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Wings "Nineteen Hundred And Eighty-Five" Song Meaning


Jk

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I've always like the song "Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five" by Wings, but I don't really have any idea what it could be about. I've done internet searches to no avail, but I heard rumours that it was about John Lennon somehow. Does anyone here know what it means? I noticed it doesn't have a songfacts page.

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personally I don't know the song, but here are the lyrics:

On No One Left Alive In 1985, Will Ever Do

She May Be Right

She May Be Fine

She May Get Love But She Won't Get Mine

'Cos I Got You

Oh I Oh I

Well I Just Can't Enough Of That Sweet Stuff

My Little Lady Gets Behind

(Interlude)

On My Mama Said The Time Would Come

When I Would Find Myself In Love With You

I Didn't Think I Never Dreamed

That I Would Be Around To See It All Come True

Woh I Oh I

Well I Just Can't Get Enough Of That Sweet Stuff

My little lady gets behind

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Paul is famous for writing songs with no meaning at all. Well no relevant meaning anyway. I've often thought it was a mild allusion to a psychic reference, a future prediction of beyond the worlds end. Notice he also segues into a short reprise of the title song Band on the run at the end; giving the song a mystical conclusion. This whole album is a masterpiece!

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Yea...Paul was quite eloquent with making a thing of beauty out of nothing...the lyrics sure fit the bill

I always asumed that it was tied to Orwell's novel, '1984', a year all were a bit leary of...sort of a "i wonder who's gonna be left after the end of the world, and what can we do together" kinda feeling...

"On No One Left Alive In 1985, Will Ever Do"

...left alive? after what?

Orwell was right

maybe

possibly

well....maybe anyways

it's still a great song...agreed

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Paul was best with a melody, John was the better lyricist, which is why neither of their solo material lives up to the Beatles at their best.

I know that that is probably the accepted wisdom, but I think it's a massive over-simplification. Paul could write lyrics as perfect as anything John could manage (see Eleanor Rigby, The End, Penny Lane, She's Leaving Home, Fool On The Hill, etc etc etc etc), and John was pretty fine with a melody too (Imagine, Strawberry Fields, In My Life,...). You can try to pigeon-hole them, but they really don't deserve it.

Love,

LBB

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  • 2 weeks later...

I didn't realize the "1984" connection before. Now that you mention it, I think that's the inspiration of the song. I've heard that The Beatles' "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?", which McCartney wrote, was based on part of "1984", so that makes perfect sense.

Glad to see this didn't turn into another McCartney Vs. Lennon debate. Can we all just give peace a chance on that?

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