Talk:Blackbird (Beatles song)

Comments from 2005/2006, some anon
Maybe I'm editing too late in the night, but the quote provided seems to conflict with the how the song was written about the civil rights movement. Is the song about a woman or civil rights? Shiri &mdash; Talk 07:00, Jun 11, 2005 (UTC)
 * The black "bird" - an African-American girl or woman - is singing. That's what the quote, and implicitly, the song is about. IvanP 22:12, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

The tapping is made by Paul hitting the ground with his boots.See part 8 of "The Beatles Anthology". MrGater 16:49, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

The reference to "Bach's Bouree" is ridiculous. A Bourrée is a 17th-century dance form, and often forms part of Baroque dance suites. Bach wrote many Bourrées.

"The first night Linda Eastman slept over, McCartney played it to the fans camped outside of his house." Can anyone confirm this? Seems a bit off.

Foot or metronome?
First, stop debating the issue in the article itself. Please debate it here.

The Lewisohn citation is accurate; he thought it was a metronome. He may be wrong, but the article should not be edited such that it looks like the citation supports anything other than a metronome. If there is as dissenting opinion, it needs a different citation. I am going to look through my sources and see if I can find one. John Cardinal 13:03, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 * According to the video The Compleat Beatles, the tap was not a foot or metronome - the Master was intentionally scratched. If you listen closely you will notice that is sounds like a scratch on a record.--Dimedude (talk) 22:17, 16 June 2008 (UTC)
 * I understand there is a photograph of the Beatles with the metronome which was used to record Paul's Blackbird song. The scratch idea is nonsense! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Obiewankanobe (talk • contribs) 09:13, 9 July 2008 (UTC)
 * According to footage from a new documentary from the BBC, Paul is indeed tapping his feet to the song while recording. The video footage is not guaranteed to be as belonging to the audio, but the alternating clicks do seem to be consistent with the fact that Paul is alternating tapping with both feet. &mdash;Gordon P. Hemsley&rarr; &#x2709; 06:50, 5 September 2009 (UTC)

If it is a metronome, then it's broken. Because the tempo of the clicks wobbles throughout the song - no steady BPM. - Bay Araya —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.12.40.129 (talk) 16:16, 21 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Furthermore, if it is a metronome it doesn't explain why the tapping cuts out slowly at around 01:35 in the song before starting up again. If they stopped the metronome, it wouldn't fade out, it would just stop. Also, if you listen to the Anthology version of the song, you can here the tapping pause in order to keep in time with the song. A metronome can't do that. gbrading &tau;&alpha;l&kappa; 16:38, 7 July 2010 (UTC)

I don't mean to dig up an old arguement but if it was his feet, would it be picked up by standard recording equipment? I don't think it would be unless he had a microphone specifically in place to collect that sound. I was under the impression it was put on in post production anyway and it could have been created any number of ways.(Morcus (talk) 17:18, 15 October 2010 (UTC))


 * Well if you believe they would intentionally put a tap in during post production then you couldn't put it past them to intentionally record a foot tap could you? Personally, Im convinced after watching the anthology video of Paul playing it and tapping his feet in the studio, and comparing that to a close listening of the recording, noting the slow fade out and stop of the tap and alternating sound texture, that it is Paul's feet that we are hearing. Just my opinion though and since Lewisohn is the authority on the Beatles, the tap is a metronome as far this article is concerned.Racerx11 (talk) 06:43, 27 December 2010 (UTC)


 * Just another opinion: I've always thought what we're hearing is very gentle clapping recorded separately. The much harder, sharper, louder clapping at the start of Everybody's got something to hide... and at the end of Bungalow Bill sound kinda similar. --2.241.21.251 (talk) 04:53, 10 December 2013 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:The White Album.jpg
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BetacommandBot 03:52, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

