Blackbird (song)
Encyclopedia
"Blackbird" is a Beatles song from the double-disc album The Beatles
(also known as The White Album). Blackbird was written by Paul McCartney
, but credited to Lennon–McCartney.
, a well known lute piece, often played on the classical guitar. As children, he and George Harrison
tried to learn Bourrée as a "show off" piece. The Bourrée is distinguished by melody and bass notes played simultaneously on the upper and lower strings. McCartney adapted a segment of the Bourrée (reharmonized into the original's relative major key of G
) as the opening of "Blackbird," and carried the musical idea throughout the song.
The first night his future wife Linda Eastman
stayed at his home, McCartney played "Blackbird" for the fans camped outside his house.
as a reaction to racial tensions escalating in the United States in the spring of 1968.
In May 2002, during a show at the Reunion Arena
in Dallas, Texas as part of the Driving USA Tour
supporting the Driving Rain
album, McCartney spoke on stage about the meaning of the song. KCRW
DJ Chris Douridas interviewed McCartney backstage afterwards for his radio show "New Ground", and the meaning of the song was discussed. This interview aired on KCRW on May 25, 2002.
Also during the Driving USA Tour before his Solo Acoustic Guitar set he explained that "bird" is British slang for girl. So Blackbird would be black girl. At the end of his playing Blackbird they had a young black woman sing a part of the bridge, "You were only waiting for this moment to arrive, Blackbird fly.....", which faded to the commercial.
In 2009, McCartney performed this song at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
, commenting prior to singing it on how it had been written in response to the 1960s Civil Rights movement, and added, "It's so great to realize so many civil rights issues have been overcome."
, with George Martin
as the producer
and Geoff Emerick
as the audio engineer. It is a solo performance with McCartney playing a Martin
D 28 acoustic guitar. The track includes recordings of a blackbird singing in the background.
The instrumentation is tapping, guitar, vocal and birdsong overdub. The tapping is a metronome which was deliberately included in the final mix. The mono version contains bird sounds different from the stereo recording, and was originally issued on a mono incarnation of The Beatles (it has since been issued worldwide as part of The Beatles in Mono
CD box set). The song appears on Love
with "Yesterday
", billed as "Blackbird/Yesterday". "Blackbird" provides an introduction to "Yesterday".
The Beatles (album)
The Beatles is the ninth official album by the English rock group The Beatles, a double album released in 1968. It is also commonly known as "The White Album" as it has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed on its plain white sleeve.The album was written and recorded during a...
(also known as The White Album). Blackbird was written by 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...
, but credited to Lennon–McCartney.
Origins
McCartney explained 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 J.S. Bach's Bourrée in E minorBourrée in E minor
Bourrée in E minor is a popular lute piece, the fifth movement from Suite in E minor for Lute, BWV 996 written by Johann Sebastian Bach. This piece is arguably one of the most famous pieces among guitarists....
, a well known lute piece, often played on the classical guitar. As children, he and George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
tried to learn Bourrée as a "show off" piece. The Bourrée is distinguished by melody and bass notes played simultaneously on the upper and lower strings. McCartney adapted a segment of the Bourrée (reharmonized into the original's relative major key of G
G major
G major is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp, F; in treble-clef key signatures, the sharp-symbol for F is usually placed on the first line from the top, though in some Baroque music it is placed on the first space from the bottom...
) as the opening of "Blackbird," and carried the musical idea throughout the song.
The first night his future wife Linda Eastman
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
stayed at his home, McCartney played "Blackbird" for the fans camped outside his house.
Meaning
McCartney was inspired to write it while in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
as a reaction to racial tensions escalating in the United States in the spring of 1968.
In May 2002, during a show at the Reunion Arena
Reunion Arena
Reunion Arena was an indoor arena, in the Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas . It held 18,293 for basketball and 17,001 for ice hockey.It was demolished in November 2009 and the site was cleared by the end of the year.-History:...
in Dallas, Texas as part of the Driving USA Tour
Driving USA Tour
The Driving USA Tour was Paul McCartney's first concert tour of the 21st century and of any kind since 1993's New World Tour. For the first time in nearly a decade, McCartney returned to the road following the death of first wife, Linda McCartney, the death of George Harrison, and 9/11. This was...
supporting the Driving Rain
Driving Rain
Driving Rain is the twelfth studio album by Paul McCartney, recorded and released in 2001 it has now sold 2 million copies globally. It is his first studio album since publicly announcing his relationship with former model and anti-land mines activist Heather Mills, whom McCartney would marry in 2002...
album, McCartney spoke on stage about the meaning of the song. KCRW
KCRW
KCRW is a public radio station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, carrying a mix of National Public Radio news, talk radio and freeform music format. The general manager of KCRW is Jennifer Ferro...
DJ Chris Douridas interviewed McCartney backstage afterwards for his radio show "New Ground", and the meaning of the song was discussed. This interview aired on KCRW on May 25, 2002.
Also during the Driving USA Tour before his Solo Acoustic Guitar set he explained that "bird" is British slang for girl. So Blackbird would be black girl. At the end of his playing Blackbird they had a young black woman sing a part of the bridge, "You were only waiting for this moment to arrive, Blackbird fly.....", which faded to the commercial.
In 2009, McCartney performed this song at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three-day annual music and arts festival, organized by Goldenvoice and held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley...
, commenting prior to singing it on how it had been written in response to the 1960s Civil Rights movement, and added, "It's so great to realize so many civil rights issues have been overcome."
Composition and recording
The song was recorded on 11 June 1968 in EMI StudiosAbbey 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...
, with 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...
as the producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and Geoff Emerick
Geoff Emerick
Geoffrey Emerick is an English recording studio audio engineer, who is best known for his work with The Beatles' albums Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles and Abbey Road...
as the audio engineer. It is a solo performance with McCartney playing a Martin
C. F. Martin & Company
C.F. Martin & Company is a US guitar manufacturer established in 1833 by Christian Frederick Martin. Martin is highly regarded for its steel-string guitars, and is a leading mass manufacturer of flattop acoustics with models that retail for thousands of dollars and vintage instruments that often...
D 28 acoustic guitar. The track includes recordings of a blackbird singing in the background.
The instrumentation is tapping, guitar, vocal and birdsong overdub. The tapping is a metronome which was deliberately included in the final mix. The mono version contains bird sounds different from the stereo recording, and was originally issued on a mono incarnation of The Beatles (it has since been issued worldwide as part of The Beatles in Mono
The Beatles in Mono
The Beatles in Mono is a box set compilation comprising the remastered monophonic recordings by The Beatles. The set was released on 9 September 2009, the same day the remastered stereo recordings and companion The Beatles Stereo Box Set were also released, along with The Beatles: Rock Band videogame...
CD box set). The song appears on Love
Love (The Beatles album)
Love is a Grammy Award-winning soundtrack remix album of music recorded by The Beatles, released in November 2006. It features music compiled and remixed as a mashup for the Cirque du Soleil show of the same name...
with "Yesterday
Yesterday (song)
"Yesterday" is a song originally recorded by The Beatles for their 1965 album Help!. The song first hit the United Kingdom top 10 three months after the release of Help!. The song remains popular today with more than 1,600 cover versions, one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded...
", billed as "Blackbird/Yesterday". "Blackbird" provides an introduction to "Yesterday".
Personnel
- Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir 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...
– lead vocalLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, metronomeMetronomeA metronome is any device that produces regular, metrical ticks — settable in beats per minute. These ticks represent a fixed, regular aural pulse; some metronomes also include synchronized visual motion...
.