His early work, which echoed gypsy jazz and traditional folk, has led into his current sound, which mixes rock with more broad compositions. His years of solo song-craft have now enabled him to produce a sound that is uniquely his own.
Trained by the Suzuki method from a young age and a graduate of Illinois' Northwestern University, Bird released his first solo album, Music of Hair, in 1996. Vastly different from his later releases, this first album showcases his violin skills and pays tribute to his fascination with both American and European folk traditions, as well as jazz and blues.
His initial commercial exposure was in collaborative work with the band Squirrel Nut Zippers. He was quickly lumped in with the swing craze that swept the United States music industry in the mid '90s; this is an affiliation that he is still working to shed.
Taking on the role of band leader in 1997 with Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, he released the album Thrills. This was followed by Oh! The Grandeur in 1998. Both albums were heavily influenced by traditional folk, pre-war jazz and swing, with Bird relying on the violin as his primary musical instrument.
In 2001, Bird released The Swimming Hour, his third release with the Bowl of Fire and a dramatic departure from previous recordings. The Swimming Hour featured a mixture of styles, from the zydeco-influenced "Core and Rind" to more straightforward rock songs. He has often referred to this record as his "jukebox album".
The Bowl of Fire unofficially disbanded some time in 2003, having featured many skilled Chicago musicians including Kevin O'Donnell, Nora O'Connor, Andy Hopkins (aka Mr. Rudy Day), Jimmy Sutton, Colin Bunn and Ryan Hembrey.
Bird then released two subsequent solo albums, both distributed through the label operated by Ani DiFranco, Righteous Babe Records. The two records, 2003's Weather Systems and 2005's The Mysterious Production of Eggs, continue a progression towards an eclectic indie folk sound that has proven challenging to classify.
Bird's live solo shows have been notable in that he uses a multi-track system to sample and loop his own performance. For example, he may record a snippet of his performance on violin, then play a "loop" of that sound. This provides a more full-bodied sound and aurally suggests a band performance, rather than the sound of a solo artist.
Bird's next full-length album Armchair Apocrypha (Fat Possum) was released on March 20th 2007.
November 2007 saw the Soldier On EP originally a European tour-only release. But due to high demand and unanticipated critical acclaim was released digitally and in CD-format on both sides of the Atlantic. Critics and fans alike have hearkened to the EP's first track, "The Trees Were Mistaken", a complex yet austere looping composition that marks a departure from Bird's earlier body of work. It also contains a cover of Bob Dylan's "Oh Sister".
January 2009 saw Noble Beast, also available with instrumental album Useless Creatures, released worldwide to positive reviews.
The Fatal Shore Songfacts reports that Break it Yourself, Bird's sixth solo studio album, was released on March 6, 2012 through Mom+Pop records in the US and Bella Union in the UK. The origins of the LP lie in a couple of jam sessions by a gathering of Bird's friends in the singer's western Illinois barn, near the banks of the Mississippi River.
Of his 2019 album My Finest Work Yet, Talia Schlanger of NPR says "Bird zooms way out on humanity across history's timeline, seeking insight about our current age, in a way he hopes 'stays above the news feed noise.'" Many tracks, including the opener "Sisyphus," include Andrew's trademark whistling.
Bein' Green
Andrew Bird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves
When you could be something so much nicer
Like red or yellow, aquamarine
Or something more colorful like that
It's not easy bein' green
It seems you blend with all kinds of ordinary things
Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky
Green's the color of spring
And green can be cool and friendly-like
Green can be big like a mountain,
Important like a river or tall like a tree
Green is all that you can be
It sort of makes you wonder why, why wonder
Why wonder, why wonder I am green
And that'll do just fine besides
Green's the color of spring
Yeah and green is cool and friendly-like
Green can be big like a mountain,
Important like a river or tall like a tree
Green is all that you can be
It sort of makes you wonder why, why wonder
Why wonder, why wonder I am green
And I think it's beautiful
And besides that's all I want to be
The song "Bein' Green" by Andrew Bird is a cover of a classic song originally performed by Kermit the Frog in the 1970s. The lyrics describe the difficulty of being different and not fitting in with the crowd. The singer, who is green, longs to be one of the more flashy colors like red or yellow, but eventually comes to the realization that green is a beautiful color with many great attributes. The song is not only about self-acceptance but also about recognizing the unique qualities and strengths that come with being different.
The song's message is relevant to people of all ages and backgrounds. It encourages people to embrace their differences and not to try and conform to what society deems as "normal" or "popular". The song suggests that everyone has their own unique style and personality that makes them special, and it is up to them to embrace those qualities and take pride in who they are.
The recurring theme of nature in the song highlights the beauty of the natural world and how we should strive to appreciate its diversity. The singer finds solace in the fact that green is the color of spring, and that it can be big like a mountain or important like a river. The song presents green as a reflection of the natural world, reminding us of our connection to the earth.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not that easy bein' green
Being green is not as easy as it seems
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves
Green is the color of the leaves, so being green means appearing the same every day
When you could be something so much nicer
Green is not considered as nice as other colors like red or yellow
Like red or yellow, aquamarine
Other colors are considered nicer or more attractive than green
Or something more colorful like that
Other colors can be more vibrant and interesting than green
It's not easy bein' green
Being green is difficult because it doesn't stand out like other colors
It seems you blend with all kinds of ordinary things
Green is a common color that blends in with its surroundings
And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're
People don't pay much attention to things that are green
Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
Green doesn't sparkle or catch the eye like other colors would
Or stars in the sky
Green is not as bright or noticeable as stars in the night sky
Green's the color of spring
Green is associated with the season of spring
And green can be cool and friendly-like
Green can have a calming and approachable effect
Green can be big like a mountain,
Green can represent something grand and majestic like a mountain
Important like a river or tall like a tree
Green can be symbolic of important natural elements like rivers and trees
Green is all that you can be
Being green is an inherent part of who you are
It sort of makes you wonder why, why wonder
It's natural to question why you are the way you are
Why wonder, why wonder I am green
It's not important to dwell on the fact that you're green
And that'll do just fine besides
Being green is acceptable and even desirable
And I think it's beautiful
The singer finds green to be beautiful
And besides that's all I want to be
The artist is content with being green and doesn't strive to be anything else
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Joseph G. Raposo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
L. Nuvem
Outstanding performance...the vocal, the violin solo, the arrangement, the pedal steel. This is a wordy lyric that can be a mouthful, and it's hard to sing elegantly in places. Andrew nails it. I need to catch him live.
obscurios
He's fantastic. An excellent musician and showman
Katerin Vargas
Una obra de arte está canción 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
FREAKASTORM
Kermit is the best music writer of all times.
what have always astonished me about this song is the slow transformation from denial to acceptance.
Ali
Violinist is incredibly talented!!!!!
brooke bird
Andrew Bird is a very talented man indeed!
Clownfish Hat
Same person as is doing the vocals. And the whistling. 😊
Spy_Crab_1920
'' It's not easy being weegee ''
Twin Lakes
Awesome video! If you get a minute you should check out one of ours! Hope you like it!
Bárbara Velazquez
❤