However, during an informal rehearsal at EMI Studios on 22 November 1968, before he and Donovan took part in a Mary Hopkin recording session, McCartney played 'Blackbird', telling Donovan that he wrote it after having 'read something in the paper about the riots' and that he meant the black 'bird' to symbolise a black woman.

Writing in the 1990s, Ian MacDonald noted the theory that 'Blackbird' was intended as 'a metaphor for the black civil rights struggle', but pointed to the composition's romantic qualities, arguing that the early-morning bird song 'translates вЂ¦ into a succinct metaphor for awakening on a deeper level'. The lyrics have invited similarly varied interpretations вЂ“ as a nature song, a message in support of the Black Power movement, or a love song. Angie recalled that McCartney visited the house and sat at Edith's bedside, where Edith told him that she would listen to a bird singing at night. She said that McCartney wrote it for her elderly mother, Edith Stopforth, who was staying at Jim McCartney's house while recovering from a long illness. In 2018, McCartney further elaborated on the song's meaning, explaining that 'blackbird' should be interpreted as 'black girl', in the context of the civil rights troubles in southern 1960s US.ДЄ third scenario came from the recollection of his stepmother, Angie McCartney. It's not really about a blackbird whose wings are broken, you know, it's a bit more symbolic. I had been doing some 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 вЂ¦ 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. In May 2002, following a show in Dallas, Texas, McCartney discussed the song with KCRW DJ Chris Douridas, saying: In another, he recalls writing it in Scotland as a response to racial tensions escalating in the United States during the spring of 1968. In one of these scenarios, he has said he was inspired by hearing the call of a blackbird one morning when the Beatles were studying Transcendental Meditation in Rishikesh, India. Since composing 'Blackbird' in 1968, McCartney has given various statements regarding both his inspiration for the song and its meaning.

The first night his future wife Linda Eastman stayed at his home, McCartney played 'Blackbird' for the fans camped outside his house. McCartney adapted a segment of the BourrГ©e (reharmonised into the original's relative major key of G) as the opening of 'Blackbird', and carried the musical idea throughout the song. The BourrГ©e is distinguished by melody and bass notes played simultaneously on the upper and lower strings. As teenagers, he and George Harrison tried to learn BourrГ©e as a 'show off' piece. 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 BourrГ©e in E minor, a well-known lute piece, often played on the classical guitar. Problems playing this file? See media help. Mal Evans contributed to the handclapping parts, while background vocals were performed by Yoko Ono and Pattie Harrison.Performed on a lautenwerck by Martha Goldstein I donвЂ™t recall it being anybodyвЂ™s birthday in particular but it might have been, but the other reason for doing it is that, if you have a song that refers to Christmas or a birthday, it adds to the life of the song, if itвЂ™s a good song, because people will pull it out on birthday shows, so I think there was a little bit of that at the back of our minds.вЂќ вЂ“ Paul Family guest musicians So that is 50-50 John and me, made up on the spot and recorded all on the same evening. We said, вЂWeвЂ™ll go to there for a few bars, then weвЂ™ll do this for a few bars.вЂ™ We added some lyrics, then we got the friends who were there to join in on the chorus. вЂњWe thought, вЂWhy not make something up?вЂ™ So we got a riff going and arranged it around this riff. But it was sort of made up in the studio.

I think Paul wanted to write a song like вЂHappy Birthday BabyвЂ™, the old fifties hit.

The beatles birthday song