Kalpana Kalpana (Editor)

And Your Bird Can Sing

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Published
  
Northern Songs

Length
  
2:01

Released
  
5 August 1966

Label
  
Parlophone

Recorded
  
26 April 1966, EMI Studios, London

Genre
  
Power pop, psychedelic pop

"And Your Bird Can Sing" is a song by the Beatles, released on their 1966 album Revolver in the United Kingdom and on Yesterday...and Today in the United States. The song was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Paul McCartney stated that he helped on the lyrics, but attributed the song "80–20" to Lennon. The working title was "You Don't Get Me". Lennon was later dismissive of the track, as he was of many of his compositions at the time, referring to it as "another of my throwaways ... fancy paper around an empty box".

Contents

History

The song is memorable for its extended dual-guitar melody, played by George Harrison and Paul McCartney. A version of the track featuring Harrison on his Rickenbacker 360/12 12-string electric guitar was recorded on 20 April 1966 but was scrapped; the group recorded the regular, released version on 26 April. The rejected version, heard on the Anthology 2 album, features a vocal track on which Lennon and McCartney are giggling hysterically. The Anthology liner notes state that the tapes do not indicate the source of the laughter.

A few incidents have been suggested as inspirations for the song's cryptic lyrics, which recall in tone those of "She Said She Said":

  • In his a 2007 book, Can't Buy Me Love, Jonathan Gould claims that Lennon wrote the song in response to an official press release promoting a Sinatra TV special as a show for those who were "tired of kid singers wearing mops of hair thick enough to hide a crate of melons".
  • According to journalist Richard Simpson, Lennon wrote the song in response to Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones boasting about his pop-star girlfriend ("bird" in English slang) Marianne Faithfull.
  • The line "You say you've seen seven wonders" may refer to the night the Beatles smoked pot with Bob Dylan in New York in 1964. The experience caused a stoned McCartney to pronounce excitedly that what he had just learned was the key to life: "There are seven levels."

    • "And Your Bird Can Sing" was used as the theme song of the Beatles' cartoon series during its third season. The song is playable in the music video game The Beatles: Rock Band. In October 2008, Guitar World magazine ranked Harrison's playing on the song at number 69 on its list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Solos".

    Personnel

  • John Lennon – lead vocal, rhythm guitar, handclaps
  • Paul McCartney – harmony vocal, bass, lead guitar, handclaps
  • George Harrison – harmony vocal, lead guitar, handclaps
  • Ringo Starr – drums, tambourine, handclaps
    • Personnel per Ian McDonald, except as noted.

    Cover versions

    Spanky and Our Gang were the first to cover this song in the same year and even released it as their first single, which failed to chart. The Flamin' Groovies recorded it as a demo for their never finished 4th Sire LP, eventually released on "The Gold Star Tapes" (1984). The Jam covered this song as a B-side. The Georgia-based band Guadalcanal Diary also covered this song, released as a CD bonus track on their 1987 album 2X4. Jack Black used its opening riff for inspiration in a fight against Satan at each show of the Tenacious D 2006–2007 Tour. Les Fradkin has a snappy instrumental version on his 2005 CD "While My Guitar Only Plays". Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs covered the song for their 2006 collaboration Under the Covers, Vol. 1. In 2009, Chicago-based Chiptune / NES-Rock band I Fight Dragons released a cover as a mp3 download to subscribers of their mailing list. Helmet released their version of this track on their 2010 album Seeing Eye Dog. Swedish rock group Gyllene Tider recorded a Swedish version titled Och jorden den är rund (And Earth is round) on an EP which was included with their LP album Moderna Tider from 1981.

    References

    And Your Bird Can Sing Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA