Log In
Register
Read the original blog post
10.54pm
21 November 2012
Offline
The Beatles were the biggest band ever. They were bigger than the sum of its parts (is that the right expression?) and once you get out of a band like the Beatles, your career can only go down. They will always be known for having been in the Beatles. On their own they were never able to match the succes of the band they had been in.
I think that some days it may be rather annoying to be seen as ”Beatle Ringo” (or John, Paul or George of course), but I think that it sometimes may be a blessing too, especially for Ringo. That may sound mean, but let’s face it, his career hasn’t exactly been years and years of hits and #1 records.
The following people thank Linde for this post:
Mademoiselle Kitty >^..^<11.34pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline 
Seems very appropriate – and its an amazing song.
“I get tired of being Beatle Ted”.
But if you read enough you find that whilst George hated so much of the public adulation, intrigue and voyeurism that surrounded his life he was very willing to take advantage of the doors that being an ex-Beatle opened.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
12.22pm
23 September 2014
Offline That’s one of my favourite songs, as it recalls three different memories very important to me:
1) When I first listened to it, I was scared when I was driving to the college for my first ever test;
2) The 2nd: when I really fell in love for the first time in my life, I was in a small bar and it spread from the radio;
3) Years ago I broke with some important people. When we came back to peace, it was going again…
5.39pm
15 June 2014
Offline @Billy Rhythm said
Ahhh Girl said
Free As A Bird
It’s the next best thing to beSo what’s the best thing to be?
It was said by many who knew John earlier on (Cynthia’s one who comes immediate to mind) that John was always on the look out for the ‘Next Big Thing’ in Life (Rock ‘N’ Roll , Drugs, Maharishi, etc.) and going by the timeframe of this song’s conception, the ‘Next Big Thing’ or “next best thing” was to be “free” of the chains that had held him down for so long with life as a Beatle, the “next” lyric didn’t mean “second place” to something else but rather to be “just around the corner”. John was getting ready to step out over a cliff and take flight for the first time in his life, becoming just “John” as opposed to “Beatle John”, he was finding himself during the Dakota Years…:-)
Just today I was listening to the song and going over your explanation of his the then feelings when it hit me that Free As A Bird is followed by whatever happened to, the life that we once knew . Unless the latter lyric was added later during the Anthology project, don’t you think it makes the entire freeing feel a bit dodgy? Or maybe its just me missing some point here.
6.21pm
22 December 2013
Offline StrawberryFieldsForever said
@Billy Rhythm said
Ahhh Girl said
Free As A Bird
It’s the next best thing to beSo what’s the best thing to be?
It was said by many who knew John earlier on (Cynthia’s one who comes immediate to mind) that John was always on the look out for the ‘Next Big Thing’ in Life (Rock ‘N’ Roll , Drugs, Maharishi, etc.) and going by the timeframe of this song’s conception, the ‘Next Big Thing’ or “next best thing” was to be “free” of the chains that had held him down for so long with life as a Beatle, the “next” lyric didn’t mean “second place” to something else but rather to be “just around the corner”. John was getting ready to step out over a cliff and take flight for the first time in his life, becoming just “John” as opposed to “Beatle John”, he was finding himself during the Dakota Years…:-)
Just today I was listening to the song and going over your explanation of his the then feelings when it hit me that Free As A Bird is followed by whatever happened to, the life that we once knew . Unless the latter lyric was added later during the Anthology project, don’t you think it makes the entire freeing feel a bit dodgy? Or maybe its just me missing some point here.
Here’s John’s original demo in case you haven’t heard it yet:
The “whatever happened to, the life that we once knew” lyric is indeed part of John’s original demo, but it turns to gibberish immediately afterwards. Not sure what you mean exactly by “a bit dodgy”, but it’s most interesting that he uses “we” here and it’s never easy to acetane whether he’s referring to “Yoko & Me” or perhaps his old mates in this case. Kinda like trying to figure out if George means “the Lord or his Lady” whenever he uses “You” in his songs. I believe that this demo is dated around 1977 (or ’78?) and by most accounts John was in a state of clarity here, no drugs or alcohol and clearly introspective. The brief glimpse back (“the life that we once knew”) appears to underscore the looking ahead aspect of “next best thing”, in my opinion. His vision was always a very broad scoping of life experiences, he looked to be “remembering yesterday”, while “dreaming about tomorrow” but “living today”. A great song and a most suitable swansong to The Beatles’ legacy for me personally…:-)
6.34pm
15 June 2014
Offline What I meant by dodgy was that while he’s looking forward to/enjoying being free (which was the next best thing for him) he’s also at the same time reminiscing when he was free, the lyrics “whatever happened to the life that we once knew, it always made me feel so free” suggesting that he misses this era of his past. I hope I made myself clear. Just trying to analyse what it was that John was experiencing.
