| "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the song's sheet music | |
| Song bythe Beatles | |
| from the albumThe Beatles | |
| Released | 22 November 1968 |
| Recorded | 8 October 1968 |
| Studio | EMI, London |
| Genre | Folk rock |
| Length | 3:18 |
| Label | Apple |
| Songwriter | Lennon–McCartney |
| Producer | George Martin |
"The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" is a song written byJohn Lennon (credited toLennon–McCartney), and released by the English rock bandthe Beatles on their 1968 double albumThe Beatles (also known as the "White Album"). The song was recorded atEMI Studios on 8 October 1968 and was completed (including all overdubs) on the same day. The group also began and completed the Lennon-composed "I'm So Tired" during the same recording session.
In addition to Lennon's lead vocals, there are co-lead vocals byYoko Ono, making it the only Beatles song to feature lead vocals by a non-member.
This song mocks the actions of a young American named Richard A. Cooke III, known as Rik, who was visiting his mother,Nancy Cooke de Herrera, at theashram ofMaharishi Mahesh Yogi inRishikesh at the same time that the Beatles were staying with the Maharishi. According to his mother, both she and her son maintained friendly relations with all of the Beatles except for Lennon, who by Cooke de Herrera's account was "a genius" but distant and contemptuous of the wealthy American Cooke de Herrera and her clean-cut, college-attending son. According to Nancy's life account,Beyond Gurus, the genesis of the song occurred when she, Rik, and several others, including guides, set out upon elephants to hunt for a tiger (allegedly presented by their Indian guide as a traditional act). The pack of elephants was attacked by a tiger, which was shot by Rik. Rik was initially proud of his quick reaction and posed for a photograph with his prize. However, Rik's reaction to the slaying was mixed, as he has not hunted since. Nancy claims that all present recognised the necessity of Rik's action, but that Lennon's reaction was scornful and sarcastic, asking Rik: "But wouldn't you call that slightly life-destructive?" The song was written by Lennon as mocking what he saw as Rik's bravado and unenlightened attitude.[1]
Lennon later told his version of the story in aPlayboy interview, stating that: "'Bungalow Bill' was written about a guy in Maharishi's meditation camp who took a short break to go shoot a few poor tigers, and then came back to commune with God. There used to be a character calledJungle Jim, and I combined him withBuffalo Bill. It's sort of a teenage social-comment song and a bit of a joke."[2]Mia Farrow, who was also at the ashram during the period, supports Lennon's story in her autobiography; she writes, "Then a self-important, middle-aged American woman arrived, moving a mountain of luggage into the brand-new privatebungalow next to Maharishi's along with her son, a bland young man named Bill. People fled this newcomer, and no one was sorry when she left the ashram after a short time to go tiger hunting, unaware that their presence had inspired a new Beatles song – 'Bungalow Bill.'"[3]
The song opens with aflamenco guitar phrase, played from a standardMellotron bank of pre-recorded rhythms and phrases by studio engineerChris Thomas. It is unknown how the sample was chosen.[4][5] The solo involves all seven notes of thePhrygian mode, including a Spanish-sounding♭II, a natural seventh from the harmonic minor scale and a blues-sounding♭5.[6] On some CD reissues, this solo closes the previous track, "Wild Honey Pie". The opening guitar solo is followed by the chorus in the key of C major, shifting between V (G on "Bungalow") and iv (Fm on "what did you").[7] What follows is a relative minor bridge starting with Am (on "He went out") then shifting to♭VI (F on "elephant") and♭VII (G on "gun"). Lennon then uses a V (E on "all-American")♭VII (G on "bullet-headed") i (Am on "Saxon-mother's") and♭VI (Fm on "son") to get back to the C major key.[7] It is sung by all four Beatles, Ringo's then-wifeMaureen, andYoko Ono, who sang solo for the only time with the band (on the line "Not when he looked so fierce"). The Mellotron reappears during the verses, played by Lennon, usingmandolin samples, and during the outro, played by Thomas, usingtrombone samples. Lennon, who wrote the song, is the primary lead singer. Like the majority of Beatles songs written by either Lennon orPaul McCartney, it is credited to Lennon–McCartney.
WhenMojo releasedThe White Album Recovered in 2008, part of a continuing series of CDs of Beatles albums covered track-by-track by modern artists, the track was covered by Dawn Kinnard andRon Sexsmith.[9]Phish covered the song with the rest of the album in 1994, heard onLive Phish Volume 13.[10]
