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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)
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)
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".
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)
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:
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)
This needs to be changed. It is not a "Lennon/McCartney" song. The official credit as given in the Anthology 1 booklet is "original composition by John Lennon. Beatles version by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr." I realise this is cumbersome to put in an infobox but what we have now is not accurate. (The anon edit recently reverted as "dubious" was in fact correct.)-- Pawnkingthree ( talk) 11:16, 19 August 2010 (UTC)
I recently corrected the opening sentence to read, ""Free as a Bird" is a song written by
John Lennon and later released as a record under the name
The Beatles." This replaced the sentence, ""Free as a Bird" is a song performed by
The Beatles.", which is not true, since the band ceased to exist in 1970. To say that it was released under the name 'The Beatles' is correct; "performed" is not correct in this context. Of course, our
pointy friend
Uniplex reverted it since it conflicts with his
much-discussed sorely mistaken belief that The Beatles were active as a band during the period 1994-96.
Radiopathy
•talk• 18:17, 25 October 2011 (UTC)
*Free as a Bird" is a song written by John Lennon and later released as a record under the name The Beatles.
*Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed by John Lennon and later released as a record under the name The Beatles.
Reaching a consensus in such a small length of time is not good, especially when it's been done overnight in much of the world. Quite simply, the version of the song on this single - and it's the single we're talking about - was not written by John Lennon. I'm happy to agree that neither was it performed by "The Beatles" in a technical sense, but it was released under that name. Can everyone please drop their pre-conceived notions so we can work on something that will be acceptable to us all, please? Absconded Northerner ( talk) 06:13, 26 October 2011 (UTC)
I don't care for "credited to". It sounds like our article is trying to make a point about whether or not this record really counts as the Beatles. That's not an issue for Wikipedia's editors to decide. IMHO, just keep is simple and drop this phrase. A Quest For Knowledge ( talk) 09:54, 26 October 2011 (UTC)
I don't like DocKino's rewrite either, sorry. As mentioned above, "credited to the Beatles" is not a neutral tone, as to me it reads too much like, "well, it says the Beatles on the cover but we all know it's not really the Beatles" and this is inappropriate. The objectors to the original sentence might have more of a point if it had been released as "Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr" or "The Threeatles" or something but it was released as a Beatles single and therefore there is nothing wrong with "a single performed by The Beatles" (or if the word "performed" is so objectionable, then just "a single by The Beatles". Keep it simple, as Quest For Knowledge says. No need to tie ourselves up in knots with "credited to", "under the name of" etc.-- Pawnkingthree ( talk) 10:57, 26 October 2011 (UTC)
The first thing the lead is supposed to do is establish what the subject of the article is, and why it's notable. This shouldn't be difficult: it's effectively a one line summary of the the article—one need only look at the article to determine its most significant aspects. If the article discusses a significant controversy, no problem, the word "controversial" can be used in the lead sentence to reflect this. Uniplex ( talk) 13:09, 26 October 2011 (UTC)
Well, I didn't think it would be all this! I agree that consensus can't have been reached this soon.
I go back to DCGeist's suggestion at the beginning of the discussion, that Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed by John Lennon and later released as a record under the name The Beatles is the best way to open the article. Lennon most certainly did compose the bulk of the song, and the finished version was indeed released under the name 'The Beatles'. It doesn't have to all be dissected in the lead. Radiopathy •talk• 00:13, 27 October 2011 (UTC)
*Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed by John Lennon; a version incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a Beatles single on 4 December 1995.
*Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed by John Lennon in 1977; a version incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a Beatles single on 4 December 1995.
— GabeMc ( talk) 04:37, 29 October 2011 (UTC)
*Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed by John Lennon in 1977; a version incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a Beatles single on 4 December 1995.
