Blackbird: Paul McCartney and The Beatles

The Civil Rights Movement What do you know about the Civil Rights Movement? The Civil Rights Movement lasted from approximately 1955- 1965 In the United States, African- Americans were not treated equally or fairly Which states were affected the most? The southern states were most affected

What was segregation? Segregation= separating people by their race, specifically separating African-Americans from Whites Segregation included: Schools Water fountains Movie theaters Public buses Restaurants Subways Servicemen (Army) Sports Segregation existed basically in every public place

What happened if an African-American “broke the color barrier” and sat in the “whites only” section of a bus or restaurant? Arrested Jailed beaten many people were murdered

What are some slang terms you know for women? Chick Momma Lady Toots Honey-pie Sweetie Sugar

There’s another “slang” term for a woman you may not know… Remember that the Beatles are a band from England… In England they call women… BIRDS!

So, what is the history of the song? his song was written in 1965 Paul McCartney was in Birmingham, Alabama on tour Birmingham, Alabama was nicknamed “Bombingham” because of all of the violence that erupted on a daily basis toward African-American homes and establishments He was sitting on a park bench in town and saw a black woman arrested for sitting in the “whites only” section of a restaurant and decided to write this song

Let’s look at the meaning closely… The song is about a blackbird LITERALLY The blackbird has a broken wing, and it is unable to fly and therefore, it cannot be free Notice the music…it mimics the sound of a bird taking flight; notice how it starts off low and rises Notice that all you can hear is a man singing, a guitar strumming and a “tapping” sound

More meaning… The tapping was originally Paul McCartney’s foot, but the chords of the guitar playing are complex- it is a style of playing called “finger picking” Because it was so complex and difficult, the producer, George Martin decided to add in a tool called a metronome which is designed to keep time in a song and mimics the sound of foot tapping

Why is the foot tapping so important? The Civil Rights activists could’ve fought back violently but they chose not to They used peaceful, non-violent resistance to fight back One example of this resistance was marching The “foot tapping” sound of the metronome represents the thousands of men and women who marched for freedom…it stands for them saying “We will not be silent” and can he heard throughout the entire song as a reminder of the many who marched and wouldn’t give in or up

Symbolism We know that the blackbird is literally about a blackbird…but symbolically it represents… Blackbird= black woman Why is her wing broken? She has no civil rights Because she has no civil rights, she cannot be free The “dark, black night” represents the long struggle of the African-Americans for change and the Civil Rights movement which lasted for many, many years and in a way- still occurs today

waiting, singing, take and fly Look at the lyrics… “Blackbird” is multidimensional and purposely ambivalent Ponder the adjectives (words that describe): Dark, dead, broken, sunken and black (Pretty grim!) These adjectives are a symbol of the terrible things that happened to the African-Americans during this tumultuous time Now ponder the verbs (words that represent actions): waiting, singing, take and fly These verbs are a symbol of the many positive actions that the African-Americans took in spite of being held back in their quest for freedom

The Words Capping off the message are four of the most elevated words in the English language Light Life Arise Free

Now, listen again and read along “Blackbird” By: Lennon and McCartney   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 Take these sunken eyes and learn to see You were only waiting for this moment to be free Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly Into the light of the dark, black night. Blackbird singing the dead of night

Something to think about… “Rosa sat…so Martin could walk. Martin walked so Obama could run. Obama ran so our children could fly.”