteadily, he lurched down the stairs and over to the piano and began smashing the keys with all his might, pounding out the famous opening chords that became the song's introduction, played at a breakneck tempo. [...] 'Okay, then, John,' [McCartney] said in short, clipped words, staring his deranged bandmate straight in the eye. 'Let's do it your way.' [...] The remake, I had to admit, was quite good.