A-side "Mrs Vandebilt" Format 7" single Genre Soft rock, jazz rock | Released 28 January 1974 Recorded September 1973 Length 3:24 | |
"Bluebird" is a song credited to Paul and Linda McCartney that was originally released on the Wings' album Band on the Run. According to author John Blaney, it was written during a vacation in Jamaica. However, author Vincent Benitz 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 it was also released as the B-side of the "Mrs Vandebilt" single.
Contents
Recording and music
"Bluebird" was probably composed by McCartney in 1971, during his vacation 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. However, the percussionist on the song, Remi Kebaka, 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 guitars and calypso-like percussion.
Lyrics and chords
In the lyrics, Paul McCartney compares himself in love to a bluebird. The opening lyrics are:
Late at night when the wind is stillI’ll come flying through your doorAnd you’ll know what love is forI’m a bluebirdThe refrain is simply a rhythmic chart based on the phrase "I'm a Bluebird" sung by McCartney with Linda and Denny Laine providing harmony. 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 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 of F major although it sounds like it is in E-flat major due to the way the guitars are tuned. Benitez states about the music that "the harmonic schemes of verse and chorus 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."
Personnel
Reaction
Donald Guarisco of Allmusic described "Bluebird" as "a simple bit of acoustic pop that overflows with hooks thanks to a slick arrangement" and "a delightful, breezy pop tune." Authors Roy Carr and Tony Tyler noted that McCartney's "lightweight touch...works superbly on 'Bluebird' (which recalls "Blackbird" from 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.