She Came In Through the Bathroom Window
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"She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" is a song written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney) and performed by the Beatles on their album Abbey Road as the fifth song of the Abbey Road medley, followed by "Golden Slumbers".
Origin
McCartney said the song was inspired by Apple scruffs (dedicated fans who hung around outside the Abbey Road studio, the Apple Corps offices, and the individual homes of the Beatles), who broke into McCartney's St John's Wood home. Diane Ashley says: "We were bored, he was out and so we decided to pay him a visit. We found a ladder in his garden and stuck it up at the bathroom window which he'd left slightly open. I was the one who climbed up and got in." She then opened the front door to let the others in. The scruffs also stole a number of photographs in addition to clothes. Another Apple scruff, Margo Bird, remembers being good friends with McCartney—she would often take his dog for walks—and later got a job at Apple Corps. She says that she was asked to retrieve a photograph of his father Jim, which she did.[2]
Recording
The rhythm track was recorded by the Beatles for this and "Polythene Pam" as one piece on 25 July 1969. After take 39, they added lead vocals, and re-recorded the drums and bass parts. On 28 July they added more vocals, guitar, percussion and piano. The song was completed two days later with additional guitar and percussion.[3] "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" segues abruptly after "Polythene Pam", the song on the preceding track, without pause. At the very beginning of the song, in anticipation of the change of tempo, John Lennon says "well listen to that Mal (referring to Mal Evans)... heh-heh" and then shouts "Oh, look out!"[4] At which point, 0.04 of the song McCartney says "Easy" to bring it down a notch [5].
A slower, ethereal version of this song, recorded in late January 1969 during the Let It Be sessions, appears on the 1996 compilation Anthology 3.[6]
Personnel
- Paul McCartney – lead and harmony vocals, bass guitar
- John Lennon – 12-string acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- George Harrison – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Ringo Starr – drums, tambourine, maracas, whip
Cover versions
- Joe Cocker's cover of this song reached number 30 on the Billboard top 40 in 1970.[7]
- Ray Stevens cover appears on his 1970 LP release Everything is Beautiful.
- A cover of this song by Ike and Tina Turner appears on their 1972 album Feel Good.
- The Youngbloods released a version of the song on their 1972 album High on a Ridge Top.[8]
- In 1976, the Bee Gees covered the song for the musical documentary All This and World War II.
- Beatallica did a cover in Abbey Load that employs the melody of Metallica's "Dirty Window".
- The Punkles released this song as well as the whole Abbey Road medley on their 2006 album For Sale!.
- Los Lonely Boys' cover of this song appears on their 2009 tribute EP entitled 1969.
Notes
- ^ Richie Unterberger. "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window - The Beatles - Listen, Appearances, Song Review - AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ Turner 2005, p. 198.
- ^ The Beatles Bible 2008.
- ^ Riley 2002, p. 330.
- ^ Lennon–McCartney (1969). "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window", Recorded by The Beatles on Abbey Road. Side 2, track 7. London, England. EMI Studios for Apple Records.
- ^ Winn, John C. (2009). That Magic Feeling: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Volume Two, 1966-1970. New York: Three Rivers Press. p. 250. ISBN 978-0-307-45239-9.
- ^ SuperSeventies.com 2010.
- ^ The Youngbloods, High on a Ridge Top Retrieved June 12, 2015
References
- Brewer, Jon (producer/director) (2006). The Classic Artists Series: The Moody Blues. DVD UK Ltd.
- "Joe Cocker - In His Own Words". SuperSeventies.com. 2010.
- Riley, Tim (2002). Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81120-0.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window". The Beatles Bible. 2008. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
- Turner, Steve (2005). A Hard Day's Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song (3rd ed.). New York: Harper Paperbacks. ISBN 0-06-084409-4.
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External links
