“I loved bird watching when I was a kid, ’cause I like to be able to get out of the normal stream of life,” Paul McCartney once said. His love of birds is easy to see when you look at his songwriting catalog. He has a glossary of sorts, filled with all manner of feathered friends. Revisit four of McCartney‘s best songs about birds–that aren’t “Blackbird”–below.
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“Bluebird”
While McCartney penned “Blackbird” for the Beatles, he shifted focus to bluebirds while with Wings. The very name of this band suggests McCartney’s love for birds, though that wasn’t necessarily the case (learn how they got the band name, HERE). Regardless, he doubled down on the references to the flight ready animals with this track about the power of love. Late at night when the wind is still / I’ll come flying through your door / And you’ll know what love is for / I’m a bluebird, he sings. A bird is the perfect visual for someone in love. It’s hard to keep your feet on the ground when the feeling kicks in.
“Jenny Wren”
Though “Bluebird” may have a closer title, “Jenny Wren” is more similar to “Blackbird”. Like he does in that famous protest song, McCartney uses the analogy of a bird to explain the trials of someone. In this case, he zeroed in on the plight of a woman who has been beaten down by the world. The day will come, Jenny Wren will sing / When this broken world, mends its foolish ways, he sings. Though McCartney might reach for it too often, a bird analogy does the job each and every time. It creates a powerful and succinct image in the listener’s mind.
“On the Wings of a Nightingale”
“On the Wings of a Nightingale” was recorded by The Everly Brothers, but penned by McCartney. If the bird reference didn’t give that away, the uniquely “McCartney” melody sure will. This simple but effective song compares love to taking flight. So hold my hand / I got a feeling that the journey has just begun / On the wings of a nightingale, the lyrics read. Once again McCartney reached for this familiar tool–and he did so to great success.
(Photo by Jeff Hochberg/Getty Images)
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