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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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