Blackbird
“Take these broken wings and learn to fly”
McCartney solo composition for the White Album, lead vocal and acoustic guitar by McCartney. Recorded in a single session at EMI Studio 2 with a blackbird call overdubbed from the EMI tape library.
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This song is the only Beatles song with a I to ♭VII section transition.
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Text131 tags
Word cloud
Distinctive word
ariseblackbirdsunken
Music211 tags
Chord shape
C → FC → B♭C → F → B♭Am → GmAm → A♭C → BAm → A♭ → GC → CmC → G → A → DC → D → GC → DC → F → EmC → DmC → B♭ → C → FAdim → B♭Am → GAm → G → CC → BdimC → GAm → EC → G → AC → BmAdim → A♭C → G/BC/E → FC7sus4 → FC → Cm → GC → F → B♭ → FC → F → B♭ → E♭C/E → D7Am → G → F → GAm → G → F → E → AC → F → B♭ → F → GC → Fadd9C → B♭ → AC → D♭dimC → Bm → AmAm → Gm → FC → Dm → C → FC → D♭dim → DAm → G → FC → F → B♭ → E♭ → B♭C → Cm → G → A → DC → Bm → Am → GC → D♭dim → DmC → F → C → DC6 → DC → Dm7C → B → E
Sources & references
Tags on this page are original analysis, transcribed and cross-checked against the fine work of others: Alan W. Pollack's “Notes on…” series, the Beatles Complete Scores (Hal Leonard), Mark Lewisohn's session histories, Ian MacDonald's Revolution in the Head, Dave Rybaczewski's Beatles Music History and Andy Babiuk's Beatles Gear for the instruments and studio equipment, and others besides – then verified by ear against the recordings. Full bibliography: Sources & thanks.
External entity links: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz recording · MusicBrainz work · Wikidata
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