Lennon/McCartney

 

 

Rating: ***** (excellent)

 

 

 

 

This is a true classic written by John and maybe the highest point of the album, which is saying a lot. The song became famous because, as everybody knows, it’s the first rock record to feature a sitar, played by George (who had become a lover of Indian music around that time). The lyrics could have a lot of meanings, and they actually have a special meaning to me.

 

 

John (1972): “Me. But Paul helped me on the lyric.”

George (1980): “I had bought, earlier, a crummy sitar in London... and played the ‘Norwegian Wood’ bit.”

John (1980): “‘Norwegian Wood’ is my song completely. It was about an affair I was having. I was very careful and paranoid because I didn’t want my wife, Cyn, to know that there really was something going on outside of the household. I’d always had some kind of affairs going on, so I was trying to be sophisticated in writing about an affair... but in such a smoke-screen way that you couldn’t tell. But I can’t remember any specific woman it had to do with.”

Paul (1985): “It was me who decided in ‘Norwegian Wood’ that the house should burn down... not that it’s any big deal.”

 

 

Recording

Recorded: October 21, 1965 at Abbey Road, London, England   Instrumentation: John Lennon - lead vocal, acoustic guitar Paul McCartney - bass guitar, backing vocal George Harrison - sitar Ringo Starr - tambourine, bass drum

 

 

Releasing

	Release Date	Title	Format	Label
UK	1965, December 3	RUBBER SOUL (UK)	LP	Parlophone
	1973, April 19	THE BEATLES / 1962-1966 (Red Album)	LP	Apple
	1977, November 19	LOVE SONGS	LP	Parlophone
US	1965, December 6	RUBBER SOUL (US)	LP	Capitol
	1973, April 2	THE BEATLES / 1962-1966 (Red Album)	LP	Apple
	1977, October 21	LOVE SONGS	LP	Capitol

 

 

Lyrics

NORWEGIAN WOOD (THIS BIRD HAS FLOWN)   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?

 

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