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Post by DarkHorse on Mar 6, 2004 22:50:59 GMT -5
This may have been discussed before, but the lyrics to 'Free As A Bird' are quite telling. Especially the phrase:
"Whatever happened to the life that we once knew
Can we really live without each other?
Where did we lose the touch
That seemed to mean so much?
It always made me feel so..."
Clearly, John is talking about Paul in my opinion. Quite telling as I said and one can't help but also get emotional reading it.
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Post by Spanky on Mar 6, 2004 23:48:23 GMT -5
i know this song gets panned a lot but i love it. Its the only song that shows John moarning for his youth and his friends. He was always so bitter in later life towards anything to do with the beatles its a rare glimps at the sensative side of him.
the question is.. is he moarning his youth or his best friend?
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Post by -Wings- on Mar 7, 2004 1:07:36 GMT -5
In my opinion, there's no substantial evidence towards PID in that song. The lyrics, to me, indicate not only a split with Paul, but the eroded relationship between all four that stemmed from their problems with Paul (or Paul's double).
However, I'll also say that I'm a sucker for Free as a Bird. I love it, and adore the music video even more.
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Post by DarkHorse on Mar 7, 2004 12:00:49 GMT -5
...Its the only song that shows John moarning for his youth and his friends. He was always so bitter in later life towards anything to do with the beatles its a rare glimps at the sensative side of him. the question is.. is he mourning his youth or his best friend? Spanky, you certainly seem to have a handle on Lennon pretty well.  Yes it seems he was moarning for his youth and friends in that song. I think it was directed or 'sung to' Paul though. It certainly explains why Lennon was so bitter in interviews when discussing the Beatles after say 1967. He really was so happy and 'free' to be a Beatle and be friends and songwriters with Paul. |
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Post by DarkHorse on Mar 7, 2004 12:12:10 GMT -5
In my opinion, there's no substantial evidence towards PID in that song. The lyrics, to me, indicate not only a split with Paul, but the eroded relationship between all four that stemmed from their problems with Paul (or Paul's double). However, I'll also say that I'm a sucker for Free as a Bird. I love it, and adore the music video even more. It's very possible he was just singing about the Beatles and splitting with them and Paul's double, etc. But I don't think so and here's why: John, in addition to Ringo and George, really couldn't stand being a 'Beatle' from 1968 and on. Faul was not working and the pain of losing Paul, your best friend, your songwriting partner, of losing the dream of the Beatles, which was no longer, was getting to him.  A dose of reality had hit him. Both Ringo and George has also tried to leave the Beatles. Ringo I believe right after India and George during the Abbey Road sessions at Twickingham studios. They realized after a year or two with Faul that Paul couldn't be replaced. They couldn't replace his spirit, his friendship, his creativity. So in conclusion I don't think it's as likely he was singing about the split with the Beatles as it is his 'split' with Paul as a result of Paul's death. |
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Post by Spanky on Mar 7, 2004 12:17:11 GMT -5
your right wings.. i'm a sucker for that video too.. i can't watch it without getting a little teary eyed and yet i wasn't even alive when beatlemania was happening.
so much could be read into the lyrics but i think to do so would be futile since its all so very vague and could just be john being sentimental for his youth and the friendships that had not withstood the test of time.
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Post by -Wings- on Mar 8, 2004 2:33:28 GMT -5
DarkHorse, you do bring up an excellent point. During the last couple years of The Beatles, Paul (?) seemed to be the only one that desperately wanted the thing to continue.
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Post by ZM on Mar 8, 2004 4:24:13 GMT -5
DarkHorse, you do bring up an excellent point. During the last couple years of The Beatles, Paul (?) seemed to be the only one that desperately wanted the thing to continue. LET IT BE, the movie explain this fact clearly. |
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Post by Phaedrus on Mar 8, 2004 6:32:08 GMT -5
Hello all.
I've apparetnly come late to the party, so forgive me while I try to get up to speed. (Unbelievably) I have never heard the original demo version of FAAB, but on the "Beatles" single McCartney and Harrison provide all the vocals for the chorus "whatever happened etc". Was this part definitely in the Lennon original? It seemed to me that it had been added later. Underrated song, I've always thought.
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Post by AcrosticUnicorn on Mar 8, 2004 8:15:47 GMT -5
The original Lennon demo only had the lyric "Whatever happened to the life that we once knew." He "da dee da da"s the rest of it. Paul, George and Ringo finished the verse.
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Post by JoJo on Mar 13, 2004 14:38:54 GMT -5
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Post by AUSTON on Jun 13, 2004 16:04:29 GMT -5
I have to agree that John was singing about the loss of his best friend, Paul. They were so close that part of John died when Paul did. John could never be as close or write as well with Bill
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Post by SimMHoward on Aug 1, 2004 17:54:35 GMT -5
whatever happened to, the life that we once knew?
Is he talking about when he and Paul were getting along? Mourning how much the LIVING Paul has changed?
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Post by raymi46 on Aug 1, 2004 21:36:44 GMT -5
I don't remember. What year was that song written?
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Imgonnaopenmymind
Hard Day's Night 
I am the voice of James Faul McCartney. :o
Posts: 20
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Post by Imgonnaopenmymind on Aug 25, 2004 17:59:29 GMT -5
 Sorry for the rolled eyes, but McCartney and Harrison came up with this stanza during the reunion sessions. The original song was unfinished. However, other sources say the song was already complete and they decided to scrap the rest and write their own bit.
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Post by LarryC on Aug 26, 2004 12:51:46 GMT -5
I just listened to the acoustic version of this song and I didn't even hear Lennon sing the words "Whatever happened to..." either.  However, if it was added by 'Paul', George and Ringo I am sure it still had some relevance to what I stated in my first post. Obviously, for Ringo and George that is. And since I believe in the existence of 'Faul', it's possible the lyrics had a different meaning to him than the other two.  Fogive me for being somewhat confused about this, DarkHorse, but what you posted initially would have no relevance at all in what you are implying considering that John most likely did NOT pen that verse to begin with...or sing it at least. Let's not go reaching into the hat to try to pull out a rabbit that isn't there. That verse was added as a bridge and helped connect a key change in the tune. Just out of curiosity, how many musicians, professional or otherwise, do we have here? I'm not trying to be arrogant or anything because I am merely trying to point out that there are certain facets to songwriting, playing instruments, singing, etc that someone who is not a musician would miss and would cause a certain amount of confusion. In general, this song was basically re-written based upon segments Yoko had given them on a cassette, which had John singing and playing the piano locked in on a single track. The REAL story of this song, to me anyways, is that Jeff Lynne did a masterful job of producing something out of not much of anything, and Paul, George, and Ringo were able to contribute...and in the end it turned out to be a wonderful group effort by all of them. Ringo even states that "it sounds just like 'THEM'. Forget about what you think the words mean, they have NO PID connection at all. They were all really sad John wasn't there to sing it with them and I think this bridge verse spawned from out of the emotions of the moment and is reflective of the times gone by from when the four of them were in their hay day. It's not John speaking at all, and certainly isn't some kind of a clue. What sense would it make for Paul to write a verse to be a clue to his having been replaced in the first place? |
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A dose of reality had hit him. Both Ringo and George has also tried to leave the Beatles. Ringo I believe right after India and George during the Abbey Road sessions at Twickingham studios. They realized after a year or two with Faul that Paul couldn't be replaced. They couldn't replace his spirit, his friendship, his creativity. So in conclusion I don't think it's as likely he was singing about the split with the Beatles as it is his 'split' with Paul as a result of Paul's death. 
