Free As A Bird - An Article about the Music Video

We all know and love The Beatles (and if you don't, get the heck off my blog! just kiddin you don't have to read this), they are considered to be the greatest band of all time. We all know the iconic songs, the iconic looks, and the iconic images of their album covers. You know what's even more awesome? The music video for the 1995 single "Free As A Bird", where there are numerous Beatles references to keep even the most avid of Beatles fans on their toes!

The song itself is considered to be the second-to-last Beatles song ever, as it was released with the Beatles Anthology along with another single "Real Love". Both of these songs, however, technically aren't Beatles songs. As the band had broken up after "Abbey Road" (because "Abbey Road" was recorded AFTER "Let it Be", even though it was released first.), these two songs were simply demos by John Lennon during his solo career. Tragically, Lennon was murdered in 1980. And yet, these two tracks were released in the mid 90s? While recording the Beatles Anthology, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr got together with John's wife Yoko Ono and got a hold of these demos that John had never finished. The remaining Beatles took them and finished them together, creating the final two Beatles songs ever.

The music video for "Free As A Bird" itself is one of the most engaging music videos I've ever seen, and like I said above, there are numerous references to Beatles songs that are enjoyable to look for. Here is the link to the video itself:

It starts right off the bat. Here's what I saw in the video in order:

1. OLD BROWN SHOE - Next to the child portrait of John (the last one they show of the boy wearing a hat) appears to be a little shoe. This could be a reference to the "Let it Be" single "Old Brown Shoe".
2. RAIN - People are shown walking in the rain, and none of them have umbrellas or "don't mind" the rain. It's also worth noting that video footage taken from the Penny Lane music video is used here.
3. BABY'S IN BLACK - In the Cavern Club, a woman who seems to be wearing a black veil is seen in the crowd.
4. MAXWELL'S SILVER HAMMER - Honestly, I've never actually seen this one, but I've been told by multiple sources that as the video leaves the Cavern Club, there is a store sign that says "Maxwell's Silver Hammers" on it.
5. STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER - A sign on a gate says "Strawberry Field". It's not "Fields", but still the reference is obvious.
6. I AM THE WALRUS - A van with the company title "EGG Co."
7. PENNY LANE - A nurse is selling poppies from a tray, a direct line from the song.
8. POLYTHENE PAM - A Woman wearing a leather jacket comes out of a store. I'm told it's supposed to be Polythene Pam, but it went over my head the first several times.
9. HELP! - Polythene Pam passes by a help wanted sign that simply says "HELP!"
10. WHY DON'T WE DO IT IN THE ROAD - John and Yoko are seen making out in a car.
11. BIRTHDAY - A bakery has a birthday cake in their front window.
12. WHEN I'M SIXTY-FOUR - The birthday cake has the number six on the left side, and the number four on the right.
13. IT'S ALL TOO MUCH - I may be reading into this too much, but there is a line in "It's All Too Much" that goes "All the world is birthday cake/ So take a piece but not too much".
14. DOCTOR ROBERT - A sign on a wall that George is shown walking up to says "Dr. Robert"
15. A DAY IN THE LIFE - A car wreck is shown. Could also be a reference to "Revolution 9", as a car crash is supposedly heard in somewhere in that track.
16. I AM THE WALRUS - Police are standing in a row next to the car crash.
17. HELTER SKELTER - A large carnival slide (a Helter Skelter) is shown.
18. BEING FOR THE BENEFIT OF MR. KITE! A kite is seen flying in the sky.
19. SHE CAME IN THROUGH THE BATHROOM WINDOW - A woman is briefly seen going into a house through a window.
20. PIGGIES - Children running around wearing pig masks.
21. LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS - Large yellow flowers (though probably not cellophane and none are green) are towering over a fence and above the children's heads.
22. HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN - This one goes by so fast, if you blink you will miss it, but as the video zooms into a window, you can briefly seen a lizard on it ("...like a lizard on a window pane")
23. PAPERBACK WRITER - A guy at a typewriter with paperback books around him.
24. ONE AFTER 909 - The clock behind the Paperback Writer guy is at 9:10
25. SAVOY TRUFFLES - A box of truffles is on a coffee table (barely noticeable) next to some green apples, which are an obvious reference to Apple Records.
26. FIXING A HOLE - A man on a roof is fixing a hole.
27. YELLOW SUBMARINE - A Blue Meanie pops out of the hole.
28. HEY BULLDOG - A person is walking a dog (possibly a pit bull dog?) I might be wrong on this one.
29. LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS - A taxi that seems to be covered in newspaper print drives up to a house.
30. REVOLUTION - Two people are carrying a portrait of Chairman Mao across the street.
31. MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR - The bus can be seen passing by in the background.
32. YELLOW SUBMARINE - The Blue Meanie pops out of a manhole again.
33. BUNGALOW BILL - A man in safari attire and carrying a gun walks by, followed by an elephant.
34. SGT. PEPPER - Numerous people in a banquet hall (?) are people seen on the album cover. Also, the drum is shown prominently.
35. HERE COMES THE SUN - The video goes up suddenly and the sun blots out the video temporarily.
36. ELEANOR RIGBY - A tombstone is shown with the name Eleanor Rigby, as a priest walks away.
37. MARTHA MY DEAR - Paul McCartney's dog (Martha, after whom the song was named) runs across the graveyard.
38. THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD - A long and winding road is shown in the distance.
39. THE FOOL ON THE HILL - Paul McCartney is shown dancing (directly from the scene in "Magical Mystery Tour").
40. SHE'S LEAVING HOME - A young lady with a suitcase walking alone down the road.
41. LOVELY RITA - A Meter Maid is seen walking down Abbey Road.

 There may be a ton more, and I dealt mainly with just the song lyric references. There are other references to The Beatles as persons themselves, such as an old man with a sitar (a reference to George and his interest in Indian culture). All in all, a really awesome video. An oldie nowadays, but always a goodie. I mean, in the words of Paul McCartney "It's the Bloody Beatles!"