She Came In Through the Bathroom Window

"She Came In Through the Bathroom Window"
A sheet music cover displaying a slightly modified version of the Abbey Road album cover along with some black text song on a white background (the title, songwriters, and publisher
Northern Songs sheet music cover
Song by the Beatles
from the album Abbey Road
Released26 September 1969 (UK)
Recorded25–30 July 1969
StudioEMI, London
GenreRock
Length1:57
LabelApple
SongwritersPaul McCartney, credited to Lennon–McCartney
ProducerGeorge Martin
The Medley chronology
"Polythene Pam" "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" "Golden Slumbers"
Official audio
"She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" on YouTube

"She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album Abbey Road. Written by Paul McCartney, it is the fifth song of the album's climactic medley, immediately following "Polythene Pam".

Origin

The song

Paul McCartney wrote "Bathroom Window", after the inspiration came to him on 11 May 1968 while in New York City to launch the band's record label Apple Corps.[a][2] One of the sources was the Apple scruffs who camped nearby Abbey Road Studios. One day, Diane Ashley and some of her fellow Apple scruffs broke into McCartney's St John's Wood home.[2] She told Beatles historian Steve Turner in 1994:[3]

"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 inside. In addition to clothes, the fans also stole a number of photographs. Another Apple scruff, Margo Bird, confirmed this account and later found one of the stolen photographs, thereby returning it.[2]

McCartney found himself stuck on the final verse, but conceived of one beginning with "So I quit the police department" after seeing a police identification panel on a taxi he rode to Kennedy Airport; it contained a mug shot of the driver and his name resting above the words New York Police Dept. McCartney recalled: "This was the great thing about the randomness of it all. If I hadn't been in this guy's cab, or if it had been someone else driving, the song would have been different. Also I had a guitar there so I could solidify it into something straight away."[4] He had brought his guitar with him to New York, restoring a habit of his dating back to the Beatles' early days in Liverpool.[4]

The Abbey Road medley

When working on Abbey Road, the Beatles did not know that their time as a band was fast moving towards divorce.[5][b][c] Lennon originally wanted a rock and roll album, and McCartney, a pop symphony/opera, so the album was split two ways: the first side contained individual songs, and most of the second was a sixteen-minute medley.[11] The idea for the medley was McCartney's, and the group's producer George Martin claimed his share of credit in its creation in wanting "to get John and Paul to think more seriously about their music".[7] He had long been advising the group to "think symphonically", to use motifs and complex structures and forms.[12] Thus, the medley's songs, short "half" songs, are connected in some way by thematic or tonal coherence and link together through segues and fades.[13]

Composition

"Bathroom Window" is written in the key of A major and in 4
4 time throughout.[14]

In the final moments of the preceding track, "Polythene Pam", the guitars' bassline walks down the E major scale in steps and half steps (E/D/C#/B). Then, they arrive at A major, the home key of "Bathroom Window" as well as the key of the medley's first piece, "You Never Give Me Your Money" (along with A minor).[15] Since "Money", the medley had followed E major, and so the return to A major marks a resolution, hence "one of the medley’s most exciting moments", as Womack sees it.[16]

Recording

"Bathroom Window" was recorded together with the song succeeding it in the medley, "Polythene Pam", as one track, like "Sun King" and "Mean Mr. Mustard".[17] This happened across three days, on 25, 28, and 30 July 1969, in thirty-nine takes.[18] The Beatles recorded the basic track for "Pam"/"Bathroom Window" at EMI Studio Two in London on 25 July; Ringo Starr plays his Ludwig Hollywood Maple drum kit, Harrison, his Gibson Les Paul Standard electric guitar, McCartney, his Rickenbacker 4001S bass, and Lennon plays his Framus Hootenanny twelve-string guitar.[19]

McCartney sang an off-mike guide vocal on "Bathroom Window", while Lennon did the same on "Pam".[20] At the very beginning of "Bathroom Window", in anticipation of the change of tempo, Lennon gives out a laugh and then shouts "Oh, look out!".[21]

Take 27 of "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window"
audio icon She Came In Through the Bathroom Window (Take 27) on YouTube

