Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" is a song by The Beatles which first appeared on the 1965 album Rubber Soul. Credited to Lennon/McCartney (as were all songs by either of the duo), it was primarily written by John Lennon, though Paul McCartney contributed to the middle eight section. It is notable as one of the first Western pop songs with an Indian musical instrument — John Lennon's guitar is accompanied by George Harrison on the sitar. The song is a lilting acoustic ballad featuring Lennon's lead vocal and signature Beatle harmonies in the middle eight.

Lyrics

The lyrics of the song sketch an encounter between the singer and an unnamed girl (or "bird" in British slang). They drink wine in her room and talk into the night. Their flirtation is apparently unconsummated, as the singer "crawl off to sleep in the bath". When he wakes up the following morning, the singer is alone and lights a fire.

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The exact meaning of the title "Norwegian Wood" remains a mystery. The name of the song is mentioned in the first verse ("She showed me her room / Isn't it good? / Norwegian wood?") and again in its last line ("So, I lit a fire / Isn't it good? / Norwegian wood?"). Some say that "Norwegian Wood" may be a pun with a nickname of a strong variety of marijuana. Others claim the final line of the song implies that the singer burned the home of the girl (the apparent official version, according to McCartney) using the furniture as fuel, or burned the girl's furniture in the fireplace. The producer/fifth-Beatle George Martin was asked what the text was about and answered:

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:My wife is going to give me a hard time for saying this. It was one of John's indiscretions. I remember we were sitting at the veranda outside our hotel rooms in St. Moritz and John was playing at his guitar and working out the text: I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me. He felt that Cynthia had tricked him to marry her. "Norwegian Wood" was a play on the words "knowing she would".

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"Norwegian Wood" was one of several songs on Rubber Soul in which the singer faces an antagonistic relationship with a woman. In direct contrast to earlier Beatles songs such as "She Loves You" and "I Want To Hold Your Hand", the songs on Rubber Soul were considerably more negative in their outlook towards romantic relationships.

Related Topics:
She Loves You - I Want To Hold Your Hand

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As the second song on the Rubber Soul album (following the more conventional "I've Just Seen a Face" on the US release or "Drive My Car" on the UK version), the exotic instrumentation and oblique lyric represented one of the first indications to fans of the expanding musical vocabulary and experimental approach that the group was rapidly adopting.

Related Topics:
I've Just Seen a Face - Drive My Car

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A is available.

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