Writer?
The article says that Paul wrote the song, but the info box claims the writers are John and Paul: did John have any part in it? I don't have a copy of the album handy to check what the official writing credit says - but either way, this article contradicts itself Dom Kaos (talk) 17:06, 13 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Please see the Lennon/McCartney article. It should clear up the confusion you have. Paul was the writer on this one. &mdash;Gordon P. Hemsley&rarr; &#x2709; 06:52, 5 September 2009 (UTC)

Rhythm?
The rhythm in bar 2 of the sample sheet music seems wrong. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.235.12.19 (talk) 23:30, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Actually, that entire image is unnecessary. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.235.12.19 (talk) 02:33, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Borree
I have a recording of myself playing Borree on a different instrument nylon string guitar. It may be redundant but if the community finds a use for it I Brian Abbott hereby forefeit any and all rights I posses on this performance including copyright. You don't have to put my name just amateur guitarist playing Borree or something. I'll keep the talk page edit or if there are logs let me know and I can delete it. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B386kvTM0LB3bmdGTWwzSzBDOGc/edit?usp=sharing Burnedfaceless (talk) 15:47, 13 February 2014 (UTC)

Origin must have been Fernando Sor, not Bach's Bourree
Listen to this piece by Fernando Sor:

Fernando Sor (Diez)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbBG0ijZO54

Now read the section of this article on the origin of Blackbird and listen to the Bourree piece by Bach. Do you really think the Bach piece could have influenced McCartney to write Blackbird? I can't say for certain that McCartney borrowed from Sor's piece, but obviously that piece sounds a lot like Blackbird. The Bach piece has nothing to do with Blackbird. Either McCartney was misquoted, or this is simply bunk. The text discussing melody and bass in the guitart piece is ridiculous. That describes just about any classical guitar piece. And "reharmonizing" to the relative key of G? Is that supposed to mean transposition into the key of G maybe? Note that that Sor piece is written in G Major, just like Blackbird, so no transposition required!

I believe McCartney borrowed from Sor. But I can't find a source to quote for what is to me obvious. Can anyone else find a reputable source that makes this argument so we can include it here? Also, I call into question the explanation for the Bach origin provided here. It's dubious at best. Even if McCartney did allude to Bourree as an influence for Blackbird, which I find hard to believe, the analysis of how the two are in anyway related makes no sense and should be rewritten by someone who knows what they're talking about. Coastside (talk) 01:49, 23 June 2014 (UTC)

I agree that it was Sor, except you have some incorrect info. The piece wasn't titled Diez, that's an arrangement by Ben Bolt of the original Sor piece. The original piece is Etude, Op. 60, No. 19:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow_BbVxdFSs

I made a reddit post about my finding, here:

http://www.reddit.com/r/beatles/comments/2ig7ca/at_some_point_paul_started_claiming_that/

Also, as seen in my reddit post, Paul admitted that he did not know the title of the piece before he started claiming it was Bourree. This suggests he may have remembered incorrectly when he later claimed it was Bach's Bourree. 129.120.53.184 (talk) 15:16, 6 October 2014 (UTC)

Foot taps?
Are those foot taps what I can hear throughout the song? I'd always wondered what achieved that "calm tapping sound". It's very nice! :) -- C.Syde  ( talk  &#124;  contribs ) 06:42, 23 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Yes I'd say so. The evidence points that way.
 * It's funny, cause I always thought they were Paul tapping his acoustic guitar, since back in 2009 (or was it 2010? can't remember) the only credits on this page were Paul McCartney: vocals, acoustic guitar. In fact in 2011, I think I can remember Paul tapping his acoustic guitar at some point during the Wingspan documentry. Well the good news is I now know how the tapping is done. -- C.Syde  ( talk  &#124;  contribs ) 06:43, 23 January 2015 (UTC)

Edie?
In several bootleg versions of Blackbird (such as the versions on "Watching Rainbows"), Paul can be heard dedicating the song to "Edie". Who is this Edie? Is it perhaps Edie Sedgwick, whom Paul might well have met via Andy Warhol (Andy and Paul met in 1967)? Grutness...wha?  23:32, 1 January 2016 (UTC)

Proposed merge with Lon Dubh / Blackbird
Per WP:NSONGS. Richhoncho (talk) 00:09, 24 March 2016 (UTC)


 * Well, this has been done, in effect: Lon Dubh / Blackbird is by now a redirect to this article. :-) --Thnidu (talk) 04:38, 14 January 2020 (UTC)

Tapping the feet
Section Composition and recording says
 * 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 as being mic'd up separately.

