Apple scruffs

The Apple scruffs were a loosely-knit group of hardcore Beatles fans who were known for congregating outside the Apple Corps building and at the gates of Abbey Road Studios in London during the waning days of Beatlemania, in the hope of seeing or interacting with one of the band members. The phrase was also used by George Harrison as the title of a song in 1970.

In February 1968, during the recording of "Across the Universe", two Apple scruffs (Lizzie Bravo and Gayleen Pease) who were standing outside Abbey Road Studios were invited in on the spur of the moment by Paul McCartney to perform backing vocals on the track. Their singing was not included on the first official release of the song, on the Let It Be album, but they can be heard on the version that John Lennon donated to the UK charity album No One's Gonna Change Our World, released in December 1969. (This version was subsequently released on the Past Masters compilation in 1988.)

The Beatles' song "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" (Abbey Road, 1969) refers to the day that some of the Apple scruffs climbed into Paul McCartney's house through an upstairs bathroom window and raided his wardrobe for a pair of trousers, which they took turns wearing. They also stole a framed photograph, which they later returned at McCartney's request.

In 1985, one of the Apple scruffs, Carol Bedford, published a memoir of her experiences as a fan, Waiting for the Beatles: An Apple Scruff's Story.

George Harrison's tribute

"Apple Scruffs"
Song by George Harrison from the album All Things Must Pass
Published	Harrisongs Ltd
Released	27 November 1970 (US); 30 November (UK)
Genre	Rock
Length	3:04
Label	Apple
Writer	George Harrison
Producer	George Harrison, Phil Spector
All Things Must Pass track listing 23 tracks Side one "I'd Have You Anytime" "My Sweet Lord" "Wah-Wah" "Isn't It a Pity" Side two "What Is Life" "If Not for You" "Behind That Locked Door" "Let It Down" "Run of the Mill" Side three "Beware of Darkness" "Apple Scruffs" "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)" "Awaiting on You All" "All Things Must Pass" Side four "I Dig Love" "Art of Dying" "Isn't It a Pity" (Version 2) "Hear Me Lord" Side five "Out of the Blue" "It's Johnny's Birthday" "Plug Me In" Side six "I Remember Jeep" "Thanks for the Pepperoni"

Following the break-up of The Beatles, George Harrison wrote a song called "Apple Scruffs", which appeared on his 1970 solo album All Things Must Pass. It was written as a tribute to the loyal fans who had kept vigil outside the various studios he'd been working in since late May and the Apple headquarters on Savile Row. New York Post writer Al Aronowitz was present during much of these sessions and would recall: "Outside the studio door, whether it rained or not, there was always a handful of Apple Scruffs, one of them a girl all the way from Texas. Sometimes George would record from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and there they would be, waiting through the night, beggars for a sign of recognition on his way in and out." That description is borne out in the song's lyrics: "Through the fog and in the rain / Through the pleasure and the pain / On the step outside you stand / With flowers in your hands, my Apple Scruffs" − with Harrison concluding: "How I love you / How I love you."

Harrison recorded the song late in the proceedings, during the overdubbing and mixing phase of the album, and even invited the "scruffs" into Abbey Road Studios to hear the results. Uniquely among the tracks on All Things Must Pass, "Apple Scruffs" was performed solo by Harrison, on acoustic guitar and harmonica, with overdubbed backing vocals and twin slide guitar parts.

On release, reviewers were quick to point out the obvious Dylan influence. Rolling Stone's Ben Gerson described "Apple Scruffs" as "One of the most wonderful cuts on the album" and added: "it sounds as if it was recorded while Spector was out for coffee." Author Simon Leng praises the song's bottleneck parts, and particularly the inventive backing vocals − "the best on the album".