Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)
"Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)" | |
---|---|
Song by John Lennon | |
from the album Walls and Bridges | |
Released | 26 September 1974 |
Recorded | July–August 1974 |
Length | 2:55 |
Label | Apple |
Songwriter(s) | John Lennon |
Producer(s) | John Lennon |
Walls and Bridges track listing | |
12 tracks |
"Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)" is a song written by
Lyrics and music
"Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)" was the first song Lennon wrote for Walls and Bridges.[1] While other songs on the album were inspired by Lennon's feelings towards his then estranged wife Yoko Ono, "Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)" was inspired by his feelings towards his then lover May Pang, and how she helped him through that difficult period.[1][2][3][4] The term "sweet bird of paradox" in the title is a play on the term "bird of paradise" and refers to the paradox that Lennon had originally intended Pang to be a placeholder while he was separated from Ono but she became important to him.[3] While the final version of the song reflects Lennon's happiness with his relationship with Pang, the earliest versions of the song had him questioning the strength of this relationship.[2]
Music critic Johnny Rogan suggested that although "Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)" is a love song to May Pang, it contains hints that the relationship is merely functional and that the line "She makes me sweat and forget who I am" suggests that Pang "deadens [Lennon's] true feelings.[5][6] Music lecturers Ben Urish and Ken Bielen claim that in contrast to expressing the "dawning realization that love was meant to be", as in Lennon's earlier song "Out the Blue", in "Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)" Lennon expresses the "sudden astonishment of self-centered lust."[7] They explain that Lennon does this by using "marginally connected phrases to approximate the excitement that causes the thoughts to leap ahead of themselves, and their expression to be disrupted as a result."[7] Urish and Bielen give as examples the phrases "Natural high...butterfly," "Just like a willow tree...a breath of spring," and "A bird of paradise...sunrise in her eyes."[7]
An inspiration for the music of the song was
Elton John was originally intended to sing the vocals as a duet with Lennon, but struggled to match Lennon's phrasing.
Reception
Alternate version
An early version of "Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)" was released on the 1998 compilation album John Lennon Anthology.[2][11] Beatle biographers Chip Madinger and Mark Easter prefer the Anthology version due to lacking Elton John's harmony vocal, which they view as "clumsy", having a faster tempo, and a more prominent clavinet part.[11]
References
- ^ ISBN 0966264959.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-906002-02-2.
- ^ a b c d Kessler, Jude Southerland (29 July 2022). ""Surprise, Surprise" for John Lennon". Culture Sonar. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
- ^ ISBN 1560252103.
- ^ ISBN 9780857124388.
- ISBN 0711955999.
- ^ ISBN 9780275991807.
- ^ Metzger, John (14 April 2011). "John Lennon: Walls and Bridges". The Music Box. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
- ^ a b c d "Surprise Surprise (Sweet Bird Of Paradox)". The Beatles Bible. 16 August 2010. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
- ^ Gerson, Ben (21 November 1974). "Walls and Bridges". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
- ^ ISBN 0-615-11724-4.