Talk:Free as a Bird

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Contents

[edit] King

Perhaps it should be noted that King Crimson covered this song in their 2000 live triple album Heavy ConstruKction (surely at the behest of Adrian Belew, a great Beatles admirer). Has the song been covered by anyone else? --Tridentinus 00:24, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] 'The video' section

Some of this reads like original research and speculation. Clearly some of the references to other songs are indisputable but I think it needs a clean-up (or some citations from authoritative sources or people involved in the video's conception). Dave.Dunford 18:45, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

I agree to that. This guy's work here is really impressive, given all those links and references he had to row between; this is a total Beatles' fan, and it's a pity that fans can't hold their neutrality. Some of the references (e.g to One after 909) are obvious, even if they were not talked about publicly before; I too am afraid that it will be hard to find someone with the video's production, so I suggest that we remove only the 'runway' references, which show for plain literary reasons. (Impy4ever 10:08, 13 February 2007 (UTC))
That analysis is seriously impressive but i do believe that the tone needs to be changed just a bit at some places and that some of the notes are a bit of a long-shot. That does not mean i am majourly impressed though.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.202.145.219 (talk) 21:39, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Surely the one after 909 is 910. Although obviously a lot of time went into this bit parts of it are just silly. Someone, please sort out the realistic song references from those that are based on very little..—Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.20.53.165 (talk) 21:57, 21 May 2007 (UTC)
It appears someone removed the entire section some time ago. I'm sure there must be sources out there that have analysed the references in the video. I'm reproducing it here; maybe something can be salvaged. Pawnkingthree (talk) 13:27, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

It begins with the bird flying through a room (the sound of a bird's wings can be heard on "Across the Universe"). The bird is "flying", a "blue jay way", a "blackbird", a bird that "has flown" or a bird that "can sing". It flies over to several old framed photographs of John, Paul, George and Ringo "in their lives" and we also see on the mantelpiece "fly and butterfly" and an "old brown shoe" in front of a picture of George. On the sofa is a cat who is "only sleeping" and perhaps having "golden slumbers" and the bird flies outside and over Liverpool's River Mersey which is a "place they will remember".

John, Paul, George, and Ringo are then seen in the "rain" outside the Liverpool docks with people (possibly Quarrymen) coming from a "hard day's night" of work, and people waiting to see The Beatles play "Some Other Guy" in the Cavern Club, which is guarded by a man in "old flat top". It is followed by a shot of "Strawberry Field" with a "Nowhere Man" wandering around, or perhaps "mother nature's son". Then an empty tree is shown ("No-one I think is in my tree"). There is a very quick shot of a "silver hammer" hardware store and then an 'Egg & Co' van, whom the owner of was (presumably) known as "the egg man".

On the left of the next shot you can see a "barrow in the marketplace", and, on the right, a barber’s shop, which is in "Penny Lane". Children run past "holding hands" and we "see how they run", and the moptop Beatles cross the road, walking past "Mr. Wilson and Mr. Heath". There is also a nurse "selling poppies from a tray" and looking straight ahead as if "she's in a play". There is a sign in a shop window that says, "Help", and the barber who may be "shaving another customer". The window also displays a photo of the Beatles. We also see someone about to "have another cigarette" and woman who may be "Prudence" or "Polythene Pam". Ringo stands in the doorway of a bakery. The camera then pans across a car showing two people making love "in the road" and the later Beatles chatting together, followed by a shop window showing all three of the anthology covers, and then a cake shop window which has a "birthday" cake behind it. The numbers on the cake are "64" ("When I'm 64").

As George walks up to the door of the Apple office the brass sign was changed — on the left — to read "Dr. Robert". The next shot shows a police van and the reflection on its window shows four faces in shadows, from the album With the Beatles.

The shot pans past Ringo with his camera to show someone "in a car crash" that a crowd, including John, is looking at, referencing the song "A Day in the Life". There are also firemen who have a "very clean machine". The camera moves from a "slide (Helter Skelter)" to a view of a kite, which was for "the benefit of Mr. Kite".

In the back alley, we can see a step ladder leading up to a bathroom window, referencing the song "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window", whilst in the back garden/yard some sunflowers are growing "so incredibly high". A group of small children run down the alley wearing masks that make them look like little "piggies" and we "see how they run like pigs from a gun". As the camera pans up and into a room, on the windowpane you can glimpse the sight of a "lizard on a window pane". Inside the room a "paperback writer" is typing near a clock which reads 10:10, which is, logically, "one after 9:09". Ringo is seen in a chair next to a television showing the Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. On the table is a bowl of Granny Smith apples, a box of "savoy truffles" and the "Daily Mail" with the front page headline "4,000 Holes Found In Blackburn, Lancashire". On the floor is "a portrait of the Queen", otherwise known as "Her Majesty", and on the window is a "picture of Chairman Mao".

