From a Window
Encyclopedia
"From a Window" is a song written by Paul McCartney, attributed to John Lennon
and Paul McCartney
, which was recorded by Billy J. Kramer
with The Dakotas. It was the sixth and final Lennon/McCartney
composition that was given to Kramer.
Kramer recorded the song on 29 May 1964 at Abbey Road Studios
. George Martin
produced the session, which was attended by Lennon and McCartney. McCartney can be heard at the very end of the song, harmonizing on the final word.
"From a Window" was released as a UK single on 17 July 1964: its peak that August at #10 represented an abrupt drop in popularity for Kramer & the Dakotas whose previous chart history comprised four Top 5 hits, two of them #1's. The follow-up to "From a Window": "It's Gotta Last Forever", fell short of the UK Top 50; the subsequent "Trains and Boats and Planes" at #12 punctuated Kramer & the Dakotas' two year UK chart career in the summer of 1965.
In the US - with "I'll Be on My Way
" serving as B-side - "From a Window" reached #23 in October 1964; Kramer & the Dakotas' fourth US Top 40 hit in a five month period, it was also their last.
Chad & Jeremy recorded "From a Window" in a December 1964 New York City recording session produced by Jimmie Haskell
; the track was featured on the February 1965 album release Chad & Jeremy Sing For You. World Artists Records issued the track as a single that June; by then Chad & Jeremy had more current releases on Columbia Records
but their version of "From a Window" received enough regional attention to register on the Billboard Hot 100
at #97.
Billy J. Kramer's version of "From a Window" was included on the 1979 compilation album The Songs Lennon and McCartney Gave Away
. A cover version by Graham Parker
served as the title track to the 2003 album From a Window: Lost Songs of Lennon & McCartney.
Recordings of "From a Window" as The Beatles
may have performed it are available on the 1989 album by Bas Muys entitled Secret Songs: Lennon & McCartney and on the 1998 release It's Four You by the Australia
n tribute band The Beatnix
.
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, which was recorded by Billy J. Kramer
Billy J. Kramer
Billy J. Kramer is a British Invasion/Merseybeat singer. In the 1960s he was managed by Brian Epstein, who also managed The Beatles, and he recorded several original Lennon and McCartney compositions.-Early life and career:He grew up as the youngest of seven siblings and attended the St George of...
with The Dakotas. It was the sixth and final Lennon/McCartney
Lennon/McCartney
The Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership is one of the best-known and most successful musical collaborations in history...
composition that was given to Kramer.
Kramer recorded the song on 29 May 1964 at Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
. George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
produced the session, which was attended by Lennon and McCartney. McCartney can be heard at the very end of the song, harmonizing on the final word.
"From a Window" was released as a UK single on 17 July 1964: its peak that August at #10 represented an abrupt drop in popularity for Kramer & the Dakotas whose previous chart history comprised four Top 5 hits, two of them #1's. The follow-up to "From a Window": "It's Gotta Last Forever", fell short of the UK Top 50; the subsequent "Trains and Boats and Planes" at #12 punctuated Kramer & the Dakotas' two year UK chart career in the summer of 1965.
In the US - with "I'll Be on My Way
I'll Be on My Way
"I'll Be on My Way" is a Lennon–McCartney song, which was first released on 26 April 1963 by Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas as the b-side of their single "Do You Want to Know a Secret", a song also written by Lennon–McCartney. The single reached number two in the UK charts while "From Me to You"...
" serving as B-side - "From a Window" reached #23 in October 1964; Kramer & the Dakotas' fourth US Top 40 hit in a five month period, it was also their last.
Chad & Jeremy recorded "From a Window" in a December 1964 New York City recording session produced by Jimmie Haskell
Jimmie Haskell
Jimmie Haskell born Sheridan Pearlman 1936 in Brooklyn, New York is a prolific American composer and arranger for a variety of popular singers and motion pictures.-Biography:...
; the track was featured on the February 1965 album release Chad & Jeremy Sing For You. World Artists Records issued the track as a single that June; by then Chad & Jeremy had more current releases on Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
but their version of "From a Window" received enough regional attention to register on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
at #97.
Billy J. Kramer's version of "From a Window" was included on the 1979 compilation album The Songs Lennon and McCartney Gave Away
The Songs Lennon and McCartney Gave Away
The Songs Lennon and McCartney Gave Away was a conceptual compilation album containing the original artist recordings of songs composed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney in the 1960s that they had elected not to release as Beatles songs...
. A cover version by Graham Parker
Graham Parker
Graham Parker is a British rock singer and songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the popular British band Graham Parker & the Rumour.-Early career :...
served as the title track to the 2003 album From a Window: Lost Songs of Lennon & McCartney.
Recordings of "From a Window" as The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
may have performed it are available on the 1989 album by Bas Muys entitled Secret Songs: Lennon & McCartney and on the 1998 release It's Four You by the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n tribute band The Beatnix
The Beatnix
The Beatnix is an Australian Beatles tribute band. It is amongst the longest running Beatles tribute shows in the world. - History :The concept for the band was conceived and assembled in March 1980 by founding member Tony Dean as a live performance entity...
.