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Analysis Of The Beatles 'Timeless Song Blackbird'

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Famously stated by American musician Bruce Springsteen, “the best music is essentially there to provide you something to face the world with.” In times of distress and confusion, the meaning in music often serves as a guidance and gives a sense of inspiration and relief for those in need. The timeless song “Blackbird” by English rock band The Beatles is one of the best examples in which songs can provide encouragement to those in unfamiliar and uncomfortable situations. The soothing melodies and lyrics of the song contain techniques of metaphor and juxtaposition. British songwriters and former Beatles members Paul McCartney and John Lennon camouflaged hidden messages in their song “Blackbird” to serve as a sign of comfort to those who were …show more content…

Racism is a deep rooted part of American culture, whether we like to admit it or not. “Being black in the United States poses a risk of a very particular form of socially conditioned despair” (Styles). Starting with the slavery system, black Americans have faced discrimination and inequality for hundreds of years due to their skin color. Subsequently, the implementation of the Segregation Laws further divided the black community from the white by promoting racial segregation through every aspect of daily life, including public transportations, education system, and medical system. The numerous accounts of social and racial injustices inspired artists, like John Lennon and Paul McCartney, to write songs and broadcast their views on the issue. During his tour, songwriter McCartney revealed that the blackbird the song revolves around actually metaphorically represents a black girl as he stated “I don't know if any of you know, but in England sometimes we call girls "birds." You know? And I kinda wrote this song with that in mind” (Kapurch et al). Although there are many guesses regarding the main inspiration for the piece, every African American can relate to the encouragement of the song due to the versatility of the lyrics'

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Close Reading In Chapter One of Our Spiritual Strivings, W.E.B Du Bois constructs a powerful argument about the history and experience of African Americans in America and how it has shaped their identity as people. He uses vivid imagery, historical context, personal anecdotes, and rhetorical questions to make his point that despite all the struggles endured by African-Americans throughout history they have still managed to find ways to stay connected with their spiritual selves through music and artistry. How this paragraph contributes to the writer's larger argument is the difference between white people and their storm and stress and black people “rocks are a little boat on the mad waters of the word sea.” I picked rocks our little boat to refer to black people because we have to take on many difficult obstacles to truly be free, but it is a distant goal.

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During the late 1900’s, an aesthetic movement known as primitivism integrated itself into Modern art. African and Pacific Island motifs, fetishes, and design elements were adopted into the work of Modern artists, such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Moore.19 The rise in popularity of these primitive inspired artworks helped to influence Black Americans in investigating and reconnecting with their own cultural heritage.20 One of the concerns facing Black Americans was how to merge the heritage of their ancestors with being an American. Through music, the Blues evolved from African tribal songs to songs workers would sing while laboring in the fields before and after slavery. When Black American migrated north, the Blues transformed into Jazz

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“The Genie had been let out of the bottle, and even though the government might be able to discourage future ‘disruption’ to the proper operation of the recording industry, there was no way to make mainstream youth forget the new sensibility introduced by the rock and roll sound” (Linden, 2000). The change in the music market brought white teens to black musicians’ concerts, as well as blacks to see white musicians. This was an act of solidarity between races that was never before seen. Thanks to Rock and Roll, the younger generation was influenced to question, as well as dissipate some of the most wrongful beliefs held in America by adults at the time. It is because of these broken down racial barriers that rock & roll is considered to be one of the most revolutionary cultural phenomena in American

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Bob Dylan for example, he wrote a song to show his empathy and condolences towards poor Emmett Till’s death. In places like Mississippi, down in the south, many people had to live life in fear of being murdered or tortured. All white people in the south had made a stereotype about black males that if they touch a white woman or even look at one, they would be tortured and most likely killed. The people of different ethnicities and races were also discriminated against.

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