So I am am sure you were wondering why I didn't put a Beatles song as the first video
but I was going to sit down and count out all the references I could find in this video. Its freaking awesome and anyone who is a Beatles fan will enjoy watching it over and over to see if they could find more clues.
The song: Free as a Bird
The band: The Beatles
The story: John was in the process of writing this song and made some homemade recordings in 1977. After he died in 1980 these recordings were forgotten. In 1994 the Beatles (Paul, George, and Ringo) got back together to do the Anthology series. (Which I was 8 at the time and begged my parents to allow me to stay up and watch it on TV.) They finished the recording for Free as a bird and for Real Love. John was wrong... the Beatles will get back together one more time.
Now I was a little too lazy and I didn't want to write out all of the references in the song so I found a list of them... I will post these below the video just in case you want to see how many you get.
Much love.
BEATLE REFERENCES IN "FREE AS A BIRD" VIDEO
***Obvious references***
:07 - portraits of Beatles as children on mantle (from left to right,
John, George, Paul. Ringo in front)
:14 - more portraits (left to right, Paul, John, Ringo, George)
:38 - Beatles walk through dock workers
:48 - Cavern Club (club where Beatles played many shows before becoming
famous)
:52 - Beatles performing at Cavern Club
1:06 - Strawberry Field ("Strawberry Fields Forever")
1:18 - Eggman appears ("I Am the Walrus")
1:27 - Beatles begin to walk off curb behind eggman
1:33 - Pretty nurse selling poppies from tray ("Penny Lane")
1:42 - Barber shop, with pictures of every head he's had the pleasure
to know, including the Fab Four ("Penny Lane")
1:47 - Sign on wall reads "Help" ("Help!")
1:49 - Boy holds up hand to whisper to girl ("Do You Want to Know
a Secret?")
1:50 - Ringo jumps from doorway
1:54 - Beatles stand by car
1:56 - Window has Beatles montage. First third looks like
Anthology 1 cover. Other panels may be covers of other two
volumes. [They Are, ed.]
2:02 - Birthday cake ("Birthday")
2:02 - Cake has a 6 and a 4 on it ("When I'm Sixty-Four")
2:07 - George appears on street
2:13 - George walks into office (In reality, Apple headquarters) with
sign that reads "Dr. Robert" ("Dr. Robert")
2:18 - Ringo runs by
2:22 - John in crowd scene at car wreck, craning neck while others
turn away ("A Day in the Life")
2:26 - Car wreck ("A Day in the Life" definitely, "Don't Pass Me By"
possibly)
2:27 - Fire engine ("Penny Lane")
2:29 - Policemen in a row ("I Am the Walrus")
2:32 - Fireman ("Penny Lane")
2:38 - Helter Skelter slide (It looks like a lighthouse, but you can
see the slide circling the building. "Helter Skelter," of course.)
2:38 - Kite ("Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite")
2:42 - Children run by in pig masks ("Piggies")
2:43 - Someone enters house through window from ladder ("She Came in
Through the Bathroom Window")
2:51 - Writer working at desk ("Paperback Writer")
2:54 - Beatles walk behind children in pig masks (It's small, but it's
obvious it's them)
3:05 - Beatles on TV
3:06 - John sitting in chair
3:08 - Copy of Daily Mail on table ("Paperback Writer")
3:08 - Bowl of green apples (reference to Apple Corps, Ltd.)
3:08 - Box of Savoy Truffles sits on table (kind of hard to make out,
but that's what it says: "Savoy Truffle")
3:10 - Picture of Chairman Mao in window ("Revolution")
3:13 - Workers repairing hole in roof ("Fixing a Hole")
3:13 - Blue Meanie pops his head through hole (the film
"Yellow Submarine")
3:18 - Newspaper taxi appears ("Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds")
3:22 - Woman leaves home ("She's Leaving Home")
3:22 - Picture of Mao being carried across street ("Revolution"
definitely, "Carry That Weight" possibly)
3:22 - John and Yoko waltz by (taken from film "Let It Be" and
probably representing "The Ballad of John and Yoko.")
