These two men did some weird things in life. George took up Hinduism while displaying 'relentless infidelity' to his wife and muse Patty Boyd. John did about a hundred more weird things of which 'bagism' and 'bed ins' and 'Yoko Ono' (who in my opinion is the worst thing he 'did') only scratch the surface. But John also wrote a gem called 'Norwegian Wood' to which George contributed the sitar. And together they produced a song that has probably had the most impact on me, out of all the songs I've listened to.I can't describe the feeling the song evokes in me; a funny mixture of longing, desolation with highly psychedelic and surreal overtones. I think the longing stems from the fact that the song is so short and leaves you unsatisfied. While the theme of the song (or the most popular interpretation of the theme), seems to be a light-hearted take on extra-marital affairs, I think the interplay of the acoustic and bass guitars and the sitar gives the song a much darker tone. So I start to think of loneliness, of a desperate, insatiable man looking for someone to satisfy his appetite of love, lust, conversation and such things. The lines about them talking till two, the girl having him and him getting really upset about her not being there when he wakes up in the morning all add legitimacy to this train of thought.
But more than the lyrics, the usage of instruments is incredible and creates a sublime atmosphere, a parallel universe of sorts to which you are transported when you listen, a world where everything is rose tinted, colours are brighter than they seem and illusions jump out at you. And then, the Norwegian wood catches fire, your bubble bursts, you fall back to reality as the song ends. And I am insatiable. Norwegian Wood is not a song, it is an experience. And I seek to prolong it by playing the song over and over and over again. Not I song I have, oh no...it truly and completely has me...We need songs like this these days.
2 comments:
it's a brilliant song..the funny bit is that u start off listening to it and u think its a very sweet song when the sitar comes right at the beginning but i always used to feel that something was wrong..it has a very weird dark feel to it and dramatizes the emotion in the lines in a way..like the way u've described it..
Exactly...the more you read into the lyrics, the more you realise the frustration in the song. I think the whole atmosphere of the song, including its length has this surreal feel where you're waiting for something that never comes...thats what fascinates me about it..
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