The Only Beatles Song That Featured a Female Lead Vocalist

Across the Fab Four’s entire extensive discography, only one Beatles song featured a female lead vocalist. Interestingly, the John Lennon composition was also inspired by a woman. However, the conversation that sparked the song certainly didn’t paint the woman, who was described by another witness as a “self-important, middle-aged American woman,” in the most flattering light.

Nevertheless, inspiration can come in the unlikeliest of places, and the Beatles’ 1968 track “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill,” from the group’s iconic white album, is certainly no exception.   The Beatles were no strangers to bending the rules of gender, perspective, and even reality in general. From “She Said She Said” to “Octopus’ Garden,” the Fab Four proved how adept they were at adopting unique points of view for their compositions. But in “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill,” they outsourced their character perspectives to a woman already present in the studio: Yoko Ono.

John Lennon’s second wife sang one line alone before the late musician joined her to finish the rest of the verse. Maureen Starkey, drummer Ringo Starr’s wife, also provided backing vocals. A single line might not seem like much at face value, but considering the Fab Four’s propensity for adopting funny voices and personas outside of themselves, the fact that they had Ono perform instead of simply taking on a nasal falsetto themselves was a distinct departure from their usual approach.

Source: Melanie Davis/americansongwriter.com

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