3:23 - Blue Meanie pops head up from out of sewer (the film
"Yellow Submarine")
3:25 - Magical Mystery Tour bus passes in far background (Hard to see,
but it's there)
3:31 - Big game hunter leads procession, including elderly lady and
elephant, out of party ("The Continuing Adventures of Bungalow
Bill," who always went hunting with his elephant and gun and
always took his mum.)
3:33 - Ringo at table near door
3:45 - Brian Epstein begins to put on his scarf
3:47 - Head of Stu Sutcliffe on body of James Dean from "Sgt Pepper"
cover
3:48 - Flowers, drum and tuba from "Sgt Pepper" cover
3:49 - H.G. Wells and Lawrence of Arabia from "Sgt Pepper" cover
chat (I know other guests are supposed to be rest of people on
the cover, but they aren't as clearly identifiable as these two)
3:58 - Eleanor Rigby headstone ("Eleanor Rigby")
4:00 - Priest walks from grave ("Eleanor Rigby")
4:01 - Sheepdog runs through cemetery ("Martha My Dear" definitely,
"Hey Bulldog" possibly)
4:04 - Long and winding road in background ("The Long and Winding Road")
4:05 - Paul romps on hill ("The Fool on the Hill")
4:12 - Crosswalk from the cover of "Abbey Road"
4:14 - Meter maid with bag across her shoulder steps onto curb
("Lovely Rita." She's definitely wearing a uniform and
carrying a little white book.)
4:30 - Beatles walk into theater (taken from "A Hard Days Night")
***References with more than one possible interpretation***
:01 - Bird flying. (Interpretations range from "Blackbird" to
"And Your Bird Can Sing" to "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has
Flown)" to even "Blue Jay Way." The flapping of the wings,
though, sounds like the intro to the original version of
"Across the Universe" which I think it's meant to represent.
The entire concept of flying in the whole video could be
taken to represent "Flying.")
1:27 - Children run by holding hands ("Lady Madonna" is most likely,
but "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" is another possibility.)
1:45 - Woman appears in plastic-appearing coat (Some say, and I
agree, that she is "Polythene Pam," but others have suggested
she is "Sexy Sadie," or that her companion in the white coat
is "Sexy Sadie." Since I can't locate a "Sexy Sadie" anywhere
else in the video, I'll play it safe and place it in this
category.)
1:53 - Couple kissing in car (may be banker on corner with a motorcar
from "Penny Lane" or amorous couple from "Drive My Car." Most
likely, though, it's "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?")
2:45 - Sunflowers. (I lean toward saying they're "the flowers that
grow so incredibly high" from "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."
Other interpretations are "I'll Follow the Sun" (since that is
what flowers do), "Sun King" and "Here Comes the Sun," hence
its inclusion here.)
3:08 - Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II sits on floor ("Her Majesty" or
portrait of the Queen from "Penny Lane," though it's hardly
pocket-sized)
3:53 - Statue in cemetery turns head (Statue could be of the Madonna
("Lady Madonna") or could be Mother Mary ("Let It Be")
***Reference that may not actually *be* references***
1:18 - Marketplace (Could be reference to "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," but
since I see no one with a barrow in the marketplace, I'm
unconvinced.)
3:38 - Last boy in Bungalow Bill's entourage looks very much like
Sean Lennon. Could be a cameo or just a coincidence.
3:50 - Sun through panes in roof (It's the only intentional shot of
the sun in the whole video. It could be meant to represent
"Here Comes the Sun," "Sun King," "Good Day Sunshine" or
"I'll Follow the Sun.")
4:06 - Woman walks down road with suitcase (could be "She's Leaving
Home," but since we already had that song done with the woman
leaving home in the newspaper taxi at 3:22, would she need to
appear again?)
4:06 - Car heads up long and winding road ("Drive My Car"? Not many
other cars in video, and one of few that's moving)
and let us not forget ...
***The Voice***
4:36 - Voice at end of song. It sounds like backward masking, and it
is definitely John's voice. Interpretations I've seen include:
"Turned out well at the end"
"There's that noise again"
"Turned out nice again."
Strangely, though, the backward tape sounds like John saying
"My name is John Lennon" to me. It's possible the Fab Three put
the tape on the end not only because it's a throwback to their
backward tape use in the '60s, but also because it SOUNDS like
"My name is John Lennon" when it's played backward.
(http://www.beatlesagain.com/breflib/faabclus.html)
The song: Free as a Bird
The band: The Beatles
The story: John was in the process of writing this song and made some homemade recordings in 1977. After he died in 1980 these recordings were forgotten. In 1994 the Beatles (Paul, George, and Ringo) got back together to do the Anthology series. (Which I was 8 at the time and begged my parents to allow me to stay up and watch it on TV.) They finished the recording for Free as a bird and for Real Love. John was wrong... the Beatles will get back together one more time.
Now I was a little too lazy and I didn't want to write out all of the references in the song so I found a list of them... I will post these below the video just in case you want to see how many you get.
Much love.
Click to viewBEATLE REFERENCES IN "FREE AS A BIRD" VIDEO
***Obvious references***
:07 - portraits of Beatles as children on mantle (from left to right,
John, George, Paul. Ringo in front)
:14 - more portraits (left to right, Paul, John, Ringo, George)
:38 - Beatles walk through dock workers
:48 - Cavern Club (club where Beatles played many shows before becoming
famous)
:52 - Beatles performing at Cavern Club
1:06 - Strawberry Field ("Strawberry Fields Forever")
1:18 - Eggman appears ("I Am the Walrus")
1:27 - Beatles begin to walk off curb behind eggman
1:33 - Pretty nurse selling poppies from tray ("Penny Lane")
1:42 - Barber shop, with pictures of every head he's had the pleasure
to know, including the Fab Four ("Penny Lane")
1:47 - Sign on wall reads "Help" ("Help!")
1:49 - Boy holds up hand to whisper to girl ("Do You Want to Know
a Secret?")
1:50 - Ringo jumps from doorway
1:54 - Beatles stand by car
1:56 - Window has Beatles montage. First third looks like
Anthology 1 cover. Other panels may be covers of other two
volumes. [They Are, ed.]
2:02 - Birthday cake ("Birthday")
2:02 - Cake has a 6 and a 4 on it ("When I'm Sixty-Four")
2:07 - George appears on street
2:13 - George walks into office (In reality, Apple headquarters) with
sign that reads "Dr. Robert" ("Dr. Robert")
2:18 - Ringo runs by
2:22 - John in crowd scene at car wreck, craning neck while others
turn away ("A Day in the Life")
2:26 - Car wreck ("A Day in the Life" definitely, "Don't Pass Me By"
possibly)
2:27 - Fire engine ("Penny Lane")
2:29 - Policemen in a row ("I Am the Walrus")
2:32 - Fireman ("Penny Lane")
2:38 - Helter Skelter slide (It looks like a lighthouse, but you can
see the slide circling the building. "Helter Skelter," of course.)
2:38 - Kite ("Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite")
2:42 - Children run by in pig masks ("Piggies")
2:43 - Someone enters house through window from ladder ("She Came in
Through the Bathroom Window")
2:51 - Writer working at desk ("Paperback Writer")
2:54 - Beatles walk behind children in pig masks (It's small, but it's
obvious it's them)
3:05 - Beatles on TV
3:06 - John sitting in chair
3:08 - Copy of Daily Mail on table ("Paperback Writer")
3:08 - Bowl of green apples (reference to Apple Corps, Ltd.)
3:08 - Box of Savoy Truffles sits on table (kind of hard to make out,
but that's what it says: "Savoy Truffle")
3:10 - Picture of Chairman Mao in window ("Revolution")
3:13 - Workers repairing hole in roof ("Fixing a Hole")
3:13 - Blue Meanie pops his head through hole (the film
"Yellow Submarine")
3:18 - Newspaper taxi appears ("Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds")
3:22 - Woman leaves home ("She's Leaving Home")
3:22 - Picture of Mao being carried across street ("Revolution"
definitely, "Carry That Weight" possibly)
3:22 - John and Yoko waltz by (taken from film "Let It Be" and
probably representing "The Ballad of John and Yoko.")
3:23 - Blue Meanie pops head up from out of sewer (the film
"Yellow Submarine")
3:25 - Magical Mystery Tour bus passes in far background (Hard to see,
but it's there)
3:31 - Big game hunter leads procession, including elderly lady and
elephant, out of party ("The Continuing Adventures of Bungalow
Bill," who always went hunting with his elephant and gun and
always took his mum.)
