Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

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Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Produced by: George Martin
Released: Dec. '65 on Capitol
Charts: Non-single

After the Beatles stopped playing for stadiums full of screaming girls, they had time to explore new sounds in the studio. Among their first experiments was this wry, wistful folk ballad, groundbreaking for its use of the sitar. The song, written by Lennon, is the tale of a late-night tryst -- although it's electric with sexual possibility, the bemused cad ends up sleeping in the bathtub. Lennon said that the lyrics disguised an actual affair: "I was very careful and paranoid because I didn't want my wife, Cyn, to know that there was something going on."

Appears on: Rubber Soul (Capitol)

Next: Every Breath You Take

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