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.
The song is a satirical take on a young American man named Richard A. Cooke III, who was visiting his mother, Nancy Cooke de Herrera, at the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh, India, at the same time that the Beatles were staying with the Maharishi. Cooke was known for his boastful stories about his hunting exploits, and he would often go off on tiger-hunting expeditions while at the ashram.
Lennon was unimpressed by Cooke’s behavior, and he wrote “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” as a way to poke fun at him. The song is a lighthearted and humorous piece, but it also has a serious undercurrent. It is a critique of the hypocrisy of some of the people who were drawn to the Maharishi’s teachings, and it is a reminder that even those who seek spiritual enlightenment can be flawed individuals.
The song features co-lead vocals by Yoko Ono, the only song recorded by the group to feature lead vocals by a non-member. Ono’s vocals are on the line “Not when he looks so fierce.”
“The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” is a unique and memorable song in the Beatles’ catalog. It is a satirical take on a real person, but it is also a meditation on the nature of hypocrisy and the search for spiritual enlightenment.