3:33 - Ringo at table near door
3:45 - Brian Epstein begins to put on his scarf
3:47 - Head of Stu Sutcliffe on body of James Dean from "Sgt Pepper"
cover
3:48 - Flowers, drum and tuba from "Sgt Pepper" cover
3:49 - H.G. Wells and Lawrence of Arabia from "Sgt Pepper" cover
chat (I know other guests are supposed to be rest of people on
the cover, but they aren't as clearly identifiable as these two)
3:58 - Eleanor Rigby headstone ("Eleanor Rigby")
4:00 - Priest walks from grave ("Eleanor Rigby")
4:01 - Sheepdog runs through cemetery ("Martha My Dear" definitely,
"Hey Bulldog" possibly)
4:04 - Long and winding road in background ("The Long and Winding Road")
4:05 - Paul romps on hill ("The Fool on the Hill")
4:12 - Crosswalk from the cover of "Abbey Road"
4:14 - Meter maid with bag across her shoulder steps onto curb
("Lovely Rita." She's definitely wearing a uniform and
carrying a little white book.)
4:30 - Beatles walk into theater (taken from "A Hard Days Night")
***References with more than one possible interpretation***
:01 - Bird flying. (Interpretations range from "Blackbird" to
"And Your Bird Can Sing" to "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has
Flown)" to even "Blue Jay Way." The flapping of the wings,
though, sounds like the intro to the original version of
"Across the Universe" which I think it's meant to represent.
The entire concept of flying in the whole video could be
taken to represent "Flying.")
1:27 - Children run by holding hands ("Lady Madonna" is most likely,
but "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" is another possibility.)
1:45 - Woman appears in plastic-appearing coat (Some say, and I
agree, that she is "Polythene Pam," but others have suggested
she is "Sexy Sadie," or that her companion in the white coat
is "Sexy Sadie." Since I can't locate a "Sexy Sadie" anywhere
else in the video, I'll play it safe and place it in this
category.)
1:53 - Couple kissing in car (may be banker on corner with a motorcar
from "Penny Lane" or amorous couple from "Drive My Car." Most
likely, though, it's "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?")
2:45 - Sunflowers. (I lean toward saying they're "the flowers that
grow so incredibly high" from "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."
Other interpretations are "I'll Follow the Sun" (since that is
what flowers do), "Sun King" and "Here Comes the Sun," hence
its inclusion here.)
3:08 - Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II sits on floor ("Her Majesty" or
portrait of the Queen from "Penny Lane," though it's hardly
pocket-sized)
3:53 - Statue in cemetery turns head (Statue could be of the Madonna
("Lady Madonna") or could be Mother Mary ("Let It Be")
***Reference that may not actually *be* references***
1:18 - Marketplace (Could be reference to "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," but
since I see no one with a barrow in the marketplace, I'm
unconvinced.)
3:38 - Last boy in Bungalow Bill's entourage looks very much like
Sean Lennon. Could be a cameo or just a coincidence.
3:50 - Sun through panes in roof (It's the only intentional shot of
the sun in the whole video. It could be meant to represent
"Here Comes the Sun," "Sun King," "Good Day Sunshine" or
"I'll Follow the Sun.")
4:06 - Woman walks down road with suitcase (could be "She's Leaving
Home," but since we already had that song done with the woman
leaving home in the newspaper taxi at 3:22, would she need to
appear again?)
4:06 - Car heads up long and winding road ("Drive My Car"? Not many
other cars in video, and one of few that's moving)
and let us not forget ...
***The Voice***
4:36 - Voice at end of song. It sounds like backward masking, and it
is definitely John's voice. Interpretations I've seen include:
"Turned out well at the end"
"There's that noise again"
"Turned out nice again."
Strangely, though, the backward tape sounds like John saying
"My name is John Lennon" to me. It's possible the Fab Three put
the tape on the end not only because it's a throwback to their
backward tape use in the '60s, but also because it SOUNDS like
"My name is John Lennon" when it's played backward.
(http://www.beatlesagain.com/breflib/faabclus.html)