The last sentence of that paragraph, "Emerick recalls as being mic'd up separately", is incomplete: Emerick recalls what as being mic'd up separately? Presumably the foot-tapping, but that really should be checked in the source before any correction is made. While a book Recording the Beatles is cited as the reference, there's no further information about that book. It may well be
 * Recording the Beatles: The Studio Equipment and Techniques Used to Create Their Classic Albums

listed by Google Books as by
 * Kevin L. Ryan, Brian Kehew, and Ryan Kehew

and published by
 * Curvebender, 2006 - 537 pages.

-- Thnidu (talk) 04:49, 14 January 2020 (UTC)

I removed the uncited line, "The fingerpicking technique that McCartney uses in the song was taught to him by folk singer Donovan." I believe Don has talked about this in his book, but I know he said specifically in an interview with Vin Scelsa (which I have a tape of), that he taught John Lennon his fingerpicking technique in India. Paul wasn't interested, but John approached it seriously like a student, and then went off and wrote Dear Prudence and Julia, using that style. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 73.219.103.208 (talk) 06:29, 15 March 2022 (UTC)

Inspired by the Little Rock Nine
See the article below https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/paul-mccartney-meets-women-who-inspired-beatles-blackbird-57076/amp/ 2601:645:8300:78F0:856:6D22:5FAE:B4ED (talk) 22:46, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

BPI certification
Blackbird went gold in the U.K.on 14/01/22 https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/12079-1786-1 Glc19821 (talk) 22:46, 13 November 2023 (UTC)


 * It's been corrected. Thanks for the update! Sincerely, Novo Tape (She/Her) My Talk Page  22:51, 13 November 2023 (UTC)

Requested move 13 December 2023

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The result of the move request was: not moved. (closed by non-admin page mover) – robertsky (talk) 02:35, 22 December 2023 (UTC)

Blackbird (Beatles song) → Blackbird (song) – Clear WP:PRIMARYTOPIC. In the disambig page listed at Blackbird, for the 3 entries with this exact title, the Norma John song is a redirect, and the Alter Bridge one is easily surpassed by the Beatles song in page views, in both the album and song view counts combined.

|Blackbird_(Alter_Bridge_album)|Blackbird_(Alter_Bridge_song)|Blackbird_(Norma_John_song) Page views statistics suggest a clear reasoning for this song to be named as such. (And not just because it's a way better song..) KangarooGymnast (talk) 19:11, 13 December 2023 (UTC) The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
 * Support came here to do it myself :) takes 95% of the pageviews to songs titled "Blackbird", with the Alter Bridge song taking the other 5%. This is the pretty clear WP:INCDAB ptopic. theleekycauldron (talk • she/her) 22:20, 13 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Oppose. Bye Bye Blackbird, often just known as "Blackbird", is just as notable, if not more so. -- Necrothesp (talk) 15:42, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * |Blackbird_(Alter_Bridge_album)|Blackbird_(Alter_Bridge_song)|Blackbird_(Norma_John_song)|Bye_Bye_Blackbird Not according to the page views. In fact, the page views for that article is comparable to the other entries I mentioned. KangarooGymnast (talk) 18:00, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Long-term significance is as important as page views. Something many editors seem to ignore. -- Necrothesp (talk) 10:16, 20 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Oppose per above. Blackbird (song) is ambiguous, and nothing is gained by introducing ambiguity into the article title. 162 etc. (talk) 17:49, 20 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Oppose 95% is probably not enough especially when you factor in Bye Bye.  Crouch, Swale  ( talk ) 17:33, 21 December 2023 (UTC)