Free As A Bird

The video for the new Beatles song, "Free As a Bird," has references to many other Beatle songs and events.
Here's a chronological listing of what's in the video.

The sound of a bird's wings is heard both on this video and

on the original version of "Across the Universe."
0:00:10

The opening sound effects and ight effects throughout

could represent "Flying," "And Your Bird Can Sing,"
"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," "Blue Jay Way," and "Blackbird."
0:04:06

"In My Life," the lads as lads. Top row, John, George and Ringo.
Bottom row Paul. 0:08:27
 Fly and buttery may represent "Flying"
0:16:07

More of the lads as lads. Left to right, Paul, John, Ringo, & George.
There's an "Old Brown Shoe" in front of George.
0:17:14

The cat. "I'm Only Sleeping"

0:21:08

"Here Comes the Sun"

0:24:01
 Liverpool's River Mersey
There are places I'll remember. "In My Life"
0:28:12

Royal Liver Buildings (pronounced Lye-ver)

0:29:11

Liverpool Docks
0:32:22

John Paul George & Ringo with the crowd in the "Rain"
0:39:04
The Cavern Club. The bouncer has a at top "Come Together"
0:48:13

Its very hard to see the top half of the girl who's
waiting in the doorway to enter the Cavern.
This leads some to tell her "I'm Looking Through You"
0:50:25

The Beatles perform "Some Other Guy" at the Cavern 0:54:21

Police restrain fans from approaching the Beatles

1:02:03
 Strawberry Field, "Strawberry Fields Forever"
1:08:10

Who's this at Strawberry Field? John? "Mother Nature's Son?"

1:10:18

Silver Hammer Hardware Store, from

"Maxwell's Silver Hammer"
1:15:29

See how they run, "Lady Madonna"

1:20:14
 Foreground: "I Want To Hold Your Hand"
Background: I am the eggman, "I Am the Walrus"
Above the Eggman's truck is a sign that says Ringo.
1:21:27

Paul, Ringo & George cross the street

1:25:17

Anybody got a bit of money?

Ah ah, Mister Wilson, ah ah, Mister Heath; "Taxman"
1:27:29

Ringo
1:29:14
 Paul
1:30:20

George
1:31:15

John
1:32:12

At left, a barrow in the marketplace "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"

At right, the barber, "Penny Lane"
1:34:18
 A pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray, "Penny Lane"
1:36:10

And though she feels as if she's in a play, "Penny Lane"

1:39:21

Every head he's had the pleasure to know. Notice photo of the Beatles in foreground of window.
"Penny Lane"
1:41:18

The Barber, "Penny Lane"

1:44:22
 I'll have another cigarette, "I'm So Tired"
1:44:04

"Help" on a sign in the window.

Mandy Rice-Davies & Christine Keeler, the ladies of the 1963 Profumo scandal in Britain.
Some have suggested that Rice-Davies, in the shiny black coat,
may be "Polythene Pam."
1:48:16

Ringo stands in the door of the "Penny Lane" bakery

1:52:15

John & Yoko answer the eternal question, "Why Don't We Do It In the Road?"
1:54:04
 John, Paul, Ringo & George
1:56:01

The address, 51, is in the upper right. What does it mean?

1:59:05

On the right, the future cover of Anthology 3 (almost certainly)

1:59:27

In the center, an early look at the cover of Anthology 2

2:00:20
 At the left, the cover of Anthology 1
2:01:17

You say its your "Birthday."

The cake has two digits on it, "When I'm Sixty-Four"
2:05:14

George arrives at Apple headquarters

2:10:17

Dr. Robert's ofce, conveniently located at 3 Saville Row

2:14:23
 Ringo has his camera
2:20:02

A crowd of people stood and stared, including John. "A Day In the Life"
2:24:02

He blew his mind out in a car. "A Day In the Life."

You were in a car crash. "Don't Pass Me By"
The license plate is either YEE 7 or YFE 7.
One suggestion was that it means "Wifey 7," and refers to the seven Beatle wives.
2:27:15

He likes to keep his re engine clean.

 It's a clean machine. "Penny Lane"
2:29:08

Pretty policeman standing in a row, "I Am the Walrus"

2:30:20

I go back to the top of the slide, "Helter Skelter"

2:39:02

"Being For the Benet of Mr. Kite"

2:40:00

The ladder leads up to a leg disappearing where

 "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window;
2:45:01

The owers that grow so incredibly high

"Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds"
2:48:13

"Piggies"
also See how they run like pigs from a gun, "I Am the Walrus"
2:55:01

Like a Lizard on a Window Pane

"Happiness is a Warm Gun"
2:58:18
 "Paperback Writer" and the clock reads 10:10, which is "One After 909"
3:02:29

John, a bowl of shiny green Granny Smith apples, and the Beatles on Sullivan.
Also a newspaper headline about 4,000 holes found in Blackburn, Lancashire,
"A Day In the Life".
And a box of "Savoy Trufe."
On the oor, to the right of the trufes, is a portrait of the Queen,
"Penny Lane" & "Her Majesty"
3:09:08

On the window, a picture of Chairman Mao "Revolution"

3:12:04
 A blue meanie peeks out while the man is "Fixing a Hole"
3:14:18

On the left side of the street, being walked is "Hey Bulldog"

3:21:12

Newspaper taxis appear "Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds"

3:22:26

She goes out "For No One, "

and carrying pictures of Chairman Mao "Revolution"
And Max, the Blue Meanie, does an encore.
Sleeps in a hole in the road, "Mean Mr. Mustard"
 Does this mean that the Meanie's full name is Max Mustard?
3:24:20

John & Yoko waltz, from "I Me Mine" segment of Let It Be

Bus at end of street from Magical Mystery Tour
3:26:13

Bungalow Bill, his elephant and gun, in case of accidents he always took his mom.
"The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill"
Ringo is at right.
3:35:14

I guessed he was Ravi Shankar, but he's probably not.

Lets just say he represents the inuence of Indian music.
3:42:17
 Brian Epstein puts on his scarf to leave,
"I Don't Want To Spoil The Party"
3:49:00

"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"

3:50:06

Stu Sutcliffe on the James Dean cutout,

and, I thought, the Maharishi Mahash Yogi.
It's not Ram Dass, as someone suggested.
Turns out ol' Ram is American.
3:52:09

Mother Mary from "Let It Be" or "Lady Madonna"

 3:59:02

"Eleanor Rigby." September 12th.

The song was certied US Gold on September 12, 1966.
Another odd suggestion is this obscure song
from the Broadway musical "Hair."
4:01:14

Father Mackenzie from "Eleanor Rigby"

4:02:26

"Martha My Dear" and Father Mackenzie

4:04:04
 "The Fool on the Hill"
"She's Leaving Home"
"The Long and Winding Road"
4:08:25

"Lovely Rita," lling in a ticket in her little black book.

4:15:08

Abbey Road
4:21:07

Paul in A Hard Day's Night

4:32:11
 John & George in A Hard Day's Night
4:32:24

Ringo in A Hard Day's Night

4:33:17

A man and his dog. What does it mean?

4:40:08

The curtain falls, "The End."

The performer plays a Banjo-Uke, and is
George Formby, a British music hall performer of the 30s & 40s.
Formby was known to say "it's turned out nice again," which is the backwards
 message heard at the end of the song.
4:49:08

Images are 1995 Apple Corps Limited

Descriptions 1995 &1996 David Fell
For research purposes only. Publishing for prot is expressly prohibited.