"See anything wrong with it?" Yes, the sentence implies that the song's notability stems from both the Lennon version and the Beatles version, and probably more from the Lennon version as it is mentioned first. Checking a couple of the sources, both the Guardian and MacDonald spend about 95% of their articles discussing the Beatles version: the Lennon version is mentioned only as background information. In this respect, the lead seems balanced as is, with the second paragraph giving the background on the Lennon demo—where is the justification, from an NPOV perspective, to suddenly push this up to be the primary clause of the lead sentence? Uniplex ( talk) 19:08, 29 October 2011 (UTC)
@Uniplex, my point about writers in the Guardian article mentioning "John's voice" is simple, I contend that in fact, the most notable aspect of the Beatles release of "Free as a Bird", is John Lennon's voice on the recording, which has as it's source, the original demo he made in 1977. It certainly isn't Harrison ripping off "Sleepwalk", or McCartney ripping off the Shangrilas, or Ringo's generic 4/4 drumming. Whether or not Lennon's version was notable pre-1994 is irrelevant, because it certainly is now, and has been for over 16 years. As far as your comment, " ... the next thing you'll do ... ", you're extrapolating, and I have no intention of removing the infobox, how silly. Mentioning the original writer of a song, when properly sourced, is not POV pushing per se, it's merely stating the notable, and verifiable facts about the composition. The official credit for "FAAB" as given in the Anthology 1 booklet is, " ... original composition by John Lennon. Beatles version by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr." That's straight from the Beatles Anthology, so why did they print, " ... the original composition by John Lennon."? Per your comment: " ... that other Beatles songs include a writing credit in the lead sentence is often also POV, the result of fanboys making sure that every ounce of their favourite Beatle's contribution to the authorship of a song is the first thing that the reader sees—regardless of how secondary sources treat the significance of this aspect of the subject." Again, this is your opinion, and if you read the entire lede for Yesterday, you will find that it also states: "'Yesterday' ... was the first official recording by The Beatles that relied upon a performance by a single member of the band, Paul McCartney.", and, "Although credited to "Lennon/McCartney", the song was written solely by McCartney." This is not pointy, it is a well know fact that McCartney wrote "Yesterday" without any assistance from Lennon. So why deprive the reader of this valuable and notable fact? At any rate, "FAAB" is different, as Lennon wrote the demo in 1977 when a) when he wasn't in a band called the Beatles, and b) without any assistance from other ex-Beatles. Per your comment: " ... regardless of how secondary sources treat the significance of this aspect of the subject." I'm confused, as many, many secondary sources do in fact differentiate the primary composers of Lennon-McCartney songs, blanket writing credits aside. Wiki is an encyclopedia, that includes notable and verifiable information about the subjects of it's articles, not ASCAP, or some other publishing credit database. If it is verifiable through secondary sources that McCartney wrote "Yesterday" himself, or Lennon wrote "Julia" himself, or that they collaborated on "A Day In The Life" then Wiki should describe this, and we need not be slavish to the blanket Lennon/McCartney writing credit.
How about this as a lede:
*Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed, and recorded in demo form by John Lennon in 1977; a finished studio version incorporating additional instrumentation, voices, and arrangements from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a single by The Beatles on 4 December 1995.
This incorporates language from both the Beatles: Anthology 1 booklet, and the official Apple Press release concerning the Anthology. It also clearly states that the song began as a Lennon demo, and ended up as a "finished" Beatles single. This version avoids the contentious claim that all four musicians on the record were in fact in a band called the Beatles when they recorded their parts, but still clearly states that "FAAB" is a Beatles single. — GabeMc ( talk) 22:55, 30 October 2011 (UTC)
"Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed, and recorded in demo form by John Lennon in 1977; a version incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a single by The Beatles on 4 December 1995.
"Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed, and recorded in home demo form by John Lennon in 1977; a studio version incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a single by The Beatles on 4 December 1995.
"Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed, and recorded as a home demo by John Lennon in 1977; a studio version of the recording incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a single by The Beatles on 4 December 1995.
The lead section (also known as the introduction, lead, or lede[1]) of a Wikipedia article is the section before the table of contents and the first heading. The lead serves as an introduction to the article and a summary of its most important aspects.
The lead should be able to stand alone as a concise overview. It should define the topic, establish context, explain why the topic is interesting or notable, and summarize the most important points—including any prominent controversies. The emphasis given to material in the lead should roughly reflect its importance to the topic, according to reliable, published sources, and the notability of the article's subject is usually established in the first few sentences. Significant information should not appear in the lead if it is not covered in the remainder of the article.
While consideration should be given to creating interest in reading more of the article, the lead should nevertheless not "tease" the reader by hinting at—but not explaining—important facts that will appear later in the article. The lead should contain no more than four paragraphs, be carefully sourced as appropriate, and be written in a clear, accessible style with a neutral point of view to invite a reading of the full article. (emphasis added)
I think enough time has been spent discussing this, lets take a vote, and see where we stand. Voters: Please read the back of the actual Beatles single, it reads as follows: "Free As A Bird": "Original Compostion by John Lennon, Beatles version by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr". I propose we change the lede sentence:
"Free as a Bird" is a song performed by The Beatles."
"Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed and recorded in 1977 as a home demo by John Lennon. On 4 December 1995, a studio version of the recording incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a single by The Beatles.
— GabeMc ( talk) 02:58, 1 November 2011 (UTC)
"Free as a Bird" is a song released by The Beatles as a single on 4 Dec 1995. Originally composed, and recorded in 1977 as a home demo by John Lennon alone, the released studio version of the recording incorporates contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
but only if it quickly gets consensus and doesn't drag things out. --John ( User:Jwy/ talk) 04:22, 1 November 2011 (UTC)
GabeMc, what is the impetus for your change? The demo is already adequately covered in the 2nd para of the lead. The article clearly treats the demo as a small part of the background info: the bulk of the article (recording, structure, video, charts, reception) and its associated sources are about the Beatles song. WP is not a democracy—if at all possible, we follow the sources, and consensus is judged according to adherence to policy. Where are the sources that lead with the Lennon demo? Let's look at at a typical treatment of the song in a modern work The Rough Guide To Rock, 2003:
Neither the demo, nor the writers' credit are even mentioned. The key notable aspects are "Beatles", "reunion", "top 10", "dirge", "cynical"; editors opinions on this (and yours above on the word "dirge" in particular) are irrelevant; as an encyclopedia, we follow the sources. Uniplex ( talk) 08:10, 1 November 2011 (UTC)
Comment - I think it's a bit wordy for the lead; the article body breaks it down very nicely. I still prefer, "*Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed by John Lennon in 1977; a version incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a Beatles single on 4 December 1995." Radiopathy •talk• 22:59, 1 November 2011 (UTC)
GabeMc, despite your claims otherwise, " WP is not a democracy"— this is policy, specifically in place to keep fanboys/POV-pushers at bay; guidelines note that straw-polls might be used in exceptional circumstances to help reveal discussion points upon which to build the actual consensus, which is determined by an argument's adherence to policy (in particular N/V/NPOV). "That passage you posted from The Rough Guide To Rock, is 99% the writers personal opinion."—it's 100% more significant than your personal opinion. That WP prefers authors' opinions to those of editors is fundamental to how it works. Only when authors' opinions differ do we need involve editor opinion. We're still waiting for you to come up with sources that lead with the Lennon demo, seeing as NPOV concerns have been raised by a number of editors, a simple and reasonable request. Uniplex ( talk) 06:34, 2 November 2011 (UTC)
@Uniplex, per your comment: " ... when you've considered about half a dozen (sources) or so you've probably got enough from which to draw a conclusion."
Now that the new lede is in place, I wanted to address some concerns raised by more than one editor during the previous consensus discussion. Not wanting to ignore their questions, let's discuss it, which is least contentious and most verifiable: "released as a single by The Beatles" or "released as a Beatles single"? — GabeMc ( talk) 03:14, 5 November 2011 (UTC)
The instrument in the video looks like a Surbahar rather than a sitar. — goethean ॐ 18:57, 9 April 2012 (UTC)
A few tags (original research and unreliable source) here that look valid. It cannot be a Good article while these tags are present. Can someone try and fix this so it can keep its GA status. AIRcorn (talk) 08:00, 27 October 2012 (UTC)
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I cannot help but hear what I hear. I have heard over time many songs remade or borrowed by other artists sometimes unintentionally, sometime on purpose. As Bono sings "Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief", I understand we don't always understand where our inspirations come from. Being a composer I must always be careful to constantly re-listen to my inner library to be sure I'm not copying anyone too much. I don't mind inspiration and creation but outright copy? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.102.89.196 ( talk) 04:04, 29 March 2016 (UTC)
ISTR that George Martin said in interview that the Beatles never asked him. I also recall Paul saying that because of George Martin's hearing problem, they didn't ask him and that George had suggested Jeff Lynne. If I can find the reference, I'll modify the article. Apepper ( talk) 17:38, 29 August 2021 (UTC)
Alan randall played the uke banjo at the end of free as a bird and not george harrison 31.94.30.83 ( talk) 18:35, 22 April 2024 (UTC)
This is the
talk page for discussing improvements to the
Free as a Bird article. This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject. |
Article policies
|
Find sources: Google ( books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL |
Consensus per this RfC closure and this RfM closure is to use "the Beatles" mid-sentence. |
Free as a Bird has been listed as one of the Music good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do so. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it. | ||||||||||
|
This article is rated GA-class on Wikipedia's
content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
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)
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)
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".
