In the promotional video for the 1995 Beatles’ single there are many song titles and clues in the Free As A Bird video but how many can you see? Obviously, here at the Cavern Club and Beatles Forum, we list the ones we know of. Although we list 100 lines, there are times when more than one song gets a mention.
There are also multiple references to the same song too. For instance there are a few links to “Piggies”. So, once you see the video, let us know how many Beatles’ songs you recognise. Also, tell us what other relevant links there are like door numbers or car registration plates etc. “You Can’t Do That?”, ah but yes you can!
Song Titles And Clues In Free As A Bird
To begin with, there are a few scenes throughout the Free As A Bird video and each one has many clues to song titles and references to The Beatles’ career. Obviously, we split the video into their respective scenes. If you think you can see more clues than us, please make a comment below.
Birds
01) The opening scene is just “A Beginning“, of course.
02) The sound of a bird flapping its wings is similar to that on the original World Wildlife Fund version of “Across The Universe“.
03) The bird itself could represent “Flying“, “And Your Bird Can Sing“, “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)“, “Blue Jay Way,” as well as “Blackbird“.
04) Above the fireplace, the timepiece says it is five o’clock as the day begins obviously, “She’s Leaving Home“.
05) There are other clocks in the video but they never have the same time “Any Time At All“.
06) Photographs of The Beatles as children on the mantelpiece that are so much younger than today “Help!“.
07) The photographs could be those people that are “In My Life“, of course.
08) Meanwhile, in front of the George Harrison picture is an “Old Brown Shoe“.
09) The fly on the mantelpiece and the butterfly on the wall could represent “Flying” again.
10) A cat is sleeping on the armchair as in “I’m Only Sleeping“, also, “Leave My Kitten Alone“.
11) As the camera leaves the room and the sun is shining “Here Comes The Sun“.
In the beginning there were four boys from Liverpool
River Mersey
12) There’s A Place on the River Mersey called Liverpool and as the camera leaves the house this is what we see, “There are places I’ll remember” for “In My Life“.
13) The dockworkers at the Liverpool docks leave in the “Rain“.
14) Those same dockers leaving work after “A Hard Day’s Night“.
15) The Beatles walk past but they reappear throughout the music video, so that is for, “Here, There And Everywhere“.
16) We see many images of The Beatles as in “All Together Now“, after all, they are just “Boys“.
A man must break his back to earn his day of leisure
Cavern Club
17) The bouncer outside the Cavern Club has a flattop hairstyle, so we get the lyric “Here come old flattop” from “Come Together“.
18) Obviously the bouncer is forcing people to “Wait” while a policeman keeps people from queue jumping, instructing them to “Get Back“.
19) A woman queueing for the Cavern Club is wearing red tonight as in “Yes It Is“.
20) The camera swoops down to access the Cavern Club, as it does so, we see a lady waiting and is blocking the camera, but the camera has the illusion of passing through her. Also the boy might also be doing the same thing, “I’m Looking Through You“.
21) The Beatles are obviously onstage in the Cavern Club. There’s not much footage of them singing there but their first song from a TV documentary was “Some Other Guy“.
22) Obviously what The Beatles are giving us is “A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues” and some “Rock And Roll Music“.
The Cavern Club in Liverpool
Strawberry Field
23) The entrance to Strawberry Field is pretty obvious but then the camera shots go from high to low, so this is an obvious reference to “Strawberry Fields Forever“.
24) A walker uses a stick to thrash the bushes “what they need is a damn good whacking” as in “Piggies“, and while he is in Strawberry Field he becomes “Mother Nature’s Son“.
Strawberry Field in Liverpool
Busy Street Scene
25) Maxwell’s Hardware Store is in the row of shops in the street scene, so we get, “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer“.
26) Next door to Maxwell’s is Dylan’s shop, “Just like dylan’s Mister Jones”, representing “Yer Blues“.
27) The delivery driver of the Liverpool Egg Co is delivering eggs, obviously he is the “eggman” as in “I Am The Walrus“.
28) The delivery driver’s hands are full as in “Carry That Weight“.
29) Children run across the road – “See how they run” for both “Lady Madonna” and “I Am The Walrus”, again.
