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Blackbird Decoded: Mastering McCartney’s “Flick” and the Story Behind the Song

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Two things are true about Paul McCartney’s iconic guitar piece Blackbird: Nobody but McCartney himself can get it right and the story of how the song came about has changed drastically over the years. The original story of the inspiration for Blackbird was that Paul and George used to play Bach’s “Bourrée in E minor” as a show-off piece when they were teenagers. Paul couldn’t play it perfectly, so he simplified it by playing the bass and melody notes together with a specific finger-plucking style. This incorrect classical technique became the legendary rhythmic foundation of Blackbird.

Paul McCartney performs the "Blackbird" live in London, 2007
Image by Purple Macca

Whether or not this was truly a happy accident or a purposeful attempt by McCartney to turn the classic exercise into a contemporary song seems to be up for grabs. However, the story of bird imagery itself, and the inspiration for it, has changed significantly over the many years since the song was released. In early interviews about the song, Paul described the bird imagery as being literally inspired by hearing a bird sing in India or Scotland.

The Exercise Origins: Blackbird is one of the most famous examples of a masterpiece born from a practice drill. See the other 4 accidental icons in our guide to Rock Songs That Began as Guitar Exercises.

Change One: The British Girl Slang

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Paul began to emphasize that “bird” was British slang for a girl or woman, claiming that he had an African-American woman in mind while writing it. He described the song as a veiled metaphor, using the bird taking flight as a symbol for someone finding their freedom or strength in a dark time. This story certainly matches the seeming intent of the song.

The Modern Narrative: The Little Rock Nine

In recent years, the story has become much more specific and purposeful. Paul now explicitly links the song to the 1957 Little Rock Nine incident and the broader U.S. Civil Rights Movement. He recounts sitting in his kitchen in Scotland, reading about the riots and racial tensions in the American South, and intentionally writing a song of encouragement for the people involved.

Why the Change?

There are two main schools of thought on why the story shifted:

  • The “Veiling” Theory: Paul claims he intentionally “veiled” the political meaning in 1968 to make it more poetic and universal, and he’s only now being explicit about its origins.
  • The “Revisionist” Theory: Some critics (and even people like Donovan who were there at the time) suggest the Civil Rights connection may have been a subconscious influence or even a later realization. In an early recording from 1968, Donovan actually suggests the “black girl” meaning to Paul, and Paul responds, “I didn’t think of that.”

Interesting Note: Regardless of when the meaning was locked in, the tapping sound you hear in the recording is actually Paul’s foot hitting the floor, which was miked separately by engineer Geoff Emerick to act as the song’s only percussion.

The Technical Breakdown: Mastering the “Flick”

Most people try to play Blackbird with standard fingerstyle (alternating thumb and fingers). But Paul’s secret is a percussive “flick” or “brush” that he likely picked up from listening to old blues and folk players.

  • The Thumb: Plays the deep G-string and A-string bass notes consistently on the downbeat.
  • The Index Finger: This is the key. Instead of just plucking a string, Paul flicks his fingernail downward across the G, B, and E strings on the upbeats.
  • The “Claw” Shape: His hand stays in a stiff, claw-like position. He isn’t moving individual fingers as much as he is moving his whole hand in a rhythmic, internal “metronome” motion.
  • The Result: This creates a double-stop sound where you hear the melody and a “jangle” of the open strings simultaneously, giving the song its driving, rhythmic energy.

The Quick Facts

  • Songwriter: Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon-McCartney)
  • Recording Date: June 11, 1968 (The White Album)
  • Studio: EMI Studios (Abbey Road), Studio 2
  • Instrument: 1964 Martin D-28 Acoustic
  • The “Metronome”: The rhythmic clicking is McCartney’s foot tapping on the floor, miked separately for percussion.
  • Bird Recording: The bird sounds at the end were recorded by McCartney in his backyard using a portable EMI tape recorder.

Further Reading