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" Polythene Pam" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album Abbey Road. Written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it is the fourth song of the album's climactic side-two medley. The Beatles recorded the track in July 1969 as a continuous piece with "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window", which follows it in the medley.
In 1980, Lennon said about "Polythene Pam": "That was me, remembering a little event with a woman in Jersey, and a man who was England's answer to Allen Ginsberg ... I met him when we were on tour and he took me back to his apartment and I had a girl and he had one he wanted me to meet. He said she dressed up in Polyethylene, which she did. She didn't wear jack boots and kilts, I just sort of elaborated. Perverted sex in a polythene bag. Just looking for something to write about."Sheff, David (2000). All We Are Saying. St. Martin's Griffin, , p. 203 "England's answer to Allen Ginsberg" refers to Royston Ellis, an English writer whom Lennon knew from when the Beatles played at the Cavern Club. He also described the inspiration for the song as a "mythical Liverpool scrubber dressed in her jackboots and kilt". The Illustrated Beatles Lyrics p. 197 The song is sung in a very strong Liverpudlian "Scouse" accent.Miles, Barry (2001). The Beatles diary. Volume 1: The Beatles years. Omnibus press London. p. 356
The name "Polythene Pam" came from the nickname of an early Beatles fan from the Cavern Club days, named Pat Hodgett (now Dawson), who would often eat polythene. She became known as "Polythene Pat". She said in an interview, "I used to eat polythene all the time. I'd tie it in knots and then eat it. Sometimes I even used to burn it and then eat it when it got cold."
The Beatles recorded the basic track for "Polythene Pam" and "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" at EMI Studios in London on 25 July. The line-up was Lennon on acoustic 12-string guitar, Harrison on lead guitar, Paul McCartney on bass, and Ringo Starr on drums. Lennon sang an off-mike guide vocal on his song, while McCartney did the same on "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window". During the guitar solo on "Polythene Pam", Lennon shouted out words of encouragement ("Fab! That's great! Real good, that. Real good ..."), some of which appears on the finished recording. In his description of the song, author Ian MacDonald likens Lennon's "massive" opening acoustic guitar chords to the Who's "Pinball Wizard", which was a single at the time.
The band carried out overdubs on the track on 28 July, although many of these contributions, such as piano and electric piano, were subsequently cut. Recording was completed on 30 July, when the final vocal, guitar and percussion overdubs were taped. These included a second lead guitar part by Harrison, playing the descending notes (accompanying Lennon's spoken "Listen to that now. Oh, look out! Here she...") into the start of "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window".
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