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| FRIDAY NOVEMBER 17 2000 |
| The Long and Winding Road |
| STEVE TURNER |
| Like Yesterday, The Long and Winding
Road evokes loss without describing any specific situation. The
images of wind and rain suggest feelings of being abandoned in the
wilderness, while the long and winding road leading to "her door" is
the sign of hope.
The imagery actually comes from Paul's experience of staying at High Park, his farm on the west coast of Scotland, which is exposed to high winds and frequently lashed with rain. The long and winding road itself is the B842, 16 miles of twists and turns which runs down the east coast of Kintyre into Campbeltown, the nearest town to the farm. Paul has said that he had the voice of Ray Charles in mind when he wrote it and that this influenced the use of jazzy chords. The road he envisaged as an endless road because the song is about what is eventually unattainable. It was released as a single in America in May 1970 and reached the No. 1 spot. |