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George referred to 'Piggies' as "a social comment" although the song did little more than mock the middle classes by calling them pigs, a Sixties term of derision usually reserved for the police. All four Beatles were in that session, although Lennon only participated by putting together some pig sounds in the control room. Specially remarkable is the baroque feeling of the song with the harpsichord skilfully played by the producer of the session, Chris Thomas and the string section (which was also used in another song). It's also interesting to note Paul's plucking of the bass strings was meant to somehow bring a remembrance of a pig grunting. The song became notorious in 1971 when it was revealed that Charles Manson, the self-appointed leader of the notorious Manson 'family', had interpreted the words as a warning to the white establishment that they were to get ready for an uprising. Particularly significant, in Manson's disturbed mind, was the suggestion that the piggies were in need of "a damn good whacking". According to witnesses, this was one of Manson's favourite lines, and one that he quotes frequently before his imprisonment for involvement in the murders which many saw as the final dark chapter in the hippie era. The clue that eventually linked the eight murders - five at the residence of film-star Sharon Tate, two at Leno LaBianca's and one at Gary Hinman's - was the painting of the word 'pig', 'pigs or 'piggy' in the victim's blood. The LaBiancas were even stabbed with knives and forks, apparently because these utensils are mentioned in the last verse. George was horrified at Manson's maniacal interpretation of what he felt was a rather tame song , pointing out that the 'damn good whacking' line had been suggested by his mother when he was looking for something to rhyme with 'backing' and 'lacking'. "It was nothing to do with American policemen or Californian shagnasties," he said. |
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