The first night Linda Eastman, who would later become his wife, slept over, McCartney played it to the fans camped outside his house.
Origins
McCartney explained on Chaos and Creation at Abbey Road, aired in 2005, that the guitar accompaniment for "Blackbird" was inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach's Bourrée in E minor, a well-known lute piece, often played on the classical guitar. As teenagers, 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 (reharmonised into the original's relative major key of G) as the opening of "Blackbird", and carried the musical idea throughout the song.
Meaning & Interpretation
Since composing "Blackbird" in 1968, McCartney has given various statements regarding both his inspiration for the song and its meaning. He has said that he was inspired by hearing the call of a blackbird one morning when the Beatles were studying Transcendental Meditation in Rishikesh, India and also writing it in Scotland as a response to racial tensions escalating in the United States during the spring of 1968.
In May 2002, following a show in Dallas, Texas, McCartney discussed the song with KCRW DJ Chris Douridas, saying:
I had been doing some [poetry readings] in the last year or so because I've got a poetry book out called Blackbird Singing, and when I would read "Blackbird", I would always try and think of some explanation to tell the people … So, I was doing explanations, and I actually just remembered why I'd written "Blackbird", you know, that I'd been, I was in Scotland playing on my guitar, and I remembered this whole idea of "you were only waiting for this moment to arise" was about, you know, the black people's struggle in the southern states, and I was using the symbolism of a blackbird. It's not really about a blackbird whose wings are broken, you know, it's a bit more symbolic.
Along with McCartney's "Helter Skelter", "Blackbird" was one of several White Album songs that Charles Manson interpreted as the Beatles' prophecy of an apocalyptic race war that would lead to him and his "Family" of followers ruling the US on countercultural principles. Manson interpreted the lyrics as a call to black Americans to wage war on their white counterparts, and instructed his followers to commit a series of murders in Los Angeles in August 1969 to trigger such a conflict.
Recording
The song was recorded on 11 June 1968 at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London, 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 male common blackbird singing in the background.
Apart from the blackbird, only three sounds were recorded: McCartney's voice, his guitar, and a tapping that keeps time on the left channel. This tapping "has been incorrectly identified as a metronome in the past", according to engineer Geoff Emerick, who says it is actually the sound of Paul tapping his foot. McCartney also said the same in The Beatles' Anthology documentary. Emerick recalls [Paul's foot-taps, presumably] as being mic'd up separately. Footage included in the bonus content on disc two of the 2009 remaster of the album shows McCartney tapping both his feet alternately while performing the song.
Blackbird
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
Blackbird fly, blackbird fly
Into the light of a dark black night
Blackbird fly, blackbird fly
Into the light of a dark black night
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
The Beatles' "Blackbird" is a beautiful song that has a message of hope and liberation. On the surface level, the lyrics may seem just like a soothing lullaby to a blackbird to help it through the dark night. However, if one delves deeper into the meaning, the song speaks to anyone who has ever felt oppressed, lost, or trapped. The blackbird represents the oppressed person, who, for so long, had only been waiting for the right opportunity to be free.
The song is an encouragement to the listener to take their broken wings, sunken eyes, and learn to fly and see again. The use of the broken wings and sunken eyes highlights the weakness and frailty of the person, but the message of inspiration is also apparent - they can fix their broken wings and learn to fly again. The song's somber note, 'dead of night', creates a comforting atmosphere for people who relate to the song's message. The song encourages us to find our strength and soar high despite our difficult situations. At the same time, the song teaches to celebrate the peace and beauty in the darker and negative moments of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
The singer is describing a blackbird singing at night, which is typically a time of darkness and stillness. This sets the scene for the rest of the song, suggesting that the blackbird might be a symbol of hope or light in a dark world.
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
The singer is addressing the blackbird directly, encouraging it to overcome its limitations and fly, even though its wings are broken. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for overcoming adversity or finding strength in weakness.
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
The singer is suggesting that the blackbird has been waiting its whole life for this moment of opportunity and liberation. This line could be interpreted as a message of perseverance or hope, encouraging listeners to keep pushing towards their own goals and dreams.
Blackbird fly, blackbird fly
Into the light of a dark black night
The singer is continuing to address the blackbird, urging it to fly into the unknown and find light in the darkness. This line could be seen as a call to action or a reminder to seek out opportunities and embrace change, even when it's scary or uncertain.
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
The singer is again addressing the blackbird, but this time suggesting that it learn to see with its eyes, even though they may be sunken or weakened. This line could be interpreted as a metaphor for seeing the world with fresh eyes, or as a message of resilience in the face of adversity.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
on Mother Nature's Son
A really great Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on The Night Before
A really splendid Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on P.S. I Love You
Now this is a really great Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on There's a Place
A seriously underrated Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on Do You Want to Know a Secret
A fantastic song by The Beatles.
Philip Kassabian
on When I'm Sixty-Four
A very tuneful Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
An excellent Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on I'm Looking Through You
A beautiful Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
Honestly The Beatles can't stop producing good songs.
Philip Kassabian
on Michelle
A fantastic Beatles song and absolutely beautiful.