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.
Left Handed Kisses
Andrew Bird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To us romantics out here, that amounts to high treason
I don't go in for your star-crossed lovers
In the heart of a skeptic
There's a question that still hovers near
For it begs the question, how
Did I ever find you
With a common refrain like this one here, baby
And all your left handed kisses
Were just prelude to another
Prelude to your backhanded love song, baby
But it begs a question
How did I ever find you
Drifting gently through the gyre
Of the great Sargasso sea, Atlantic Ocean
Got me writing love songs
With a common refrain like this one here
The point your song here misses
Is that if you really loved me
You'd risk more than a few 50 cent
Words in your backhanded love song
For it begs the question
How did I ever find you
Drifting gently through the gyre
Of the great Sargasso sea, Atlantic Ocean, ooh ooh ooh
The point your song here misses
You got me writing love songs
Is that you really love me
With a common refrain like this one here, baby
Is prelude to another of your backhanded love songs
Now it's time for a handsome little bookend
Now it's time to tie up all the loose ends
Am I still a skeptic or did you make me a believer?
If you hesitate, you'll hear the click of the receiver
Andrew Bird's song "Left Handed Kisses" is a duet with Fiona Apple that delves into the complexities of love and skepticism. The song is written in the point of view of a skeptic who maintains that they do not believe in the idea of everything happening for a reason or star-crossed lovers. However, they are drawn to their partner who they have found drifting gently through the gyre of the great Sargasso sea. The skeptic is forced to confront their feelings for their partner and they find themselves writing love songs with common refrains.
The chorus of the song touches upon the idea of left-handed kisses, which are a prelude to another "backhanded" love song from the partner. The skeptic wonders if their partner truly loves them and if they are willing to risk more than a few 50 cent words in a song to express their love. The song ends with the skeptic questioning whether their partner has made them a believer in love, or if they are still a skeptic at heart. The final lines of the song are ominous, with the suggestion that if the partner hesitates in expressing their love, the skeptic will hang up the phone.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't believe everything happens for a reason
As a romantic, I can't accept the notion that everything that occurs has a divine motive.
To us romantics out here, that amounts to high treason
Romantics feel that a lack of faith in destiny and providence is almost as bad as an act of treason.
I don't go in for your star-crossed lovers
I'm not interested in people who are predetermined to be in love by fate.
In the heart of a skeptic
As a skeptic, I don't accept things without questioning them first.
There's a question that still hovers near
Despite my skepticism, there's still a lingering question on my mind.
For it begs the question, how
This question is begging for an answer: How?
Did I ever find you
What led me to find you?
Now you got me writing love songs
My feelings for you have led me to write songs about love.
With a common refrain like this one here, baby
My songs often share a similar theme or chorus, like this one right here.
And all your left handed kisses
Your kisses, which are left-handed (awkward or unskillful), are just a lead-up to something else.
Were just prelude to another
These kisses were just an introduction to something else.
Prelude to your backhanded love song, baby
They were a preface to one of your passive-aggressive love songs.
But it begs a question
This raises another question.
How did I ever find you
What was it that led me to find you?
Drifting gently through the gyre
Perhaps I found you by aimlessly moving through the ocean's currents.
Of the great Sargasso sea, Atlantic Ocean
I may have found you in the specific area of the Atlantic known as the Sargasso Sea.
Got me writing love songs
You've inspired me to write about love.
With a common refrain like this one here
Many of my love songs share a similar theme or repeating phrase.
The point your song here misses
Your song is failing to make a vital point.
Is that if you really loved me
If your affections were genuine,
You'd risk more than a few 50 cent
You would be willing to take greater risks than just using a few cheap words
Words in your backhanded love song
To craft a love song that is passive-aggressive and insincere.
Now it's time for a handsome little bookend
It's time for a conclusion and wrap-up of events.
Now it's time to tie up all the loose ends
It's time to bring closure and tie up any unfinished business.
Am I still a skeptic or did you make me a believer?
Do I still doubt the authenticity of your love, or have your actions finally convinced me?
If you hesitate, you'll hear the click of the receiver
If you delay or waver, I will end this conversation (and likely our relationship).
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ANDREW WEGMAN BIRD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sabrina Smallwood
"Left Handed Kisses"
(feat. Fiona Apple)
[Andrew Bird & Fiona Apple:]
I don't believe everything happens for a reason
To us romantics out here, that amounts to high treason
I don't go in for your star-crossed lovers
In the heart of a skeptic
There's a question that still hovers near
[Andrew Bird:]
For it begs the question
How did I ever find you
Now you got me writing love songs
With a common refrain like this one here, baby
[Fiona Apple:]
And all your left handed kisses
Were just prelude to another
Prelude to your backhanded love song, baby
[Andrew Bird:]
But it begs a question
How did I ever find you
Drifting gently through the gyre
Of the great Sargasso sea, Atlantic Ocean
Got me writing love songs
With a common refrain like this one here
[Fiona Apple:]
The point your song here misses
Is that if you really loved me
You'd risk more than a few 50 cent
Words in your backhanded love song
[Andrew Bird & Fiona Apple:]
For it begs the question
How did I ever find you
Drifting gently through the gyre
Of the great Sargasso sea, Atlantic Ocean
The point your song here misses
You got me writing love songs
Is that you really love me
With a common refrain like this one here, baby
Is prelude to another of your backhanded love songs
Now it's time for a handsome little bookend
Now it's time to tie up all the loose ends
Am I still a skeptic or did you make me a believer?
If you hesitate, you'll hear the click of the receiver
Pablo Horteg
I love it when they harmonise! Watching Fiona's facial expressions in this, I think she would be a talented actor.
Eric L
Pablo Horteg the beautiful thing about Fiona is that those expressions are real, not an act.
Happy Potter
Eric Lagace !
Jacqueline Bermudez
indeed
Waiting For The Hook
No bullshit, Fiona Apple was almost in the Karate Kid 4 ; the one with the girl... but i guess she did music instead.
poldi p
She reminds me a lot of Emily Blunt.
Rick Solid
His pride, her anger, his confession, her skepticism, his honesty, her disbelief, his reassurance, her distrust, his final plea, her truth, but still their love unresolved because that’s love.
Phillip McCutcheon
I bet she is a nightmare as a girlfriend
Nolan Pierce
Rick, It's my opinion that your comment covers everything! Therefore no other comments are needed! That's my opinion!
Heidi Helm Urbanomic Interiors
Love does not need to be unresolved. Everyone would do well to learn about Attachment Theory to understand relationship dynamics. It's a road-map to understanding each other, and ourselves in relation to others.
What I observe in this dynamic is that he seems to be someone with "secure attachment" trying hard to stay grounded and kind and keep the boat on an even keel, but her "anxious preoccupied" attachment style (fear of abandonment, lack of trust) her from meeting him in the middle. Her petulance is strong enough to rock any boat.