In honor of Sir Paul McCartney’s birthday later this week (Thursday, June 18 for those needing a reason to celebrate and eat cake-you’re welcome). I thought I’d pass along a bit of dog trivia.
McCartney wrote the song “Martha My Dear” in October 1968 and releasing it in November on the double album The Beatles (known as The White Album) and inspired by his Old English Sheepdog. The song however was ostensibly about his longtime love interest, Jane Asher who broke off their engagement in a few months earlier. Asher inspired a number of songs including “We can Work it Out”, “Here, There and Everywhere”, “For No One”, and “I’m Looking Through You”.
Sir Paul also recorded a high pitched whistle along with some randomly spliced Beatles studio chatter in “A Day in the Life” audible only to dogs for Martha’s amusement. It appeared on the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
Hats off to a fellow dog-lover and soon to be a 73 year old rocker (yikes!). Happy Birthday, Sir Paul. Here’s our own OES lineup (when Sam joined the Ranch, he had a brother and sister OES).
Know of any other songs inspired by famous artists?
Live, love, bark! <3
I heard about the song with the high pitch sounds! I think that is so neat!
Love how Stella McCartney is carrying on Paul and Linda’s legacy of kindness to animals with her cruelty-free fashion line. Good people!
Very interesting…thank you. Lovely picture…of you with Sam and his siblings
And lest I forget, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIR PAUL!!!! You were second in my heart only to David Selby a.k.a. Quentin Collins, my beloved werewolf/zombie/ghost cousin of Barnabas. (geez I miss being able to watch Dark Shadows!) Monika, are you old enough to remember DS when it was on originally in ’66 – ’71?
Oh yesssss! I would go home from school and eat lunch just so I could watch it. Jonathan Pryce was the creepiest but coolest vampire and I loved the theme music. 🙂
Jonathan Frid, my dear — or was it autocorrect that changed the spelling like it does to me all the time?
I’ve got about 5 CDs with all the DS music on them. My Mom loved the show as much as I did — we used to sit there almost mesmerized by it.
Ah, Sir Paul! My favorite Beatle back then and still my favorite now. As a 9-year-old, I got myself in some pretty deep caca by scratching Paul’s name into my headboard with the sharp end of a safety pin. I imagine that headboard is long gone by now … don’t know what my Dad did with it after I moved down here some 30 years later. LOL. The things kids do!! Paul should have married me instead of that Heather witch who took all she could grab. (She must have been related to my former stepmother!)
didn’t know, thanks for sharing that cool tid bit
Happy (early) Birthday (or wait, is it tomorrow in England yet?) to Sir Paul, I had no idea he had done any recording with dog whistles. Then I am not a die hard Beatles fan, only listen to the popular songs. 😉
How interesting! We will ask dad to play Paul McCartney on the radio as we take off today. Me and Stanley like to bark out “Yellow Submarine” on road trips!
Your Pals,
MURPHY AND STANLEY
Happy Birthday Sir Paul!!! We once had a tv-show for kids with an OES. My mom loved this dog so much that she decided to marry the owner, just to live together with the dog… she wrote him a letter butt (fortunately!!!) she got no answer… she was 9 that time… and as silly as a box of frogs…
I only know I love my dog by Cat Stevens… the lyrics are great and it is the truth… but please don’t tell that to my dad lol
Your secret is safe with us. <3
Clearly you are younger than me? I’m only 8 and that’s about 5 in human years 🙂 I like the humans’ way of counting better than us parrot’s.
We had an OES during that same time. What great funny and, now I find out inspirational dogs they are. I did not know this.
They are the comedians of the dog world, that’s for sure. But I have to admit, having a standard is the best. Especially all that drool! LOL
So what about the Beatles? I was more interested in his second band, “Wings”. Now if he just had a song called “Curved Beak”, we parrots would be all in.
Clearly you are younger than me. 😉 Seriously though, I like Wings too. Just that he had Martha when he was a Beatle.