She Came in Through the Bathroom Window

Some of the words are inspired by another piece (Real break-in by Apple Scruff Diane Ashley), and the lyric deals in the motifs of time reference and communication. The telling is written as a vignette, one scene held still, something the Beatles had already used on 'She Said She Said' 3 years earlier. The writing reaches for personification (days of the week telephoning each other), and it is on more of their 1968 records than any other year's. A single multi-syllabic rhyme arrives ("dancer/answer"), and the language is tonally neutral. Oddly enough, the title runs exceptionally long and also mentions a woman. "department" is in this lyric and in no other of theirs.

Written in A major and taken at about 108 BPM, 'She Came in Through the Bathroom Window' is a rock and pop piece. The performance shows a melodic bass, and the intro here stands out (spoken Mal Evans aside). As it happens, its A → Dm → G7 → C → G7 → C/B chord sequence is one 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' plays too, there as B7 → Em → A9 → D → A → D. Besides that, 'All My Loving' plays E → A → E → C♯m and 'Mr. Moonlight' plays F♯/A♯ → B → F♯ → D♯m, the same progression in different keys, which 'I Need You' and this song also make.

Tracked at EMI Studios as part of the long-side medley, segueing out of 'Polythene Pam' with Mal Evans's spoken aside over the transition. McCartney reached for the Rickenbacker 4001S, his bass, in use since 1965 and heard on 86 Beatles records in all, such as 'Day Tripper' and 'If I Needed Someone'. Two songs were started the day this one was, the 211th and 212th of their career.

The track is McCartney’s, both the writing and the voice. There is a role swap on it, McCartney on acoustic guitar, with 12-string guitar and maracas filling it out. Listen closely and it is Mal Evans, road manager and personal assistant to the Beatles. Evans is also on 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' and 'Yellow Submarine'.

The record came out with Abbey Road on September 26, 1969, and it is also widely covered (Joe Cocker, Ike & Tina Turner). No mono mix of it was ever made. This song was the 20th of the 26 records the Beatles released in that year, and the 196th counting from the start.