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)
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:
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)
This needs to be changed. It is not a "Lennon/McCartney" song. The official credit as given in the Anthology 1 booklet is "original composition by John Lennon. Beatles version by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr." I realise this is cumbersome to put in an infobox but what we have now is not accurate. (The anon edit recently reverted as "dubious" was in fact correct.)-- Pawnkingthree ( talk) 11:16, 19 August 2010 (UTC)
I recently corrected the opening sentence to read, ""Free as a Bird" is a song written by
John Lennon and later released as a record under the name
The Beatles." This replaced the sentence, ""Free as a Bird" is a song performed by
The Beatles.", which is not true, since the band ceased to exist in 1970. To say that it was released under the name 'The Beatles' is correct; "performed" is not correct in this context. Of course, our
pointy friend
Uniplex reverted it since it conflicts with his
much-discussed sorely mistaken belief that The Beatles were active as a band during the period 1994-96.
Radiopathy
•talk• 18:17, 25 October 2011 (UTC)
*Free as a Bird" is a song written by John Lennon and later released as a record under the name The Beatles.
*Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed by John Lennon and later released as a record under the name The Beatles.
Reaching a consensus in such a small length of time is not good, especially when it's been done overnight in much of the world. Quite simply, the version of the song on this single - and it's the single we're talking about - was not written by John Lennon. I'm happy to agree that neither was it performed by "The Beatles" in a technical sense, but it was released under that name. Can everyone please drop their pre-conceived notions so we can work on something that will be acceptable to us all, please? Absconded Northerner ( talk) 06:13, 26 October 2011 (UTC)
I don't care for "credited to". It sounds like our article is trying to make a point about whether or not this record really counts as the Beatles. That's not an issue for Wikipedia's editors to decide. IMHO, just keep is simple and drop this phrase. A Quest For Knowledge ( talk) 09:54, 26 October 2011 (UTC)
I don't like DocKino's rewrite either, sorry. As mentioned above, "credited to the Beatles" is not a neutral tone, as to me it reads too much like, "well, it says the Beatles on the cover but we all know it's not really the Beatles" and this is inappropriate. The objectors to the original sentence might have more of a point if it had been released as "Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr" or "The Threeatles" or something but it was released as a Beatles single and therefore there is nothing wrong with "a single performed by The Beatles" (or if the word "performed" is so objectionable, then just "a single by The Beatles". Keep it simple, as Quest For Knowledge says. No need to tie ourselves up in knots with "credited to", "under the name of" etc.-- Pawnkingthree ( talk) 10:57, 26 October 2011 (UTC)
The first thing the lead is supposed to do is establish what the subject of the article is, and why it's notable. This shouldn't be difficult: it's effectively a one line summary of the the article—one need only look at the article to determine its most significant aspects. If the article discusses a significant controversy, no problem, the word "controversial" can be used in the lead sentence to reflect this. Uniplex ( talk) 13:09, 26 October 2011 (UTC)
Well, I didn't think it would be all this! I agree that consensus can't have been reached this soon.
I go back to DCGeist's suggestion at the beginning of the discussion, that Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed by John Lennon and later released as a record under the name The Beatles is the best way to open the article. Lennon most certainly did compose the bulk of the song, and the finished version was indeed released under the name 'The Beatles'. It doesn't have to all be dissected in the lead. Radiopathy •talk• 00:13, 27 October 2011 (UTC)
*Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed by John Lennon; a version incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a Beatles single on 4 December 1995.
*Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed by John Lennon in 1977; a version incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a Beatles single on 4 December 1995.
— GabeMc ( talk) 04:37, 29 October 2011 (UTC)
*Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed by John Lennon in 1977; a version incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a Beatles single on 4 December 1995.