The band carried out overdubs on the track on 28 July, although, according to the Beatles historian John C. Winn, many of these contributions, such as piano and electric piano, were subsequently cut.[22] Recording was completed on 30 July, when the final vocal, guitar, and percussion overdubs were taped.[23] These included a second lead guitar part by Harrison, playing the descending notes into the start of "Bathroom Window".[24] After listening to the recordings to check for the transitions between the medley pieces, the group accepted that of "Pam"/"Bathroom Window".[25] On August 14, stereo mixing was finished, and "Pam" and "Bathroom Window" were fused into the medley "without the slightest hint of a pause between the [former and 'Mean Mr. Mustard', the song preceding it in the medley]", as Womack notes.[26] George Martin produced "Pam", and Geoff Emerick and Phil McDonald, along with John Kurlander and Alan Parsons, engineered it.[27]

A slower version of this song, recorded in late January 1969 during the Get Back sessions, appears on the 1996 compilation Anthology 3, while an in-progress version is featured on the 2021 Let It Be 50th Anniversary Edition.[28]

Release and reception

Dennis Jovenetti of Utah State University's Student Life paper cited it and "Because" as an example of the medley's, as well as overall album's, musical diversity. He categorized it as hard rock, with "very fine" guitar fills from Harrison between the lyrics.[29] Ritchie Yorke of the Houston Post called it "a very good song of Paul's with great lyrics."[30] Jovenetti noted that Abbey Road placed more stress on the words than all previous Beatles albums, and cited the line: "So I quit the police department, and got myself a steady job", as an example.[29]

Personnel

Writers and scholars disagree somewhat on the parts composing "Bathroom Window" and who played or sang them. And despite the recording takes of "Bathroom Window" and "Polythene Pam" being one and the same, the two tracks have different personnel listings but nevertheless very similar instrumentation. Hunter Davies, Walter Everett, Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin, Ian MacDonald, John C. Winn, and Kenneth Womack, concur with this list:[31][d]

Other identified parts are these; the writers who mention them are listed in the respective citations:[e]

Winn notes the use of "whipcrack" percussion but does not credit it to anyone.[40] MacDonald writes that McCartney plays electric piano.[41] Guesdon and Margotin credit another guitar part to McCartney and uncertainly indicate a piano part fronted by Lennon.[42]

Covers

"She Came In Through the Bathroom Window"
A gold-coloured disk with unembellished black text giving basic information on the song and the A&M Records logo, two striking orange letters, some text in black, and a black trumpet over a white square.
A&M record, 1969
Song by Joe Cocker
from the album Joe Cocker!
Released5 November 1969
Recordedc. late 1969
GenreRock
Length2:37
LabelA&M Records
Songwriters
Producers
Official audio
"She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" on YouTube

In 1970, Joe Cocker's cover of this song reached number 30 on the Billboard top 40, number 18 on the Dutch Single Top 100, and 19 on the Dutch Top 40.[44][43][45] The Austin Chronicle's Raoul Hernandez, reporting on Cocker's performance at Wimberley, Texas, opined his three Beatles covers, including "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" "were worth the proverbial price of admission".[46]

Ike and Tina Turner released a cover of this song as a European single from their 1972 album Feel Good. Music journalist Lindsay Zoladz, crowning it one of Tina Turner's best rock covers, argues that her rendition shapes the Beatles' casual account of the Apple Scruffs' theft into a mature, urgent lyric, with the words: "He said he’d always been a hustler, said he worked about 15 hours a day".[47] A version features on their 1973 double album of live performances across Europe, The World of Ike & Tina, which Record World notes as a "[r]ough, raunchy [rocker]" alongside other covers on the album.[48]

Notes

  1. ↑ While McCartney wrote "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window", it is credited to Lennon–McCartney.[1]
  2. ↑ Traditional works of Beatles scholarship state otherwise, but their account has since fallen out of favour.[6] For example, Ian MacDonald writes in Revolution in the Head (2005) that the group, conscious of their fate, gave their assent for the medley mostly to close their career together with a majestic ending, a celebration.[7]
  3. ↑ Still, some people close to the Beatles had their suspicions. The sound engineeer Alan Parsons, who worked on Abbey Road, wrote in the foreword to Solid State (2019): "I also knew that, realistically speaking, Abbey Road would be the last time the Beatles would be the Beatles."[8] George Martin too sensed an unmistakable end to their partnership, and Ethan Russell gathered from the photoshoots for the album cover that "they were not a happy group".[9] While he did not know for sure, George Harrison said that "it felt as if we were reaching the end of the line".[10]
  4. ↑ Winn, Womack, and Guesdon and Margotin do not outright distinguish between a lead guitar and a rhythm guitar, but the distinction is implied. Further, some authors such as Davies indicate "vocals" and "backing vocals", so it is understood that the first of these means "lead vocals"; the same applies for those such as Womack who only mark one vocal part.
  5. ↑ This list only mentions parts indicated by more than one author; others are mentioned afterwards.
  6. ↑ The attribution of these percussion parts to Starr is tenuous, since some writers do not credit them to him and others suggest that his bandmates played them. Womack, for instance, notes in his biography of Abbey Road: "The overdubs were rife with additional percussion too, with everyone chipping in with a range of instruments, including maracas, tambourine, and cowbell." (emphasis added)[36]

