I know it sounds far-fetched that the fab four would fly the Jolly Roger, but, its true me Buccaneer Beatle Freaks! Well, at least in my mind. The Beatles came from the seaport city of Liverpool, which is mentioned in many maritime songs. The seaport influence on the Beatles is pointed out in the liner notes of the Rogue's Gallery CD - a collection put together by Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp, and featuring Bono, Bryan Ferry, Sting, Lou Reed, Nick Cave, and others (note: this is not a kids CD).
The notes intimate that John Lennon in particular betrayed this buccaneer influence, at least melodically and harmonically. I they're refering to Norwegian Wood with its dorain scale chord progression, and Working Class Hero in the minor key. Try to think of these songs being sung in a dockside tavern with a mug o' grog at hand.
Then there's Macca. Paul McCartney recorded with a guitarist named Mick Green, who originally played with a band called Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. OK, me hearties, I know that's pretty skimpy evidence. So, I ask you to consider the song Morse Moose and the Grey Goose written with Denny Laine, from the London Town album. Here is one of the verses:
she flew into the stormy
Davy Jones was callin' me
but headin for tranquility
the Grey Goose flew away
Also, Paul's Beatle classic Blackbird is begging for a 'Blackbeard' parody. Alright, I've already written one. More about that in a future blog.
What about the Quiet Beatle? George Harrison, as it turns out, was not so quiet. He recorded a silly chantey with Monty Python called The Pirate Song with these lines "I have a Jolly Roger, its black and wide and vast" and "I sail the BBC". You can find it on YouTube.
Last, but not least, we have Ringo. Octopus's Garden! Need I say more? Octopus collect shiny objects and put them outside their caves. In an anthropormorphic sense, they are making a sculpture garden. Ringo brought forth a sunken treasure with that gem of a song.
Hey, I gotta go and "rest my head on a sea bed".
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