30) Three of those children are holding hands so we get, “I Want To Hold Your Hand“.
31) Two bankers with bowler hats representing “Taxman“.
32) A pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray feeling as if she is in a play, which she is, of course. She is also outside a barber shop which is showing photographs in the front window, obviously rich pickings from “Penny Lane“.
33) Behind her are the vegetable stalls and there’s a barrow in the market place as in “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da“.
34) The cigarette machine to the right of the barber’s shop “curse Sir Walter Raleigh” and “I’ll have another cigarette” representing “I’m So Tired“.
35) The barber says goodbye to a customer leaving his shop while another man tips his hat to say hello as in “Hello, Goodbye“.
The eggman making a delivery
Polythene Pam
36) The sign in a shop window behind actress, Kate Ford (Tracy in Coronation Street), obviously says “Help!” (again).
37) The girl behind Kate is wearing a black plastic mac representing “Polythene Pam“, and because of her coat “Baby’s In Black“.
38) Both actresses are obviously going to “Act Naturally“.
39) Ringo Starr stops suddenly as he leaves a shop, so he is going to “Wait” (again).
40) A young boy whispers secretively into the ear of an older girl, “Do You Want To Know A Secret” and “I Want To Tell You“.
41) John Lennon and Yoko Ono cuddle in a car as in “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?“.
42) Lennon is thinking “All You Need Is Love” because it’s “Real Love“.
43) The baker’s shop has a cake on display with the words Happy “Birthday“.
44) The cake in question also shows the numbers six and four, this is obviously a reference to “When I’m Sixty-Four“.
45) George Harrison walks into the Apple Headquarters at number 3 Savile Row, but the sign outside says “Doctor Robert“. Obviously the receptionist will say to him, “Step Inside Love“.
You should see Polythene Pam
Car Crash
46) Ringo loads his camera for “This Boy“, of course.
47) People are running towards a road traffic accident as in “Run For Your Life“.
48) A crowd are watching over a car crash, so we get the lyric, “A crowd of people stood and stared” as in “A Day In The Life“.
49) John Lennon is in the crowd of onlookers, not so much a song but is for the Paul is dead theory.
50) The crash scene also shows a fire engine which is a clean machine in “Penny Lane” (again).
51) You were in a car crash and you lost your hair, “Don’t Pass Me By“.
52) Also at the crash scene are policemen standing in a row “I Am The Walrus” (again).
53) The lady in the van looks like she is in pain as in “Misery” and “Cry Baby Cry” as well as “It’s All Too Much“.
54) The camera then pans on towards a “Helter Skelter” slide.
55) Above the helter skelter is a kite flying high in the sky as in “Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite!“.
A crowd of people stood and stared at the car crash
Piggies
56) Children skip happily down a back lane in pig masks for “Piggies” (again) but also “See how they run” as in “I Am The Walrus” (again).
57) Another word for back lane is “alley” so we get the lyric “And he ducked back in the alley” from “Long Tall Sally“.
58) A sunflower in the back street is growing “so incredibly high” as in “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds“.
58) Another obvious clue, a ladder leads into an open bathroom window and a girl enters as with “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window“.
See how they run in their pig masks
Paperback Writer
60) When the camera pans onto the house opposite, there’s a lizard on the window pane “Happiness Is A Warm Gun“.
61) Through the window we see a gentleman who is typing at his desk, he is obviously the “Paperback Writer“.
62) The typist could also be writing a love letter, “From Me To You” ending with “All My Loving” as well as “PS I Love You“.
63) Behind the typist we see a clock showing a time of ten past ten, of course, that’s “One After 909“.
64) On a nearby table is a book by Edgar Alan Poe as in “I Am The Walrus” (again).
65) There’s also a copy of the Daily Mail as in “Paperback Writer” (again).
66) The Daily Mail carries a headline about 4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire as in “A Day In The Life” (again).
67) The bowl of green apples represents The Beatles’ own record label, “Apple”, and the first release on that label was “Hey Jude“.
68) Near the apples are a box of chocolates “Savoy Truffle“.
