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.
Sweetbreads
Andrew Bird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I became obsessed with operation
With Hearts and minds and certain glands
You learn to keep a steady hand
And thus began a morbid fascination with
Sweetbreads, I could taste what you were thinking
Do you wonder where the self resides
Is it in your head or between your sides
And who's going to decide its true location?
'Cause it's a question for the centuries
From communion to mad cow disease
But is it worthy of a song - all life's location?
Oh and the sweetest sweetbread of them all within the kingdom of afar
Call them thoughts and metaphor-inations
They call them
Sweetbreads, I could taste what you were thinking
Sweetbreads, that's the taste of neurons thinking
Does the thought of bowels red and black
The thought of tongues that taste you back fill you with a nauseous elation
Where a simple trip to the grocery store could fill you with an abject
Horror
Can you taste the misery of those crustaceans?
Oh and the sweetest sweetbread of them all
Within the kingdom of afar should've caused some silent machinations
They call them
Sweetbreads, I could taste what you were thinking
Sweetbreads, that's the taste of neurons thinking
Aw, I could taste what you were thinking
Oh, give me your thoughts about sweetbread
The lyrics of Andrew Bird's "Sweetbreads" are packed with metaphor and imagery as he takes the listener on a journey through his fascination with the inner workings of the human body and mind. The song opens with Bird reminiscing about his childhood, when he abandoned his action toys to become obsessed with the game Operation, which involved practicing delicate surgeries on a fake human body. This sets the stage for the rest of the song, in which Bird explores the concept of "sweetbreads," a culinary term for certain types of organ meats, but also a metaphor for the workings of the brain and the self.
Bird questions where the self resides and who decides its true location, citing centuries-old debates about the nature of consciousness and the mind-body problem. He muses on the idea that the sweetbreads of the mind are the thoughts and metaphorical connections that we make, which he refers to as "the taste of neurons thinking." He also references other bodily organs, like the bowels and the tongue, and the complex emotions they can evoke.
Overall, "Sweetbreads" is a deeply introspective and thought-provoking song that uses vivid imagery and metaphor to explore complex philosophical questions.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was a little boy I threw away my action toys
As a child, I lost interest in playing with action figures and toys and became interested in the idea of performing surgeries.
I became obsessed with operation
The feeling of power and control in performing an operation took over my childhood fantasies.
With Hearts and minds and certain glands
In the study of biology and anatomy, one learns about the functions of organs such as the heart, mind, and glands.
You learn to keep a steady hand
Precision and accuracy are important attributes when it comes to performing surgeries, and this is emphasized in the learning process.
And thus began a morbid fascination with
My obsession with the surgical process and knowledge of the human body took on a dark and eerie tone.
Sweetbreads, I could taste what you were thinking
Sweetbreads, a culinary term for the thymus gland and pancreas of a calf, is a metaphor for the ability to understand and relate to someone's thoughts and emotions.
Sweetbreads, that's the taste of neurons thinking
The taste of sweetbreads is said to resemble the taste of brain tissue, and this line further emphasizes the figurative aspect of understanding someone's thought process.
Do you wonder where the self resides
This line introduces the topic of philosophical debate concerning where the 'self' or identity resides within a person.
Is it in your head or between your sides
The question refers to whether a person's identity comes from their mind or their physical body.
And who's going to decide its true location?
The question of where a person's identity truly resides remains a mystery and is open to interpretation.
'Cause it's a question for the centuries
The question of where a person's self resides has been debated for centuries with no clear answer.
From communion to mad cow disease
From religious rituals to scientific diseases, the debate of where a person's identity resides has been a topic of discussion in various fields throughout history.
But is it worthy of a song - all life's location?
The topic of where a person's identity resides is a complex and important one, but whether or not it is deserving of a song is questioned.
Oh and the sweetest sweetbread of them all within the kingdom of afar
This line describes figurative sweetbreads as the greatest thoughts and ideas that come from far off places, and how this represents the most desirable trait to possess.
Call them thoughts and metaphor-inations
The figurative sweetbreads are referred to as 'thoughts' and 'metaphorinations', expressing the imagination and creativity behind these ideas.
Does the thought of bowels red and black
This line introduces the topic of grotesque imagery and the effects it may have on people.
The thought of tongues that taste you back fill you with a nauseous elation
This line takes the grotesque imagery further, describing the unsettling feeling that may come from imagining a tongue taste you back.
Where a simple trip to the grocery store could fill you with an abject horror
This line highlights the potential for even mundane activities, such as a trip to the grocery store, to evoke feelings of dread and fear in some individuals.
Can you taste the misery of those crustaceans?
This line refers to the pain and suffering that animals may undergo during the food industry process, which may elicit a feeling of guilt for some people.
Oh and the sweetest sweetbread of them all within the kingdom of afar should've caused some silent machinations
The greatest thoughts and ideas from far off places may have a profound effect on people's internal thoughts and processes.
Aw, I could taste what you were thinking
Repeating the same metaphorical reference to sweetbreads, this line expresses the understanding of someone's thoughts and emotions.
Oh, give me your thoughts about sweetbread
The song ends with a request for people to share their own thoughts and reactions to the metaphorical use of sweetbreads and the various themes presented in the lyrics.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Andrew Wegman Bird
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind