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.
Why?
Andrew Bird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You shouldn't have done that
If I told you once, I told you three times
You'll get your punishment when you
Show me your crimes
It's not a spell or a curse you put on me
Or the way you smile so tenderly
Damn you for being so easygoing
I thought that time would tell
My sins would provoke you to raise some hell
Not a chance
Whatever happened to fiery romance
Oh how I wish it was those dishes you were throwing
Damn you for being so easygoing
No, don't give me that line
Don't try to tell me inaction is not a crime
Can't you see what kind of seeds you're sowing?
Damn you for being so easygoing
The lyrics of Andrew Bird's song "Why?" present a character who is resentful of someone close to them, addressed as "you", for being too easy-going and failing to react to their actions. The opening lines immediately establish a confrontational tone as the singer accuses the addressee of wrongdoing while expressing exasperation with their behavior: "Why'd you do that? You shouldn't have done that". The verses that follow reveal the source of the singer's frustration: they have been hoping to provoke a reaction from the addressee, to "show me your crimes", but have been disappointed so far. The sentiment is summed up in the refrain: "Damn you for being so easygoing".
The singer expresses a desire for a more tempestuous, passionate relationship, wishing that it was the addressee's "temper you were throwing" or that they were engaging in "fiery romance" instead of being maddeningly calm. However, they acknowledge that they are not blameless, saying "my sins would provoke you to raise some hell", but are ultimately dissatisfied with the status quo. The final lines of the song address the addressee directly, accusing them of "sowing" bad seeds by being too passive, and condemning their "inaction" as a "crime".
Line by Line Meaning
Why? Why'd you do that?
Expressing confusion and disbelief towards the actions or decisions made by the addressed person
You shouldn't have done that
Stating disapproval of the said actions by the addressed person
If I told you once, I told you three times
Implying that the addressed person was warned about the consequences of their actions beforehand
You'll get your punishment when you
Show me your crimes
Implying that punishment will be served to the addressed person once their wrongdoings are exposed
It's not a spell or a curse you put on me
Or the way you smile so tenderly
Rejecting the notion that the addressed person's charm or any external factor caused the singer's feelings
But how I wish it was your temper you were throwing
Damn you for being so easygoing
Bemoaning the fact that the addressed person's calmness does not match the singer's passion or intensity
I thought that time would tell
My sins would provoke you to raise some hell
Initially believing that the addressed person would eventually react negatively to the singer's mistakes
Not a chance
Whatever happened to fiery romance
Realizing that the addressed person's personality does not match the singer's expectations for passion and drama
Oh how I wish it was those dishes you were throwing
Damn you for being so easygoing
Once again lamenting the addressed person's lack of fiery emotion or reaction
No, don't give me that line
Don't try to tell me inaction is not a crime
Rejecting any excuses or explanations for the addressed person's lack of action
Can't you see what kind of seeds you're sowing?
Damn you for being so easygoing
Arguing that the addressed person's actions or lack thereof will have negative consequences in the long run
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Han&Pret Zel
Why? Why'd you do that?
You shouldn't have done that
If I told you once, I told you three times
You'll get your punishment when you
Show me your crimes
It's not a spell or a curse you put on me
Or the way you smile so tenderly
But how I wish it was your temper you were throwing
Damn you for being so easygoing
I thought that time would tell
My sins would provoke you to raise some hell
Not a chance
Whatever happened to fiery romance
Oh how I wish it was those dishes you were throwing
Damn you for being so easygoing
No, don't give me that line
Don't try to tell me inaction is not a crime
Can't you see what kind of seeds you're sowing?
Damn you for being so easygoing
Jace Isham
As I watch him do impossible things with his fingers and command loops like a personal army, hear his lyrics, and hear his composition, it's harder and harder to get my around his talent. It's one thing to acquire multiple abilities out of necessity (as he did with guitar), but this man is a poet and a violinist in out of this world frequency. Oh humans.
kortana
seeing him do it live is even more baffling!
gabelogan56
You had me at "impossible things"
Eric Crapton
I've probably watched this thousands of times. What a master of music.
Ethan A
True artistry and mastery of his talent. 5:05 - 5:19 It's like watching a musical. It's like true theatrics of an amazing artist.
Bnjenkins26
And on top of his mindblowing performance, he's got the socks to match :D
Shaquille Oatmeal
I understand everything, literally everything, about this performance. It is staggering.
mamacans26
I cannot even begin to describe what happens to me, the feeling that takes over, when this man performs, when I hear his music... I just don't have the words...but I'll bet he does <3
Zeynep İrem Baş
It's so free and messy but it's still such an amazing song and the way he acts as he plays is really amazing
A. O.
Andrew Bird's music (recorded copies) are sooo good that imagining what he sounds like live is unimaginable.