References

Citations

  1. ↑ MacDonald 2005, p. 364
  2. 1 2 3 Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 592
  3. ↑ Turner 2005, p. 198
  4. 1 2 Miles 1997, p. 521
  5. ↑ Williams 2019; Willman 2019
  6. ↑ Williams 2019; Willman 2019 see, for example, Davies 2016, p. 267; MacDonald 2005, p. 353
  7. 1 2 idea was McCartney's: MacDonald 2005, p. 353; Martin's influence: Rolling Stone 2020
  8. ↑ Womack 2019, p. xi
  9. ↑ Martin: Womack 2019, p. 99; Russell: Womack 2019, p. 187
  10. ↑ Rolling Stone 2020
  11. ↑ Harry 2000, p. 1
  12. ↑ Ingham 2006, p. 212
  13. ↑ Everett 1999, p. 256; Ingham 2006, p. 212; Lewisohn 1988, p. 183
  14. ↑ Pollack 2000b
  15. ↑ Pollack 1999; Womack 2019, p. 147; see also MacDonald 2005, p. 364
  16. ↑ Womack 2019, p. 147
  17. ↑ Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 591; Womack 2019, p. 139
  18. ↑ dates: Davies 2016, p. 229; Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 590; MacDonald 2005, p. 364; number of takes: Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 591; Womack 2019, p. 139
  19. ↑ Lewisohn 1988, p. 182; precise instrumentation: Womack 2014b, pp. 738–739
  20. ↑ Lewisohn 1988, p. 182
  21. ↑ Riley 2002, p. 330
  22. ↑ Winn 2009, p. 310
  23. ↑ Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 591; Lewisohn 2005, p. 183; Winn 2009, p. 310
  24. ↑ Everett 1999, p. 267
  25. ↑ Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 591
  26. ↑ Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 591; Lewisohn 1992, p. 329; Womack 2019, p. 172
  27. ↑ MacDonald 2005, p. 364; Kurlander and Parsons: Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 592
  28. ↑ Winn 2009, p. 250
  29. 1 2 Jovenetti 1969, p. 4
  30. ↑ Yorke 1969, p. 30
  31. ↑ Davies 2016, p. 232; Everett 1999, pp. 266–267; Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 592; MacDonald 2005, p. 364; Winn 2009, p. 310; Womack 2014b, p. 824
  32. ↑ Davies 2016, p. 232; MacDonald 2005, p. 364; Womack 2014b, p. 824
  33. ↑ Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 592 (tentative); MacDonald 2005, p. 364; Womack 2014b, p. 824
  34. ↑ Everett 1999, p. 267; Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 592; MacDonald 2005, p. 364
  35. ↑ Davies 2016, p. 232; Everett 1999, p. 267; Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 592; MacDonald 2005, p. 364
  36. ↑ Harry 2000, p. 876; Womack 2019, pp. 149–150
  37. ↑ Davies 2016, p. 232; Everett 1999, pp. 266–267 (although he does not say who plays it); Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 592; MacDonald 2005, p. 364; Winn 2009, p. 310 (although he does not say who plays it); Womack 2014b, p. 824
  38. ↑ Everett 1999, p. 267 (although he does not outright name Starr); MacDonald 2005, p. 364; Winn 2009, p. 310 (although he does not outright name Starr); Womack 2014b, p. 824
  39. ↑ MacDonald 2005, p. 364; Womack 2014b, p. 824
  40. ↑ Winn 2009, p. 310
  41. ↑ MacDonald 2005, p. 364
  42. ↑ Guesdon & Margotin 2013, p. 592
  43. 1 2 3 Dutch Charts
  44. ↑ Caulfield 2024
  45. ↑ Dutch Top 40
  46. ↑ Hernandez 2012
  47. ↑ Zoladz 2023
  48. ↑ Record World 1973, p. 16

