# Today is the 50th anniversary of the release of "Norwegian Wood" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 3, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320 "2015-12-03T17:10:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/1 "2015-12-03T17:10:57Z")
I learned that in the NY Times crossword puzzle on Tuesday. Just throwing it out there. Best Beatles song EVAR. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/2 "2015-12-03T17:23:49Z")
He burns the house down at the end of the song, right? That was my interpretation from the very first time I heard the song. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/3 "2015-12-03T17:31:18Z")
Either that, or he lights a joint. Opinions differ! ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/4 "2015-12-03T17:33:43Z")
It is indeed the best Beatles song, EVAR, and its only flaw is that it isn’t longer. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/5 "2015-12-03T17:39:06Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > He burns the house down at the end of the song, right? That was my interpretation from the very first time I heard the song. That is what Paul has always said. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/6 "2015-12-03T17:45:32Z")
Was it released in the morning? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/7 "2015-12-03T17:46:05Z")
In Richard Brautigan’s novel _The Abortion: A Historical Romance 1966_, this is the song the Beautiful Girl plays for the Librarian, who has been isolated within the Library for years. Or at least it’s strongly hinted that this is the song. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/8 "2015-12-03T18:08:55Z")
It is The Most Important Song to my son because he loves the song and The Beatles, loves playing it on guitar - it represented a big leap for him when he learned it, and because he loves the book with the same name (referencing the song, of course) by **Haruki Murakami**. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/9 "2015-12-03T18:28:23Z")
For years Mom and I thought that that lyric was “So, I let her fly.” Then I found out the real lyric (“So, I lit a fire”) and Mom was hilariously horrified. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/10 "2015-12-03T18:58:38Z")
I always thought the first appearance of “isn’t it good Norwegian wood” in the song referred to the furniture, and assumed he was burning it at the end. It never occurred to me that he was burning the whole house. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/11 "2015-12-03T19:01:34Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I always thought the first appearance of “isn’t it good Norwegian wood” in the song referred to the furniture, and assumed he was burning it at the end. It never occurred to me that he was burning the whole house. I got the impression that there wasn’t any furniture, the wood was the floor. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/12 "2015-12-03T19:16:55Z")
Read somewhere speculation that the title was a corruption of ‘knowing she would,’ as in “…isn’t it good, knowing she would?” But that the Beatles thought it was too obvious so they changed it to the almost-sound-alike phrase ‘Norwegian Wood’. No idea if this is true or not but it’s kind of interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/13 "2015-12-03T19:22:16Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > Read somewhere speculation that the title was a corruption of ‘knowing she would,’ as in “…isn’t it good, knowing she would?” But that the Beatles thought it was too obvious so they changed it to the almost-sound-alike phrase ‘Norwegian Wood’. > > No idea if this is true or not but it’s kind of interesting. I came across that theory in a story by Spider Robinson; I don’t know whether that’s where it originated. It makes a certain amount of sense, and is the kind of wordplay Lennon engaged in. ---
**Author:** ![Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/14 "2015-12-03T19:23:11Z")
Goodness. He lit a fire in the fireplace, for cryin’ out loud! The wood was shipped in from Norway. Ya buncha pyromaniacs. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/15 "2015-12-03T19:31:21Z")
What I recall is that “Norwegian Wood” was a cool look that the swingin’ singles girls of London wanted for their apartments. Yes, pine paneling. John was just obliquely describing his infidelities and used that descripton to make it clear he was hitting on cool mini-skirted types. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/16 "2015-12-03T19:42:17Z")
Fifty years. Wow. That means it was 50 years ago this Christmas that I first read LOTR. The LOTR trilogy and the Rubber Soul album were my Christmas gifts that year, and because I read the first while listening to the second, Rubber Soul will forever be the soundtrack of Middle Earth to me. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/17 "2015-12-03T21:12:03Z")
Weird, though it is a Beatles song and I’m familiar with the name, I just had a listen and realise that I’ve never heard it before in my life. Strange how such things can pass you by. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/18 "2015-12-03T21:46:38Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > I got the impression that there wasn’t any furniture, the wood was the floor. Well, we know for certain that there wasn’t a chair. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/19 "2015-12-03T21:49:02Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Weird, though it is a Beatles song and I’m familiar with the name, I just had a listen and realise that I’ve never heard it before in my life. > > Strange how such things can pass you by. Have you heard “Don’t Pass Me By”? ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320/20 "2015-12-03T22:03:28Z")
Not just Norwegian Wood, but all of Rubber Soul! IMO, one of their most underrated albums, along with Revolver. Norwegian Wood, In My Life, Girl . . . [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-is-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-norwegian-wood/739320.md?page=2)