First Post! Song of the Day: "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"

Welcome to the Song of the Day blog! This will not be your typical "SOTD" because I'm not your typical music fan. Here I will pick a song, from any genre, give you a background on the artist, on the song, on the album, etc etc, complete with links, videos, pictures and interesting tidbits maybe you didn't know.

So enough about me, on to the choice.



For the first SOTD.....


"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"
The Beatles
Written By: Lennon/McCartney
Rubber Soul
Released: December 3, 1965

If you don't know any thing about the Beatles (in which case you should just stop calling yourself a music fan altogether) this is a great song and album to listen to. For the history of the Beatles, this album is their turning point creatively.

Prior to Rubber Soul, the Beatles were the happy-go-lucky-aw-shucks-I-wanna-hold-your-hand pop band. And from 1962-1964, that was OK. But as many people know, times they where-a-changing in 1963 (See: JFK assassination and Civil Rights). You have to think that Bob Dylan was coming up and leading the folk movement, Ethnic music was becoming mainstream (Motown, Stax, Atlantic records). That happy-go-lucky nonsense was getting outdated and the Beatles never liked to be outdated.

That brings me to the song of the day, Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown). The song itself is nothing out of the ordinary, when looking back at the Beatles' catalogue, but it marks a time of important creativity for them. First off, can you say goodbye to bubble gum pop?

Just look at the lyrics!

I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me
She showed me her room, isn't it good, Norwegian wood?
She asked me to stay and she told me to sit anywhere
So I looked around and I noticed there wasn't a chair.
I sat on a rug, biding my time, drinking her wine,
We talked until two and then she said, "It's time for bed"
She told me she worked in the morning and started to laugh.
I told her I didn't and crawled off to sleep in the bath
And when I awoke, I was alone, this bird had flown
So I lit a fire, isn't it good, Norwegian wood.

At this point in their career, this was dark. (Hell, this isn't even the darkest song on the album. Check out "Run For Your Life.") This was 1965! The guy goes back to a girl's house, she doesn't put out, and he burns the place down! How many times has that happened, right fellas? But we don't burn her house down, we might just steal some cash...

Interesting Tidbit: This song also features George Harrison on the Sitar, which gives the solos that swanky feeling. This was their first in many songs influenced by their fascination with Hare Krishna and Indian culture.

Interesting Tidbit #2: Paul and John said this song was a bout a lesbian. But George Martin, their Producer, later confirmed by John, said the inspiration for the lyrics came from John having extra-marital affairs with his then wife, Cynthia. John you sly fox, you.

So after three years of intense touring, recording, movie making, and signing pictures for crazy teenage fans, John, Paul, George and Ringo were exhausted. They spent the next six months after recording Rubber Soul to reflect and explore. Their next effort, Revolver was another totally different album, and their direction became way more apparent.

Click here for more info on the song. Also here, here and here

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