Maybe he meant that he was free (being the Beatle/ finding Yoko in ’66), and then came the 70s and after much emotional turmoil he was searching his way back to being free?
6.42pm
22 December 2013
Offline The “it always made me feel so free” lyric wasn’t John’s though, that was added later by Paul. The “searching his way back” part of it though is referenced in “like a homing bird in flight”, but I see that more as John trying to find himself before he got lost, which was probably when his Mother died while he was a teen or, even as far back as when he had to choose between which parent he wanted to live with as a young child…:-)
The following people thank Billy Rhythm for this post:
StrawberryFieldsForever, Beatlebug4.37am
9 August 2014
Offline I love this song.
I was a kid when it came out and I remember watching on tv with my Dad. It’s a really happy memory for me.
The following people thank McCall1981 for this post:
Zig8.45am
8 February 2014
Offline Has anyone seen the official video? I couldn’t find it on YouTube this morning – want to show it to the missus on the bigger screen 🙂
9.29am
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline Matt Busby said
Has anyone seen the official video? I couldn’t find it on YouTube this morning – want to show it to the missus on the bigger screen 🙂
@Matt Busby,
The official version was removed ages ago and the other uploads of it have probably been pulled due to the promos getting officially released.
Best quality i can find is on vimeo, however its slightly clipped at the beginning
Complete but lesser quality videos are on Daily Motion. This is probably the better of them.
Wait a couple of weeks and you can show it to her on the big screen in incredible quality.
The following people thank meanmistermustard for this post:
Matt Busby"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
3.45pm
8 February 2014
Offline meanmistermustard said
Matt Busby said
Has anyone seen the official video? I couldn’t find it on YouTube this morning – want to show it to the missus on the bigger screen 🙂@Matt Busby,
The official version was removed ages ago and the other uploads of it have probably been pulled due to the promos getting officially released.
<snip>
Wait a couple of weeks and you can show it to her on the big screen in incredible quality.
Thanks MMM! To where are they going to be released in a couple weeks?
3.54pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline On the ‘1+’ double disc editions.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
12.54pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline I realised a while back what the 1995 mix reminded me of and it’s a handful of the very off-kilter sounding Buddy Holly recordings which were overdubbed after Buddy’s death. Some worked, others didn’t.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?…..boONq7W1Cg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?…..SpfB2p9UPs
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
4.33pm
26 January 2017
Offline It’s just a great song. Not Real Love level great, but certainly of a high standard. For me the highlight is the vocal melody and George’s beautiful slide guitar. Both song songs have an Old Brown Shoe /When We Was Fab vibe to them I think.
The following people thank QuarryMan for this post:
SgtPeppersBulldogI've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound.
4.48pm
10 March 2017
Offline I don’t like this song that much but to be fair i can’t blame The Beatles, this was a rock band from the 60’s releasing a song in 1995 and i don’t typically like newer music from older bands and also this song has a 90’s feel to it which i don’t like in this case. It was nice seeing The Beatles reunite after being apart for 24 years though, even if it was just temporarily and resulted in only 2 new songs that got released, with a few more that never got an official release.
The following people thank Dark Overlord for this post:
QuarryManIf you're reading this, you are looking for something to do.
8.22am
2 January 2017
Offline
I remember when I just became a Beatles fan and being then unaware of Anthology, thought Free As A Bird and Real Love were tracks off Rubber Soul or Revolver or an album like that. That’s how good they are in replicating that sound!
"Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles... "
2017:
10.05am
14 June 2016
Offline Here | There | Everywhere
It's ya boi! The one and only Billy Shears (AKA Paul's Replacement)
"Sometimes I wish I was just George Harrison" - John Lennon
12.40pm
26 January 2017
Offline The following people thank QuarryMan for this post:
sir walter raleigh, William Shears CampbellI've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound.
1.08pm
26 January 2017
Offline Free As A Bird sounds like something off of Walls And Bridges in my opinion. But I love the song nonetheless, just like I live Walls And Bridges .
"The pump don't work cause the vandals took the handles!"
-Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues
"We could ride and surf together while our love would grow"
-Brian Wilson, Surfer Girl
10.43am
22 December 2013
Offline meanmistermustard said
i heard a fan mix on Anthology Plus that stripped so much of the song away and it was gorgeous with the focus being on the harmonies and that became the go-to version for me
I’ve been on the lookout for this ever since you first mentioned it… Is this it?:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?…..ZClS79egCM
An interesting listen, to be sure, but the song loses a lot of its lustre for me without George’s excellent guitar work and Ringo’s drums… If you’re gonna listen to this one “stripped” then John’s original demos are ultimately more effective, in my opinion…:-)