Bibliography

Books and academic sources

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  • Courrier, Kevin (2009). Artificial Paradise: The Dark Side of the Beatles' Utopian Dream. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers. ISBN 978-0-313-34586-9.
  • Davies, Hunter (2016). The Beatles Book. London, England: Ebury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-09-195863-3.
  • Emerick, Geoff; Massey, Howard (2006). Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles. New York City, New York: Gotham Books. ISBN 978-1-592-40269-4.
  • Everett, Walter (1999). The Beatles As Musicians: Revolver Through the Anthology. New York City, New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-512941-5.
  • Guesdon, Jean-Michel; Margotin, Philippe (2013). All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Beatles Release. New York City, New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. ISBN 978-1-57912-952-1.
  • Hamelman, Steve (2019). "Blisters on His Fingers". In Osteen, Mark (ed.). The Beatles through a Glass Onion: Reconsidering the White Album. Ann Arbor, Michigan: The University of Michigan Press. pp. 161–176. ISBN 978-0-472-07408-2.
  • Hamelman, Steve (2009). "On Their Way Home: The Beatles in 1969 and 1970". In Womack, Kenneth (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles. New York City, New York: Cambridge University Press. pp. 125–41. ISBN 978-0-521-68976-2.
  • Harry, Bill (2000) [1992]. The Beatles Encyclopedia (2nd ed.). London, England: Virgin Books. ISBN 0-7535-0481-2.
  • Harry, Bill (1997). The Encyclopedia of Beatles People. London, England: Blandford. ISBN 0-7137-2606-7.
  • Harry, Bill (2002). The Paul McCartney Encyclopedia. London, England: Virgin. ISBN 0-7535-0716-1.
  • Hertsgaard, Mark (1996). A Day in the Life: The Music and Artistry of the Beatles. London, England: Pan Books. ISBN 0-330-33891-9.
  • Ingham, Chris (2006). The Rough Guide to the Beatles (2nd ed.). London, England, & New York City, New York: Rough Guides. ISBN 978-1-84353-720-5.
  • Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York City, New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0-517-57066-1.
  • Lewisohn, Mark (2005) [1988]. The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years 1962–1970. London, England: Bounty Books. ISBN 978-0-7537-2545-0.
  • Lewisohn, Mark (1992). The Complete Beatles Chronicle. New York City, New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0-517-58100-0.
  • MacDonald, Ian (2005) [1994]. Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (2nd revised ed.). London, England: Pimlico (Rand). ISBN 1-844-13828-3.
  • Martinelli, Dario; Bucciarelli, Paolo (2023). The Beatles and the Beatlesque: A Crossdisciplinary Analysis of Sound, Production and Stylistic Impact. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. ISBN 978-3-031-33803-8.
  • Miles, Barry (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now. New York City, New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0-8050-5248-8.
  • Pollack, Alan W. (2000). "An Introduction to Notes on the Abbey Road 'Medley' (Medley)". rec.music.beatles. Archived from the original on 27 December 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  • Pollack, Alan W. (1999). "Notes on 'Polythene Pam' (PP)". rec.music.beatles. Archived from the original on 24 July 2026. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  • Pollack, Alan W. (2000). "Notes on 'She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (SCITTBW)". rec.music.beatles. Archived from the original on 10 August 2026. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  • Riley, Tim (2002). Tell Me Why – The Beatles: Album by Album, Song by Song, the Sixties and After. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-81120-3.
  • Schaffner, Nicholas (1978). The Beatles Forever. New York City, New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-055087-5.
  • Sheff, David (2020). Golson, G. Barry (ed.). All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono (40th anniversary ed.). New York City, New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-1-5290-4841-4.
  • Turner, Steve (2005). A Hard Day's Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song. New York City, New York: Harper Paperbacks. ISBN 0-06-084409-4.
  • Winn, John C. (2009). That Magic Feeling: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Volume Two, 1966–1970. New York City, New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-307-45239-9.
  • Womack, Kenneth (2014). The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four: A–J. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood. ISBN 978-0-313-39171-2.
  • Womack, Kenneth (2014). The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four: K–Z. Vol. 2. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood. ISBN 978-0-313-39171-2.
  • Womack, Kenneth (2007). Long and Winding Roads: The Evolving Artistry of the Beatles. New York City, New York, & London, England: Continuum. ISBN 978-0-8264-1746-6.
  • Womack, Kenneth (2019). Solid State: The Story of Abbey Road and the End of the Beatles. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9781501746857.

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