BLACKBIRD (SONG)

'"Blackbird"' is a Beatles song from double-disc album ''The Beatles'' (also known as ''The White Album''). Blackbird was written by Paul McCartney, who was inspired to write this while in India after a bird woke him up at six in the morning. McCartney said in 2002: "It was written when there were a lot of troubles in the southern states, over civil rights. I don't know if any of you know, but in England we sometimes call girls 'birds'… and I kind of wrote this song with that in mind."
The first night Linda Eastman, who would later become his wife, slept over, McCartney played it to the fans camped outside his house.^[1] Charles Manson took the song, along with "Helter Skelter" and "Piggies," as a metaphor for black and white race relations in the United States, which helped inspire his murders.
The song was recorded 11 June 1968 in Abbey Road studios, with George Martin as the producer and Geoff Emerick as the audio engineer.^[2] McCartney played a Martin D 28 acoustic guitar. The track includes recordings of a blackbird singing in the background.
McCartney revealed on PBS's ''Great Performances (Paul McCartney: Chaos and Creation at Abbey Road)'', aired in 2006, that the guitar accompaniment for Blackbird was inspired by Bach's ''Bouree in E minor'', a well known classical guitar piece. As kids, he and George Harrison tried to learn ''Bouree'' as a "show off" piece. ''Bouree'' is distinguished by melody and bass notes played simultaneously on the upper and lower strings. McCartney adapted a segment of ''Bouree'' as the opening of "Blackbird," and carried the musical idea throughout the song.
According to Mark Lewisohn, the clicking sound on the track (left channel) which sounds like McCartney's foot tapping is a mechanical metronome.^[3]
In the 2006 album ''Love'', "Blackbird" was used as an introduction to the song "Yesterday."

Contents

Covers and cultural references

Notes

External links

Covers and cultural references

Many bands and performers have made cover versions, including Carly Simon, Jesse McCartney, Phish, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Doves, Brad Mehldau, Sarah McLachlan, Harpers Bizarre, Bobby McFerrin, Jaco Pastorius, Dan Fogelberg, Dave Grohl, Dave Matthews Band, Elliott Smith and Maria João & Mário Laginha.
Elements of the lyrics ''("take these broken wings and learn to fly")'' have re-appeared in other pop songs over the years, notably the number one hit "Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister and the Savage Garden song, "You Can Still Be Free" from the ''Affirmation'' album. Sections of "Blackbird" were incorporated into The Waterboys' cover of the Van Morrison song "Sweet Thing" on their album ''Fisherman's Blues'', and into the end of U2's "Beautiful Day" during their set at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, London on July 2 2005, as well as some of the shows on the Vertigo Tour. Dynamite Hack references it at the end of their cover of "Boyz-N-The-Hood."
Composer Gustavo Santaolalla was inspired by "Blackbird" when he wrote "The Wings" for the movie ''Brokeback Mountain''.
Tenacious D created their own version of the song called "Rocket Sauce."

Notes

1. Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties, , Ian, MacDonald, Pimlico (Rand), 2005,
2. The Beatles Recording Sessions, , Mark, Lewisohn, Harmony Books, 1988,
3. What Goes On - The Beatles Anomalies List

External links

★ Song lyrics