"See anything wrong with it?" Yes, the sentence implies that the song's notability stems from both the Lennon version and the Beatles version, and probably more from the Lennon version as it is mentioned first. Checking a couple of the sources, both the Guardian and MacDonald spend about 95% of their articles discussing the Beatles version: the Lennon version is mentioned only as background information. In this respect, the lead seems balanced as is, with the second paragraph giving the background on the Lennon demo—where is the justification, from an NPOV perspective, to suddenly push this up to be the primary clause of the lead sentence? Uniplex ( talk) 19:08, 29 October 2011 (UTC)
@Uniplex, my point about writers in the Guardian article mentioning "John's voice" is simple, I contend that in fact, the most notable aspect of the Beatles release of "Free as a Bird", is John Lennon's voice on the recording, which has as it's source, the original demo he made in 1977. It certainly isn't Harrison ripping off "Sleepwalk", or McCartney ripping off the Shangrilas, or Ringo's generic 4/4 drumming. Whether or not Lennon's version was notable pre-1994 is irrelevant, because it certainly is now, and has been for over 16 years. As far as your comment, " ... the next thing you'll do ... ", you're extrapolating, and I have no intention of removing the infobox, how silly. Mentioning the original writer of a song, when properly sourced, is not POV pushing per se, it's merely stating the notable, and verifiable facts about the composition. The official credit for "FAAB" as given in the Anthology 1 booklet is, " ... original composition by John Lennon. Beatles version by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr." That's straight from the Beatles Anthology, so why did they print, " ... the original composition by John Lennon."? Per your comment: " ... that other Beatles songs include a writing credit in the lead sentence is often also POV, the result of fanboys making sure that every ounce of their favourite Beatle's contribution to the authorship of a song is the first thing that the reader sees—regardless of how secondary sources treat the significance of this aspect of the subject." Again, this is your opinion, and if you read the entire lede for Yesterday, you will find that it also states: "'Yesterday' ... was the first official recording by The Beatles that relied upon a performance by a single member of the band, Paul McCartney.", and, "Although credited to "Lennon/McCartney", the song was written solely by McCartney." This is not pointy, it is a well know fact that McCartney wrote "Yesterday" without any assistance from Lennon. So why deprive the reader of this valuable and notable fact? At any rate, "FAAB" is different, as Lennon wrote the demo in 1977 when a) when he wasn't in a band called the Beatles, and b) without any assistance from other ex-Beatles. Per your comment: " ... regardless of how secondary sources treat the significance of this aspect of the subject." I'm confused, as many, many secondary sources do in fact differentiate the primary composers of Lennon-McCartney songs, blanket writing credits aside. Wiki is an encyclopedia, that includes notable and verifiable information about the subjects of it's articles, not ASCAP, or some other publishing credit database. If it is verifiable through secondary sources that McCartney wrote "Yesterday" himself, or Lennon wrote "Julia" himself, or that they collaborated on "A Day In The Life" then Wiki should describe this, and we need not be slavish to the blanket Lennon/McCartney writing credit.
How about this as a lede:
*Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed, and recorded in demo form by John Lennon in 1977; a finished studio version incorporating additional instrumentation, voices, and arrangements from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a single by The Beatles on 4 December 1995.
This incorporates language from both the Beatles: Anthology 1 booklet, and the official Apple Press release concerning the Anthology. It also clearly states that the song began as a Lennon demo, and ended up as a "finished" Beatles single. This version avoids the contentious claim that all four musicians on the record were in fact in a band called the Beatles when they recorded their parts, but still clearly states that "FAAB" is a Beatles single. — GabeMc ( talk) 22:55, 30 October 2011 (UTC)
"Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed, and recorded in demo form by John Lennon in 1977; a version incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a single by The Beatles on 4 December 1995.
"Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed, and recorded in home demo form by John Lennon in 1977; a studio version incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a single by The Beatles on 4 December 1995.
"Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed, and recorded as a home demo by John Lennon in 1977; a studio version of the recording incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a single by The Beatles on 4 December 1995.
The lead section (also known as the introduction, lead, or lede[1]) of a Wikipedia article is the section before the table of contents and the first heading. The lead serves as an introduction to the article and a summary of its most important aspects.
The lead should be able to stand alone as a concise overview. It should define the topic, establish context, explain why the topic is interesting or notable, and summarize the most important points—including any prominent controversies. The emphasis given to material in the lead should roughly reflect its importance to the topic, according to reliable, published sources, and the notability of the article's subject is usually established in the first few sentences. Significant information should not appear in the lead if it is not covered in the remainder of the article.
While consideration should be given to creating interest in reading more of the article, the lead should nevertheless not "tease" the reader by hinting at—but not explaining—important facts that will appear later in the article. The lead should contain no more than four paragraphs, be carefully sourced as appropriate, and be written in a clear, accessible style with a neutral point of view to invite a reading of the full article. (emphasis added)
I think enough time has been spent discussing this, lets take a vote, and see where we stand. Voters: Please read the back of the actual Beatles single, it reads as follows: "Free As A Bird": "Original Compostion by John Lennon, Beatles version by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr". I propose we change the lede sentence:
"Free as a Bird" is a song performed by The Beatles."
"Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed and recorded in 1977 as a home demo by John Lennon. On 4 December 1995, a studio version of the recording incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a single by The Beatles.
— GabeMc ( talk) 02:58, 1 November 2011 (UTC)
"Free as a Bird" is a song released by The Beatles as a single on 4 Dec 1995. Originally composed, and recorded in 1977 as a home demo by John Lennon alone, the released studio version of the recording incorporates contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
but only if it quickly gets consensus and doesn't drag things out. --John ( User:Jwy/ talk) 04:22, 1 November 2011 (UTC)
GabeMc, what is the impetus for your change? The demo is already adequately covered in the 2nd para of the lead. The article clearly treats the demo as a small part of the background info: the bulk of the article (recording, structure, video, charts, reception) and its associated sources are about the Beatles song. WP is not a democracy—if at all possible, we follow the sources, and consensus is judged according to adherence to policy. Where are the sources that lead with the Lennon demo? Let's look at at a typical treatment of the song in a modern work The Rough Guide To Rock, 2003:
Neither the demo, nor the writers' credit are even mentioned. The key notable aspects are "Beatles", "reunion", "top 10", "dirge", "cynical"; editors opinions on this (and yours above on the word "dirge" in particular) are irrelevant; as an encyclopedia, we follow the sources. Uniplex ( talk) 08:10, 1 November 2011 (UTC)
Comment - I think it's a bit wordy for the lead; the article body breaks it down very nicely. I still prefer, "*Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed by John Lennon in 1977; a version incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a Beatles single on 4 December 1995." Radiopathy •talk• 22:59, 1 November 2011 (UTC)
GabeMc, despite your claims otherwise, " WP is not a democracy"— this is policy, specifically in place to keep fanboys/POV-pushers at bay; guidelines note that straw-polls might be used in exceptional circumstances to help reveal discussion points upon which to build the actual consensus, which is determined by an argument's adherence to policy (in particular N/V/NPOV). "That passage you posted from The Rough Guide To Rock, is 99% the writers personal opinion."—it's 100% more significant than your personal opinion. That WP prefers authors' opinions to those of editors is fundamental to how it works. Only when authors' opinions differ do we need involve editor opinion. We're still waiting for you to come up with sources that lead with the Lennon demo, seeing as NPOV concerns have been raised by a number of editors, a simple and reasonable request. Uniplex ( talk) 06:34, 2 November 2011 (UTC)
@Uniplex, per your comment: " ... when you've considered about half a dozen (sources) or so you've probably got enough from which to draw a conclusion."
Now that the new lede is in place, I wanted to address some concerns raised by more than one editor during the previous consensus discussion. Not wanting to ignore their questions, let's discuss it, which is least contentious and most verifiable: "released as a single by The Beatles" or "released as a Beatles single"? — GabeMc ( talk) 03:14, 5 November 2011 (UTC)
The instrument in the video looks like a Surbahar rather than a sitar. — goethean ॐ 18:57, 9 April 2012 (UTC)
A few tags (original research and unreliable source) here that look valid. It cannot be a Good article while these tags are present. Can someone try and fix this so it can keep its GA status. AIRcorn (talk) 08:00, 27 October 2012 (UTC)
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Cheers.— cyberbot II Talk to my owner:Online 23:49, 29 February 2016 (UTC)
I cannot help but hear what I hear. I have heard over time many songs remade or borrowed by other artists sometimes unintentionally, sometime on purpose. As Bono sings "Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief", I understand we don't always understand where our inspirations come from. Being a composer I must always be careful to constantly re-listen to my inner library to be sure I'm not copying anyone too much. I don't mind inspiration and creation but outright copy? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.102.89.196 ( talk) 04:04, 29 March 2016 (UTC)
ISTR that George Martin said in interview that the Beatles never asked him. I also recall Paul saying that because of George Martin's hearing problem, they didn't ask him and that George had suggested Jeff Lynne. If I can find the reference, I'll modify the article. Apepper ( talk) 17:38, 29 August 2021 (UTC)
Alan randall played the uke banjo at the end of free as a bird and not george harrison 31.94.30.83 ( talk) 18:35, 22 April 2024 (UTC)