Blackbird

Blackbird
Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, you were only waiting for the moment to arise. Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these sunken eyes and learn to see. All your life, you were only waiting for the moment to be free. Black bird fly, black bird fly into the light of the dark black night. Black bird fly, black bird fly into the light of the 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 History:
The history of "Blackbird" - essentially a Paul McCartney song, written and performed by him alone - is one of the more nebulous in Beatles lore. Some sources claim the song was written in India, inspired by an actual blackbird singing outside Paul's window; indeed, the song shows up, nearly intact, on the "Kinfauns" demos made at George's Esher home in late May 1968. Paul let this perception stand for years before claiming that the song was composed at his farm in Scotland. When, shortly after returning from Scotland in September 1968, he invited photographer Linda McCartney to his London home for the first time, fans outside his home heard him playing the song to them while sitting in a window.
Folk singer Donovan, who taught John the finger-picking style of guitar that he would later use on "Julia" and "Dear Prudence," among other tracks, was with the band during their spiritual retreat in Rishikesh, India in the spring of 1968, and while he didn't recall the song being played there, it was his guitar style that he claims was an inspiration for "Blackbird." Paul, on the other hand, cites a well-known Bach piece called "Bourree in E minor," written for lute but often played on acoustic guitar, as the main inspiration; the contrapuntal bass-and-melody arrangement was apparently what got the song going. (Further muddying the waters, John claimed to have given Paul "a line" of the song, usually thought to be the very Lennonesque phrase "take these broken wings and learn to fly." McCartney has never acknowledged this.)
Although the song has been often interpreted as a metaphor for race relations and the civil rights struggle then underway by African-Americans in the US, for decades McCartney kept silent on such a reading, perhaps because notorious cult leader Charles Manson read the song as an invitation to an outright race war. However, the "civil rights struggle" interpretation persisted, and Paul eventually began claiming it as truth. (It's worth noting that Paul later
recorded a similar solo song called "Bluebird" which had no such metaphor attached to it.) The recording of "Blackbird" was as simple as possible. Paul entered Studio 2 on June 11, 1968, and ran through the song 32 times to get it just the way he wanted, accompanying himself only on acoustic guitar and his feet tapping for rhythm (recorded by a mic placed near the ground). After a slight bit of vocal double-tracking, the song was complete. During the recorded rehearsal, Paul also made a very bluesy dry run of "Helter Skelter" as well as a short, improvised song called "Gone Tomorrow, Here Today" that was never officially released. Meanwhile in Studio 3, John gave an interview and finished assembling the tape loops that would eventually form the basis of "Revolution 9."
Trivia: Although the rhythmic sound in "Blackbird" is often misattributed to percussion or a metronome, it is indeed Paul's feet - his "White Album girlfriend" Francie Schwartz attests to this, and there's footage of Paul with her in the studio
performing the song just that way. Perhaps adding weight to Donovan's claim, he and Paul ran through "Blackbird" during sessions for Apple protege Mary Hopkin's debut album Post Card in late 1968. McCartney performed "Blackbird" several times during his solo career: first as part of a medley in the one-time-only ATV/ABC special James Paul McCartney, broadcast in 1973, then during his 1974 Nashville sessions, as well as in an unreleased film of Paul's, The Backyard, shot at around the same time. It was part of the set list during his 1974 tour of Australia, his famous "Wings Over America" tour of 1976, his 1991 appearance on the MTV seriesUnplugged, on his 2002 world tour, and was performed during an "Earth Day" concert at the Hollywood Bowl in 1993.
The blackbird sounds that enter during the middle of the song and are heard again at the end were taken from the Abbey Road Studios' vast library of sound effects; they were recorded by studio engineer Stuart Eltham in his back yard in 1965. As with so many Beatles songs from this era, the effects are slightly different in the mono mix, featuring extra bird sounds from the same source mixed in at different parts of the song. Adding to the song's mythology, Paul has also claimed to have woken up one morning after the song was recorded to hear an actual blackbird outside his window, singing a melody very like that of his tune
Themes Found in The Beatles' "Blackbird"
Many people are not aware of the true meaning of Paul McCartney's famous song "Blackbird." This beautiful, melodic tune is actually a moving tribute to the American civil rights movement. Here is a brief rundown of the themes found in The Beatles' "Blackbird."
The blackbird metaphor

The song "Blackbird" begins with the words: "Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly." "Blackbird" uses the blackbird as a metaphor for the African-American people living under oppression, discrimination and inequality. The blackbird yearns to fly free and unfettered, and the bird's nighttime anthem is something that is not suppressed by sleep.
Waiting for this moment to arrive
The next lyrics refer to the blackbird's anticipation of the next moment, when emancipation begins. The lyrics are accompanied by an uplifting guitar figure that ascends up an octave. The song is in a major key, which adds to the uplifting feeling.
Blackbird, fly
The refrain "blackbird, fly," obviously brings the listener back to the main theme of emancipation. This refrain is accompanied by a suspended-sounding series of chord changes, outlined by major thirds. It is not clear that the chorus is resolved until the end, when McCartney sings "Into the light of the dark, dark night." McCartney uses the blues scale at the end of the chorus, which has its origin in the popular music of African-Americans. In addition to its renown as one of the most popular songs in the musical lexicon, "Blackbird" is an important civil rights anthem.
http://www.animalmusica.com/themes-found-in-the-beatles-blackbird

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What is the song 'Blackbird' about?

What musical elements convey an uplifting message in 'Blackbird'?

Blackbird

Themes Found in The Beatles' "Blackbird"

The blackbird metaphor

Waiting for this moment to arrive

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