The song was written by Paul McCartney and tells the story of a black woman
When you think of social commentary or protest music, you don't think of Paul McCartney with the Beatles . For most of the 1960s, McCartney was writing songs about love like "Yesterday" and "Good Day Sunshine".
However, one of Paul's most famous songs with the Beatles has a political message behind it. The track in question is "Blackbird" from the classic White Album , released in 1968. Paul said he wrote it for a black woman in the American South during the Civil Rights era.
In the song, Paul's message is "keep your faith, there is hope" amidst the oppression of the time.
In an interview, the singer-songwriter revealed that the song has nothing to do with a bird:
“As is very often the case in my songs, there was something more veiled, figurative. So, instead of me talking specifically about a Black woman living in Little Rock and being very specific about it, that woman became a bird, symbolic. So that you can apply it to a specific situation,” he explained.
“Those were days of struggle for civil rights, and we are all immensely concerned about that,” Paul said. “So, this was really a song for the woman who was experiencing all of those problems in the United States. I thought, ‘Let me encourage them to keep trying, and keep their faith, because there is hope.’”.
Reflecting on his career, Paul commented on the satisfaction of writing a song that people ended up interpreting in various ways. When people told him that "Blackbird" encouraged them, he felt very proud.
"It's a unique joy, as a musician, to feel that I'm helping people's lives in some way," says Paul.
“Over the years, I’ve received many letters from people saying, ‘That song really helped me through a terrible time.’ I think the greatest joy of being a musician and being in the Beatles is when you get that feedback and find out that you really helped people.”
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