TS: real love / free as a bird

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My friends/lovers and I are debating which deliciously creepy Beatles track is better: Real Love or Free as a Bird.

For my money, there is no better verse melody + chord progression than that of "Real Love." "Free as a bird" bores me and has trite lyrics. But I'm just extreme like that...

― richard killiam, Thursday, 29 April 2004 19:25 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't find either track as "deliciously creepy" as, say, "Long Long Long" or "Blue Jay Way" or "Only a Northern Song"

"Real Love" sounds more like a finished song. "Free as a Bird" sounds exactly like the pastiche that it ultimately is t

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 29 April 2004 19:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Both are pretty unremarkable, and they're both trite and hokey. "Free As A Bird" at least seems intentionally creepy, in regards to the chord progression (OMG THREADS ARE COLLIDING).

― Sansai, Thursday, 29 April 2004 19:29 (twenty-two years ago)

i actually like 'real love' quite a bit

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 29 April 2004 19:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, "Real Love" is easily the winner. I think they led with "Free As A Bird" because it was the weaker of the two songs and putting it first made it harder to critique.

― Hector Savage, Thursday, 29 April 2004 19:30 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't really count either of these as Beatles songs.

― mike a, Thursday, 29 April 2004 19:31 (twenty-two years ago)

They sound more like Travelling Wilbury outtakes a

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 29 April 2004 19:36 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't think either are really quality Beatles tracks.

(yes, I like the Beatles, albeit mostly their mid to late period, but those two songs are just outtakey sounding, and for a reason)

― uh, Thursday, 29 April 2004 19:37 (twenty-two years ago)

according to the all music guide real love was a demo from
the late seventies. I guess enough money changed hands for
Yoko to give it to the beatles and make it theirs.

― jb, Thursday, 29 April 2004 19:47 (twenty-two years ago)

the original real love is better though

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 29 April 2004 19:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Definitely Real Love. It actually doesn't sound too far away from very late perod Beatles. George's guitar work on this is very good.

― de, Thursday, 29 April 2004 20:00 (twenty-two years ago)

just to clear some things up, here's some info i got from interviews with paul/ringo/george
free as a bird was put out first because 1) mccartney/rings liked it better, 2) it was unfinished, so all beatles helped write/finish it 3) it isn't as "poppy" as real love
george liked real love better, but its basically like the late period beatles, where its all john's song, but the beatles helped out on it
there were 3 anthologies, and were going to be 3 new songs
yoko gave paul 3 demos "real love" "free as a bird" and "grow old with me"
but 1) the beatles decided it wasnt "they're style" 2) the only demo yoko had of it was already released on "milk and honey" and 3) it would have been pretty creepy, since lennon couldnt grow old with them
the threetles put out free as a bird first because it was more a beatles track like the old days as opposed to real love which was more like abbey road/white album (1 beatle + other beatle sidemen)

anyways that's my info

― stever, Thursday, 29 April 2004 20:01 (twenty-two years ago)

by the way, i like real love better then free as a bird!

― stever, Thursday, 29 April 2004 20:04 (twenty-two years ago)