A fan of both The Beatles and Beyoncé, 82-year-old Melba Pattillo Beals says the song is more special to her than ever. She is one of the Black students who helped desegregate U.S. public schools.
Melba Pattillo Beals, 82, went on to receive a master's degree from Columbia University and a doctoral degree at the University of San Francisco.
'Blackbird' reminds Beals of her grandmother's advice growing up: 'You have to keep going no matter what' The lyrics"Blackbird singing in the dead of night" reminded her of how slaves relied on music to cope with the pain of daily life. Beals added that the next set of lyrics —"Take these broken wings and learn to fly" and"Take these sunken eyes and learn to see" — captured Black Americans' strength and determination in a country that historically prevented them from succeeding.
"My mother wouldn't let me. She said Black people cannot survive without higher education," Beals said.When McCartney sings"Blackbird fly," Beals interprets it as meaning"I see you." But when the words come from Beyoncé, Beals said she understands it as"I've done it, you can do it too."
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
What The Beatles and Beyoncé's 'Blackbird' means to this Little Rock Nine memberA fan of both The Beatles and Beyoncé, 82-year-old Melba Pattillo Beals says the song is more special to her than ever. She is one of the Black students who helped desegregate U.S. public schools.
Read more »
Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Features a Beatles Cover, Miley Cyrus, and Post Malone'Cowboy Carter' has arrived in areas of the world where it’s already Friday, and more details about Beyoncé’s new album have emerged.
Read more »
The Meaning Behind Beyoncé's Epic Cover of The Beatles' Classic 'Blackbird' on Cowboy CarterBeyoncé released her new album 'Cowboy Carter' on Friday, which features a cover of The Beatles' classic 'Blackbird.' Here's why she decided to put her spin on the song.
Read more »
What Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ means to the Black OpryAs the show concluded, the singers united for a rendition of joined together for Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em,”
Read more »
John Lennon Said Beatles' Photo Shoot with Muhammad Ali Was a MistakeJohn Lennon pulled no punches about how much he detested the Beatles' 1964 knockout photo shoot with Muhammad Ali ... that's according to the guy who snapped those iconic images.
Read more »
Beatles' John Lennon resented Muhammad Ali after knockout shoot: 'It was a mistake'Harry Benson photographed John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and George Harrison getting punched by Muhammad Ali known as 'The Greatest.'
Read more »