69) Cigarette in the ashtray “I’m So Tired” (again).
70) Near to the television is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II as in “Penny Lane” (again) and “Her Majesty“.
71) Before the camera exits through the window is an image of Chairman Mao, “Revolution” and “Revolution 1“.
Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?
Blue Meanies
72) After exiting the house we see a worker on a roof who is “Fixing A Hole“.
73) A Blue Meanie pops up from the same hole from the “Yellow Submarine” film.
74) Next to the roofer fixing the hole is a cuddly monkey toy, “Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey” as well as, “Too Much Monkey Business“.
75) The newspaper taxi arriving is so obvious “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds“.
76) The girl goes to the newspaper taxi “For No One“.
77) As she leaves the home she looks so innocent, in fact, “Ain’t She Sweet” and there’s just “Something” in the way she moves
78) Hold on she isn’t a “Girl“, in fact, “She’s A Woman“.
79) Basically she is just a “Day Tripper“, but if she could catch a bus if she had a “Ticket To Ride“.
80) On the pavement, a man is walking his bulldog “Hey Bulldog“.
81) People are carrying a picture of Chairman Mao “Revolution” and “Revolution 1” (again).
82) John Lennon and Yoko Ono dance a waltz in the middle of the road, in other words, “I’m Happy Just To Dance With You“.
83) Another Blue Meanie pops up from a manhole cover he “sleeps in a hole in the road” as in “Mean Mr Mustard“.
84) Passing the end of the street is the bus from “Magical Mystery Tour“.
A Blue Meanie watches John and Yoko dancing
Party Scene
85) A line of people leave for a hunting mission complete with an elephant and he always takes his mom, of course, “The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill“.
86) In the party scene, Brian Epstein gets ready to leave “I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party“.
87) There is a small recreation of the “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album cover showing Stuart Sutcliffe, of course.
88) Sunbeams shine through the glass dome in the roof, so, “Here Comes The Sun” and “The Inner Light” as well as “I’ll Follow The Sun” and “Sun King“.
89) There are many times that we see bright light between the various clips this way representing the “Carnival Of Light“.
Brian Epstein is getting ready to leave the party
Eleanor Rigby
90) In the cemetery, a statue of the Virgin Mary moves, “Mother Mary comes to me” as in “Let It Be“.
91) A vicar (Father Mckenzie) walks away from the grave of “Eleanor Rigby“, and of course, the vicar knows that “All Things Must Pass“.
92) Paul McCartney’s Old English Sheepdog runs through the graveyard, “Martha My Dear“.
93) A road twists and turns in the distance as far as the eye can see, “The long and Winding Road“.
94) Paul McCartney in a long overcoat dances wildly in the mountain view, he is “The Fool On The Hill“, of course.
95) Below McCartney, on the roadway, is a woman walking with a suitcase as in “She’s Leaving Home“.
Martha runs past the grave of Eleanor Rigby while Father McKenzie walks away
Abbey Road
96) A meter maid (female traffic warden) walks over the Abbey Road zebra crossing representing “Lovely Rita“.
97) An expensive Rolls-Royce car drives over the Abbey Road crossing representing “Baby You’re A Rich Man“.
98) The film then transforms back to the black and white scenes from the theatre scene in the 1964 film, “A Hard Day’s Night” (again).
99) In the final scene, on the stage, is a man with a ukulele and watching him is a figure who looks like a joker as in “I Am The Walrus” (again).
100) Finally the curtain comes down for “The End“.
A rich man passes Lovely Rita on the Abbey Road zebra crossing
To Sum Up
Although The Beatles performed together for little over a decade, they left a legacy that will last forever.
As you can see, there are many song titles and clues in the Free As A Bird video, but we may not have caught them all. This is where you step in and help us out. So, “Tell Me What You See” and “Tell Me Why” you see it!
Of course, you may reply here or in The Beatles Forum. In fact, in the Fab Four Message Boards, there is a thread specifically for the Song Titles And Clues In Free As A Bird. So, pop over and have your say.
Anyone know the location of the lane , where the kids are in pig masks…(free as a bird)…..
Jerry Pugh – excellent question because I would like to know this too.