Randoms by Rach

Norwegian Wood

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
Album: Rubber Soul, 1965
Lead vocalist: John




Lyrics ▼

I once had a girl
Or should I say she once had me
She showed me her room
Isn't it good Norwegian wood?
She asked me to stay
And she told me to sit anywhere
So I looked around
And I noticed there wasn't a chair
I sat on a rug biding my time
Drinking her wine
We talked until two and then she said
"It's time for bed"
She told me she worked
In the morning and started to laugh
I told her I didn't
And crawled off to sleep in the bath
And when I awoke I was alone
This bird had flown
So I lit a fire
Isn't it good Norwegian wood?

I know the lyrics to this song are a little controversial, in that John wrote them about an extra-marital affair he was having at the time, but the song in itself is a landmark in the band’s career. George’s sitar playing is one of the first times the instrument was used on a western music record. It is a great example of how the band wanted to stay bang on trend, even ahead of the trend if possible. George first became interested in the sitar and in Indian music in 1965 when filming the movie ‘Help!.’ There was a scene in an Indian restaurant, and some of the actors were playing sitars. Apparently, George became fascinated with the instrument and promptly bought one from an old music store. He then listened a lot to Ravi Shankar, meeting him and learning from him. And that interest stayed with George for the rest of his life.