Outside, a "blue meanie" pops up from "a hole" in the roof, which a man is "fixing". Then, down in the street, a "bulldog" is being walked and a "newspaper taxi" pulls up as a girl walks out of a door. Maybe she is "leaving home" or "for no one". Two people are carrying a large portrait of "Chairman Mao" in the background, which is obviously part of the "revolution". The Blue Meanie is seen again, and apparently he "sleeps in a hole in the road"". In the foreground, John Lennon is "happy just to dance" with Yoko, and far away, you can see a coach passing that is possibly going on a "magical mystery tour"...

The scene changes, and we see a figure dressed in Marsellaise attire (perhaps "all he needs is love?") at the front of a building, which we enter. We see "Bungalow Bill" with "his elephant and gun", and, "in case of accidents, he always took his Mum", who is behind him, as are some Indian servants who "carrying their weight", perhaps suffering because they are "so heavy". The camera moves through the crowd — past Ringo and past an Indian playing a sitar — and we see Brian Epstein putting his scarf on to leave because he "doesn't want to spoil the party". The camera pans over to a bass drum with "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" painted on it. Behind it is a cardboard cutout of James Dean with Stuart Sutcliffe's face on it, which is next to what seems to be the Guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (otherwise known as Sexy Sadie). The bird flies up into the sunshine, so that "here comes the sun".

The graveyard: "Mother Mary" or "Lady Madonna" — a statue — turns her head to face the camera. "Eleanor Rigby's" gravestone is in full shot, and then "Martha" the dog runs across the graveyard, with "Father McKenzie" in the background. Paul is seen dancing like "the fool on the hill", with a girl who is "leaving home", on the road. A "long and winding road" can be seen in the distance.

The shot before last is the "Abbey Road" zebra crossing. A woman, presumably "Lovely Rita, meter maid", is giving a Volkswagen a parking ticket — the same car seen on the cover of "Abbey Road" which fueled the "Paul Is Dead" rumor.

We then see the Beatles from A Hard Day's Night rushing through the corridor to see an actor, playing George Formby, finishing a song on the ukulele (the video depicts a banjo ukelele) on a stage in front of an audience, and Lennon (played backwards) says, "It's turned out nice again", which was Formby's catch-phrase. The curtain falls to signify "the end".

First, I added a border above to make it clear what was copied from a previous version of the article to this talk page.
I am impressed by the work that went into the video section, but like some other editors I thought some of the references are long-shots. More importantly, the analysis would be great content for a fan site, but probably does not belong in an encyclopedia. John Cardinal (talk) 14:08, 28 November 2007 (UTC)
I tend to agree, but the sheer number of allusions to Beatles songs was a big talking point at the time of the video's release. Perhaps a few of the more obvious ones could be put back into the article (properly sourced, of course). Pawnkingthree (talk) 15:00, 28 November 2007 (UTC)
I wouldn't object, especially if it was a subset of the above (more obvious/likely ones) and they were properly sourced. John Cardinal (talk) 15:49, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Chart performance

Great work by andreasedge! But I think there should be a section on this, specifically, the fact that it was held off the no.1 position by Michael Jackson's Earth Song. I remember there were reports that McCartney was particularly disappointed by this, and also there was sniping between EMI and Jackson's record company. Whether I can find sources on the web, or whether I'll have to dig through my old magazines, I don't know! Pawnkingthree (talk) 11:41, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

Go for it, Pawnkingthree. It's up for a GA, but I think there's enough time to put it in. Nice to work with someone else, BTW. --andreasegde (talk) 16:41, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] GA on hold

  • Don't put the audio sample inline at the start, put it in a box somewhere...Y Done
  • "The single was released in December 1995" - get an exact date or don't wlinkY Done
  • "of the video documentary, Anthology " - change "the" to "The Beatles'", and remove commaY Done
  • Lead doesn't cover the entire scope of the article...Y Done (I think...)
  • "for the Anthology project" - italics for album titleY Done
  • The image and quotes in the Origins section clash to create massive white space. Eek...:) Y Done
  • "recorded by Lennon in 1977" - don't wlink yearY Done
  • "The video" (section title) --> "Music video"Y Done
  • "Beatles songs, such as Penny Lane, Paperback Writer, "A Day in the Life", "Eleanor Rigby", and Helter Skelter." - quotation marks for songsY Done
  • "who is seen only" - who --> whichY Done
  • "was premiered on BBC Radio 1[34]" - put ref at end of sentenceY Done
  • "In the US, the song reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100." - needs ref Y Done
  • No more critical commentary on the song? Y Done (A little bit more...)

Note on my talk page when done, as always! dihydrogen monoxide (H20) 08:03, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

Comment - I've checked the ones that we're dealt with. A few comments, though:

  • Rather than changing the "the" to "The Beatles", the Anthology link was unpiped and re-sorted it in the sentence.
  • The ukelele bit was reworded to avoid confusing playing the part of a ukeleler and playing a ukelele (the instrument). Just64helpin (talk) 16:38, 10 March 2008 (UTC)
Passed, nice work all. dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) 22:15, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

I thank you, dihydrogen monoxide. As always, a great review from a well-informed and extremely great reviewer.--andreasegde (talk) 19:11, 14 March 2008 (UTC)