In addition, Belew is well-regarded for his contributions, particularly on guitar, to various other artists' recordings. In 1977, he performed with Frank Zappa, appearing in Zappa's 1979 concert film Baby Snakes, as well as Zappa's controversial album Sheik Yerbouti. He also supported David Bowie on his "Heroes" tour that was released as "Stage". He also played on the 1990 Sound + Vision tour. On both tours he was musical director, playing guitar and singing backing vocals.
Belew's other session credits include the 1980 album Remain in Light by the Talking Heads, Lights Out by Peter Wolf, and Paul Simon's landmark 1986 album Graceland. He worked with Laurie Anderson during the mid-1980s, appearing in her concert film Home of the Brave. During the 1990s, he contributed to three Nine Inch Nails albums, The Downward Spiral, The Fragile, and Ghosts. He played synthesized guitar on the song "God Shuffled His Feet" by Crash Test Dummies in 1993.
In the late-1980s, Belew formed the pop band The Bears with ex-Raisins members and released two albums, The Bears and Rise and Shine. A third album, Car Caught Fire, followed in 2001.
He features prominently on Tori Amos's 2001 cover album, "Strange Little Girls". He also contributed his lead guitar stylings to Porcupine Tree's album Deadwing (2005) as well as to a track ("I Can't Get Behind That", also featuring Henry Rollins) on the 2004 Ben Folds-produced William Shatner album Has Been.
Birds
Adrian Belew Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wanna live like they do
I wanna be in their trees,
So heavenly
Bird, birds everywhere I go
I wanna know what they know
I wanna live in harmony,
Dear God, I know sometime I'm gonna die
And when I do I hope you'll give me one more try
Up in the sky with those
Birds, birds everywhere I turn
Looking down there's no boundaries
Looking down there's no countries,
No misery
Dear God, I know sometime I'm gonna die
And when I do I hope you'll give me one more try
Up in the sky with those
Birds, birds everywhere I see
I wanna live like they do
I wanna be in their trees,
So free
Adrian Belew's song Birds is centered around the idea of wanting to live like birds. The lyrics are clear with what the singer needs--to be free and live in harmony like the birds. The underlying idea of the song is the contrast between the avian existence and the misery of human beings. Birds are carefree and content with their life; they fly over countries, borders, and continents without any restraint. Ironically, the chorus of the song enhances this irony by putting forward the fact that the singer knows that one day they will die, however, they want to be alive like these birds come the afterlife.
The verse repeatedly reiterates the desire to live in the trees with the birds and understand what they understand. Belew strokes a chord through his lyrics about the transcendence of birds from the earthly troubles of humans. The birds are the only force of hope in the world because they travel without any hindrances, no misery, or a sense of belonging to a single nation. The singer wants to fly away from the shackles of the system of oppression that humans have invented for themselves and fly off towards the unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
Birds, birds everywhere I see
The sight of birds is pervasive and abundant in the singer's environment.
I wanna live like they do
The singer desires to emulate the lifestyle of birds.
I wanna be in their trees, So heavenly
The singer dreams of occupying the same peaceful, tranquil space as birds.
Bird, birds everywhere I go
The presence of birds is a constant in the artist's travels.
I wanna know what they know
The artist longs to understand the birds' perspective and knowledge.
I wanna live in harmony, So simply
The singer seeks a simple, harmonious existence, as the birds appear to have.
Dear God, I know sometime I'm gonna die
The singer is addressing a higher power, expressing awareness of their own mortality.
And when I do I hope you'll give me one more try
The artist asks for another chance at life after death.
Up in the sky with those
The artist envisions an afterlife high in the sky, perhaps among the birds.
Birds, birds everywhere I turn
The artist continues to encounter birds no matter where they look.
Looking down there's no boundaries
From the bird's perspective, there are no physical or geographic limitations.
Looking down there's no countries, No misery
Birds are immune to human constructs like national borders and negative emotions.
Birds, birds everywhere I see
The pervasive presence of birds remains a source of wonder for the singer.
I wanna live like they do
The singer reiterates their desire to mirror the way birds live.
I wanna be in their trees, So free
The freedom associated with birds and their habitat is something the singer yearns for.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANTHONY GONZALEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind