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.
Tea
Andrew Bird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've spent some time in a mental institution
What a dream, life would seem if only
They let you keep your etch-a-sketch
Eh, you laugh like a banshee, gesticulate your delirium
They treat you like a corpse, keep you full of candy lithium
What a dream life would seem if only you could see
I can tell by the way you reach your conclusions
You're the director of a mental institution
What a dream, life would seem if only
It hadn't been for Doctor B
Animate yourself an alternate reality
Consummate a self pleasing artificiality
You can have yourself a tea
I can tell by the way you take your infusion
You've spent some time in a mental institution
Oh, what a dream life would seem if only you could see
The world from inside an etch-a-sketch
In Andrew Bird's song "Tea," the singer addresses someone who he believes has spent time in a mental institution, judging by the way they take their infusion. The reference to "etch-a-sketch" seems to suggest that this person has a desire to escape from reality and retreat into a world of make-believe. The lines "What a dream, life would seem if only/They let you keep your etch-a-sketch" evoke a sense of nostalgia for a simpler, more innocent time before this person's struggles with mental health.
The song also touches on the way people with mental illnesses are often treated like "corpses" and loaded up with medication that dulls their emotions. The line "They treat you like a corpse, keep you full of candy lithium" is a powerful indictment of the way mental health issues are still stigmatized and poorly understood by many people.
The final lines of the song reveal that the person being addressed might actually be a mental health professional themselves. The lyric "You're the director of a mental institution" suggests that this person may be in a position of power and responsibility over others struggling with their mental health. The song hints at the idea that mental health care providers also struggle with their own issues and may even have their own personal reasons for going into the field.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I can tell by the way you take your infusion
The way you prepare your tea gives me the impression that you've spent some time in a mental institution
You've spent some time in a mental institution
You have experienced being in a mental institution
What a dream, life would seem if only
Life would be a lot better if something would happen or change
They let you keep your etch-a-sketch
If they allowed you to keep your etch-a-sketch, things would be easier and better for you
Eh, you laugh like a banshee, gesticulate your delirium
You have a hysterical laugh and make exaggerated gestures that show you are not in a calm, clear state of mind
They treat you like a corpse, keep you full of candy lithium
The people around you treat you like you're lifeless and numb, and they give you medication like candy to change your mood
What a dream life would seem if only you could see
Life would be great if you had the ability to see or experience something specific
The world from inside an etch-a-sketch
You could experience the world in a simpler or easier way, like drawing on an etch-a-sketch
I can tell by the way you reach your conclusions
The way you come to your conclusions makes me think that you are the one in charge of a mental institution
You're the director of a mental institution
You hold the position of director in a mental institution
Animate yourself an alternate reality
Create a different, imaginary reality in your mind
Consummate a self pleasing artificiality
Satisfy yourself with an artificial or fake reality
You can have yourself a tea
You can take a moment to relax and have a cup of tea
Oh, what a dream life would seem if only you could see
It would be amazing if you had a different perspective and could experience life in a different way
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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