"Bluebird" is a song written by Paul and

Linda McCartney Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney ( Eastman; September 24, 1941 – April 17, 1998) was an American photographer, musician, animal rights activist, vegetarian cookbook author and advocate, and entrepreneur. She was the keyboardist in th ...

and originally performed by the British rock band Wings, released on their 1973 album ''

Band on the Run ''Band on the Run'' is the third studio album by the British–American rock band Paul McCartney and Wings, released in December 1973. It was McCartney's fifth album after leaving the Beatles in April 1970. Although sales were modest initially ...

''. According to author John Blaney, it was written during a vacation in Jamaica. However, author Vincent Benitez claims the song was written as early as 1970 or 1971, noting that Paul and Linda sang the song during a live interview in New York City in 1971. In

Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

it was also released as the B-side of the " Mrs. Vandebilt" single.

Recording and music

"Bluebird" was reportedly composed by McCartney in 1971, during his holiday in Jamaica. Although much of the ''Band on the Run'' album was recorded in Lagos, Nigeria in August and September 1973, "Bluebird" was completed later in 1973 at AIR Studios in London. The percussionist on the song, Remi Kabaka, was from Lagos but happened to be in London when the song was being recorded. One highlight of the song is a saxophone solo played by session musician Howie Casey. Casey repeated his solo during the Wings Over the World tour in 1975 and 1976. Other musical elements of the song include

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

s and calypso-like percussion.

Lyrics and chords

In the lyrics, Paul McCartney compares himself in love to a bluebird. The opening lyrics are: Blaney interprets the bluebird as "a metaphor for the transcendent power of love and the liberation of the human spirit from mental and physical bondage". Benitez regards the bluebird as a metaphor for love itself - love that is the only source of transcendent freedom. The song describes the singer's revitalization after having been upset at the beginning of the song. Jon Landau describes the song as "a simple love song" but sees in its "flying"

motif Motif may refer to: General concepts * Motif (chess composition), an element of a move in the consideration of its purpose * Motif (folkloristics), a recurring element that creates recognizable patterns in folklore and folk-art traditions * Moti ...

a continuation of the theme of escape that runs throughout the ''Band on the Run'' album. The singer tells his lover that when he, as a bluebird, kisses her she can also become a bluebird, at which point they become absolutely free. The song is in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

of F major although it sounds like it is in E-flat major due to the way the guitars are tuned. The

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the vi ...

is simply a rhythmic chart based on the phrase "I'm a Bluebird" sung by McCartney with Linda and Denny Laine providing

harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

. Benitez states about the music that "the

harmonic A harmonic is a wave with a frequency that is a positive integer multiple of the ''fundamental frequency'', the frequency of the original periodic signal, such as a sinusoidal wave. The original signal is also called the ''1st harmonic'', the ...

schemes of

verse Verse may refer to: Poetry * Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry * Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza * Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme * Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict me ...

and

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

strongly suggest that the text of each verse raises a question, only to be answered by each chorus through its exclamations of being a bluebird."

Reception

Donald Guarisco of AllMusic describes "Bluebird" as "a simple bit of acoustic pop that overflows with hooks thanks to a slick arrangement" and "a delightful, breezy pop tune". '' NME'' critics Roy Carr and Tony Tyler commented that McCartney's "lightweight touch ... works superbly on 'Bluebird'" and likened it to " Blackbird" from the Beatles' self-titled double album (also known as the "White Album"). Paul McCartney & Wings (with Joe English and Jimmy McCulloch) recorded "Bluebird" along with an apology to Japanese fans for their being unable to tour in Japan after he was denied entry into the country. An incomplete version of the video was included with the 25th Anniversary Edition of ''Band on the Run'', and a longer version (including the apology) was included on the 2001 documentary ''Wingspan – An Intimate Portrait''. In 2017 '' Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked "Bluebird" as McCartney's 14th greatest post-Beatles song, stating that it "features a bittersweet melody only McCartney could have written, carried along by guitar that lilts like Brazilian

bossa nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...

and soft-touch percussion from Nigerian instrumentalist Remi Kabaka".

Personnel

* Paul McCartney – lead vocals,

, bass guitar *

– harmony vocals * Denny Laine – harmony vocals, acoustic guitar * Howie Casey – tenor saxophone * Remi Kabaka – percussion

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bluebird (Paul McCartney and Wings song) 1973 songs Paul McCartney songs Paul McCartney and Wings songs Songs written by Paul McCartney Songs written by Linda McCartney Song recordings produced by Paul McCartney Music published by MPL Music Publishing