The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill

From Wikipedia:

“The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” is a song written by John Lennon (credited to Lennon–McCartney), and released by the English rock band the Beatles on their 1968 double album The Beatles (also known as the “White Album”). The song was recorded at EMI Studios on 8 October 1968 and was completed (including all overdubs) the same day. The group also started and completed the Lennon-composed “I’m So Tired” during the same recording session. Along with Lennon, the song also contains co-lead vocals by Yoko Ono, the only song recorded by the group to feature lead vocals by a non-member.

Composition

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 the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh 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.

Lennon later told his version of the story in a Playboy 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 called Jungle Jim, and I combined him with Buffalo Bill. It’s sort of a teenage social-comment song and a bit of a joke.” 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 private bungalow 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.'”

Musical structure

The note-sequence of the melody for the opening line, “Hey Bungalow Bill” is identical to that beginning “Stay as Sweet as You Are”, the title line of the 1957 song. Both songs also subsequently rephrase the line at a lower pitch, adding to the possibility of a link.[citation needed]

The song opens with a flamenco guitar phrase, played from a standard Mellotron bank of pre-recorded rhythms and phrases by studio engineer Chris Thomas. It is unknown how the sample was chosen. The solo involves all seven notes of the Phrygian mode, including a Spanish-sounding ♭II, a natural seventh from the harmonic minor scale and a blues-sounding ♭5. 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”). 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. It is sung by all four Beatles, Ringo’s then-wife Maureen, and Yoko Ono. The Mellotron reappears during the verses, played by Lennon, using mandolin samples, and during the outro, played by Thomas, using trombone samples. Lennon, who wrote the song, is the primary lead singer. Like the majority of Beatles songs written by either Lennon or Paul McCartney, it is credited to Lennon–McCartney.

Legacy

In Revolution in the Head, Ian MacDonald describes “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” as a “lapse into tub-thumping banality.”

Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of its release, Jacob Stolworthy of The Independent listed “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” at number 24 in his ranking of the White Album’s 30 tracks. He agreed with Lennon’s statement that the song is “a bit of fun” and that “despite arriving early on, “Bungalow Bill” lingers in the mind as a slice of tone-shifting oddness.” […]

The beat started. Suddenly, I was aware of a movement in the underbrush. I saw Avi point. As I kicked Rik to look, we heard a furious roar — Rik said it startled him so much that he almost pulled the trigger right then. A second later, the tiger broke in front and like a streak of lightning leaped at us. Rik’s gun went off instantaneously, hitting the animal’s head and stopping its charge. At almost the same instant, Avi fired, hitting it also near the ear and killing it. For a second, all was quiet and there was a tiger lying two feet from our ladder.

“Rik, I’m so proud of you!”

“Mom, I’ve never shot so fast in my life. That was real luck. I’m sure glad Avi had that big gun, or that animal could have recovered and been up in the machand with us!”

The elephants returned; everyone was shouting and congratulating Rik. After the initial excitement was over. Avi said to us. “Cool it, unless you want to pay $7,000. You don’t want the Burkes to get uptight.” Against the real tradition of the hunt, they claimed the skin, saying it was just a fluke they were not in the machand at the time. Rik didn’t care, he had had the thrill of shooting the tiger.

As for me, once I got down the ladder and saw the tiger up close, I felt sick. There wasn’t a blemish on his coat; he’d been shot down in the prime of his life — what a terrible thing to kill such a magnificent young animal. I would never go hunting again.

The next day, on returning to the ashram, we went directly to see Maharishi. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Jane Asher, and George Harrison were there with him. Rik was worried about his killing the tiger. “Is that bad karma for me, Maharishi?”

The answer was, “You had a desire, and now you have satisfied it and will no longer have the desire.” (Maharishi must have been right, for Rik hasn’t been hunting since.)

“But wouldn’t you call that slightly life-destructive?” sneered John.

“Well, it was the tiger or us,” I volunteered, getting into the act.

Paul, with Jane sitting alongside, her head on his shoulder, asked, “Tell us the details, man — what an experience.” He always went out of his way to be friendly to everyone.

Nancy Cooke de Herrera – From “All you need is love : an eyewitness account of when spirituality spread from the East to the West” by Nancy Cooke de Herrera, 2003

My last hunt

Fifty years ago, after graduating from college, I traveled to India and had a great adventure tiger hunting in Nainital. I grew up hunting deer on Moloka’i and had taken my gun all over the world. I loved hunting.

My mother and I were in Northern India to learn transcendental meditation with the Maharishi. The Beatles were there at the same time. A friend from India who was an adventure guide was able to get me on a tiger hunt during which we rode elephants. It was a thrilling experience — and I shot a tiger.

The following day, my mother related the adventure to the Maharishi as John Lennon listened. I was proud of my accomplishment, and my mother was proud of me. The Maharishi, however, was not impressed.

After listening to the story, he replied in a very cold tone, “Life destruction is life destruction.”

I simply had never thought of hunting in those terms before.

Some months later, my sister pointed out a new song by John Lennon. The lyrics were as follows:

“Hey Bungalow Bill, what did you kill. Bungalow Bill? He went out tiger hunting with his elephant and gun. In case of accidents he always took his mom. He’s the all American, bullet-headed Saxon mother’s son.”

I decided to exchange my gun for a camera.

Photographing wild animals in Africa was much more challenging and thrilling, and, in the end, much more rewarding.

I became a National Geographic photographer for 22 years, covering many stories and books for them. Now, I am an advocate for the natural world and beauty that I so love to photograph. Today, I would ask Bungalow Bill “What did you honor?” instead of “What did you kill?”

My father’s company, Pole Houses of Hawai’i, built George Harrison’s house in Hana, Maui, and when I sent him my book, Moloka’i, an Island in Time, I signed “Bungalow Bill.”

I thanked him for witnessing and honoring that special passage in my life.

Richard “Rikki” Cooke III

Lyrics

Variations

• A Stereo version • From "The Beatles (Stereo)"
• A2009 2009 stereo remaster • From "The Beatles • The Original Studio Recordings (2009)"
• B Mono version • From "The Beatles (Mono)"
• B2009 2009 mono remaster • From "The Beatles in Mono (2009)"
• B2014 2014 remaster • From "The Beatles In Mono (Vinyl boxset - 2014)"
• C 2018 stereo mix • From "The Beatles (50th anniversary boxset)"
• D Esher Demo • From "The Beatles (50th anniversary boxset)"
• E Take 2 • From "The Beatles (50th anniversary boxset)"

Officially appears on

Bootlegs

Live performances

Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.

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