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Monday, July 28, 1969

Recording "Polythene Pam", "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window"

For The Beatles

Last updated on April 23, 2025

The previous day, The Beatles had recorded the basic track of “Polythene Pam / She Came In Through The Bathroom Window“ — the two songs were tracked as a single continuous piece — along with the first round of overdubs.

On this day, from 2:30 pm to 8:00 pm, additional overdubs were recorded. Paul McCartney recorded double-tracked lead vocals, George Harrison contributed electric guitar, and John Lennon added a double-tracked acoustic guitar.

Mark Lewisohn notes that both electric and conventional pianos were also recorded during the session, although these are not heard in the final mix.

The last overdubs of the day included Ringo Starr adding snare drum shots and cymbals, while the other Beatles contributed tambourine, cowbell, and maracas.

To close the session, a reduction mix was made and labelled take 40.

The final overdubs for Polythene Pam / She Came In Through The Bathroom Window would be added on July 30.



Session activities

  1. Polythene Pam

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • SI onto take 39

  2. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • SI onto take 39

  3. Polythene Pam

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Tape copying • Tape reduction take 39 into take 40

  4. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Tape copying • Tape reduction take 39 into take 40


Staff

Musicians on "Polythene Pam"

Musicians on "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window"

  • Paul McCartney : Percussion ?, Maracas ?, Lead vocals, Tambourine ?
  • John Lennon : Tambourine ?, Percussion ?, Maracas ?, Acoustic guitar
  • George Harrison : Percussion ?, Maracas ?, Electric guitar, Tambourine ?

Production staff


Going further

The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions • Mark Lewisohn

The definitive guide for every Beatles recording sessions from 1962 to 1970.

We owe a lot to Mark Lewisohn for the creation of those session pages, but you really have to buy this book to get all the details - the number of takes for each song, who contributed what, a description of the context and how each session went, various photographies... And an introductory interview with Paul McCartney!

Buy on Amazon

The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 5: Let It Be through Abbey Road (1969 - 1970)

The fifth and final book of this critically acclaimed series, "The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 5: Let It Be through Abbey Road (1969 - 1970)" follows The Beatles as they "get back to where they once belonged...". Not once, but twice. With "Let It Be", they attempted to recapture the spontaneity of their early years and recordings, while "Abbey Road" was a different kind of return - to the complexity, finish and polish that they had applied to their work beginning with "Revolver" and through to "The Beatles".

Buy on Amazon

Solid State: The Story of "Abbey Road" and the End of the Beatles

Acclaimed Beatles historian Kenneth Womack offers the most definitive account yet of the writing, recording, mixing, and reception of Abbey Road. In February 1969, the Beatles began working on what became their final album together. Abbey Road introduced a number of new techniques and technologies to the Beatles' sound, and included "Come Together," "Something," and "Here Comes the Sun," which all emerged as classics.

Buy on Amazon

If we modestly consider the Paul McCartney Project to be the premier online resource for all things Paul McCartney, it is undeniable that The Beatles Bible stands as the definitive online site dedicated to the Beatles. While there is some overlap in content between the two sites, they differ significantly in their approach.

Read more on The Beatles Bible

Paul McCartney writing

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