Apple scruffs

The Apple scruffs were a loosely-knit group of hardcore Beatles fans who were known for congregating outside the Apple Corps building and at the gates of Abbey Road Studios in London during the waning days of Beatlemania in hopes of seeing or interacting with the band members.

The Beatles themselves had an ambivalent but often friendly relationship with these fans; two Apple scruffs, Lizzie Bravo and Gayleen Pease, were actually recruited to sing on a Beatles song ("Across the Universe"). Although no version was released on a Beatles record that included their voices, they can be heard in the mix of the song that was used on the World Wildlife Fund charity album No One's Gonna Change Our World and was subsequently released on the compilation album Past Masters, Volume Two.

The Beatles' song "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" (Abbey Road, 1969) refers to the day that some of the Apple scruffs climbed into Paul McCartney's house via an upstairs bathroom window and raided his wardrobe for a pair of trousers which they took turns wearing. They also stole a framed photograph, which they later returned at McCartney's request.

Following the breakup of the Beatles, George Harrison wrote a song titled "Apple Scruffs" which appeared on his solo album All Things Must Pass.

In 1985, one of the Apple scruffs, Carol Bedford, published a memoir of her experiences as a fan, Waiting for the Beatles: An Apple Scruff's Story.