What Beyoncé’s and The Beatles’ ‘Blackbird’ means to Little Rock Nine member : NPR

Melba Pattillo Beals, 82, went on to earn a master’s degree from Columbia University and a doctorate from the University of San Francisco.

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Melba Pattillo Beals, 82, went on to earn a master’s degree from Columbia University and a doctorate from the University of San Francisco.

USF Office of Marketing Communications

Beyoncé’s recent cover of the Beatles classic “Blackbird” was particularly impactful for listeners who know that the song pays homage to the Little Rock Nine – a group of black students who were at the center of the fight to desegregate public schools in the USA.

His version, which appears on his new album Cowboy Carter, was even more meaningful for a member of the Little Rock Nine, Melba Pattillo Beals.

“It’s the story of my life,” she told NPR.

Beals was 15 when she enrolled at the previously all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., in 1957. She and eight other black students were escorted by the 101st Airborne Division on their first day courses. They also experienced verbal and physical harassment throughout their high school years.

Paul McCartney said on several occasions, “Blackbird” was inspired by the Little Rock Nine. He also said that the term “Blackbird” stood for “Black girl” in a 2018 interview with GQ.

Beals, 82, became a journalist and author of several books, including Warrior don’t cry And Walk forward, girl. A fan of the Beatles and Beyoncé, she said the song means more to her than ever.

Beals added that she is especially proud of Beyoncé, who produced her latest album despite initial backlash towards her entry into the country music genre.

“People have ignored the meaning of the song for a long time,” Beals said. “But when Queen B speaks, people listen. And when people listen, they can open their minds to compassion for differences.”

In this Oct. 15, 1957 photo, seven of nine black students walk onto the campus of Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., with a National Guard officer as escort and as other troops look on.

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Fred Kaufman/AP

“Blackbird” reminds Beals of his grandmother’s advice growing up: “You have to keep going no matter what.”

When the original “Blackbird” was released in 1968, Beals – then in his 20s – immediately felt the song was relevant.

“I didn’t think it was about the Little Rock Nine, but I wondered if it was about black pain,” she said.

The lyrics “Blackbird singing in the middle of the night” reminded him 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 the strength and determination of Black Americans in a country that historically prevented them from achieving success. .

“It reminded me of what my grandmother said to me when I came home from Central High School complaining about the abuse I had received during the day: ‘Move on, girl. You have to keep going no matter what. ‘He’s coming,'” Beals said.

Melba Pattillo Beals in 1957.

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Beals felt especially grateful for the song because it was her longtime dream to write music about her experiences and those of other black Americans.

Growing up, Beals said, she was told to rarely speak her mind. So she channeled her thoughts into journal entries and songwriting. She wanted to become a singer, but Beals said her mother was not supportive.

“My mother wouldn’t let me. She said black people couldn’t survive without a college education,” Beals said.

When Beyoncé sings “Blackbird fly”, Beals understands it as “I did it, you can do it too”

When McCartney sings “Blackbird fly”, Beals interprets it to mean “I see you”. But when the words come from Beyoncé, Beals said she understands it as “I did it, you can do it too.”

“It gives it new meaning,” Beals said. “She says, whatever your thing is, get up, prepare your wings and fly.”

She hopes Beyoncé’s cover will inspire people to remember and think about the civil rights movement, while reminding them that there is still work to be done in the fight for equality.

“As long as there is a single person on the planet who is not free, none of us will be free,” she said.

Beals added that the song and its reference to the Little Rock Nine are particularly poignant today, given that several states — including Arkansas — have fought to limit the teaching of Black history in recent years.

Beals said his books chronicle his experience at Central High School, including Warriors don’t cry And Walk forward, my daughter, have also been contested in schools over the years.

“Blackbird is about the past, today and the future,” she said.