Jones had begun writing songs and recording home demos as part of an experimental theatre group in Sheffield. A collection of these demos (I Was Born a Man) was released in the summer of 1995, under the name Baby Bird. Following a warm critical reception for this record, he recruited a band made up of Huw Chadbourne (keyboards), Robert Gregory (drums), John Pedder (bass) and Luke Scott (guitar), in order to tour and promote his work.
During 1995, two further albums of demo recordings were released under the name Baby Bird (Bad Shave and Fatherhood) and two in 1996 (The Happiest Man Alive and Dying Happy).
By the end of the year, a decent public following had been built up, as well as quite considerable excitment within the press and music industry. Babybird were signed to Echo Records (a division of the Chrysalis Group), and the first "proper" single, a full-band recording of "Goodnight", which had appeared in demo form on Fatherhood, was eventually released in the summer of 1996, becoming a minor chart hit in the UK.
"You're Gorgeous"
The second single, You're Gorgeous, reached number 3 in the UK in October 1996, and was also one of the biggest selling singles of the year, going on to chart around the world. This remains the song for which Stephen Jones and Babybird are best known.
However, it presented a much more commercial face to the public in comparison to Jones' previous work. The early demo albums won Jones great credibility with those who heard them, but had not reached a wide audience (each one being a one-off pressing). Arguably, the commercial sound and success of "You're Gorgeous", which received massive exposure by comparison, made it hard for many to take Jones seriously as an indie artist. Essentially, what he was best at was no longer what he was best known for.
After "You're Gorgeous"
The album Ugly Beautiful was released to a warm reception, but was not the unmitigated critical triumph that some had anticipated from Babybird's first studio-recorded album. The album produced two more hit singles, Candy Girl and Cornershop.
Babybird returned, minus keyboardist Huw Chadbourne, in 1998 with There's Something Going On, preceded by a single, Bad Old Man. The album was a modest success and was followed by further minor hits, If You'll Be Mine and Back Together.
In 2000, a line-up of Babybird comprising Stephen Jones, Luke Scott and Matt Hay created a third album. Bugged, which was well-received critically (it might be suggested that it is an album of the right quality, but four years later than expected). However, sales were poor and the two singles from it, The F-Word (later the theme tune to a UK TV cookery show of the same name) and Out of Sight barely dented the charts. Babybird were dropped by their record label soon after. A third single from the album Fireflies was released on Animal Noise records, but sold few copies. The band subsequently split.
Stephen Jones went on to write fiction, release solo work and score a film, Blessed, in 2004.
In October 2005, a posting on the official Babybird website announced that the band had reformed as a three-piece featuring Stephen, Luke Scott and Robert Gregory, and would be releasing new material in 2006.
The last CD, called "Between My Ears There's Nothing But Music", was released in autumn 2006 and didn't seem to have encountered a big success.
Stephen Jones has also released Solo material, not to be confused with the american artist of the same name.
In September 2009, Stephen Jones launched an online Babybird community, on which he regularly posts.
A brief tour of the UK was undertaken in November 2009 with the lineup of Stephen Jones, Luke Scott and Robert Gregory. This tour was to promote the new album, Ex-Maniac, due for release in February 2010. Johnny Depp, a long time fan, appears on the album Ex-Maniac, as guitarist in the first single off the album, Unloveable.
All Men Are Evil
Babybird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And all the girls are good
There are bad men in the dead trees
And a girl in the wood
All the little children when you catch him
Open up his soul
Drop a going back to the womb pill
And cover up the hole
And when the sun comes up and i can't get a tan
Oh yeah i'm happy now
And when the sun comes up and i can't get a tan
Oh yeah i'm happy now
Take out the big shovel
And wade it through the earth
This man's so old with evil
He should have been put down at birth
But the people can't decide
Whether to laugh or cry
I say hang him on the tv, don't give a blind fuck
This man deserves to die
And when the sun comes up and i can't get a tan
Oh yeah i'm happy now
And when the sun comes up and i can't get a tan
Oh yeah i'm happy now
If all men are evil
Then all girls are good
There's bad language in the trees
Something dirty in the wood
All the little children when you catch him
Open up his soul
Drop a going back to the womb pill
And cover up the hole
And when the sun comes up and i can't get a tan
Oh yeah i'm happy now
And when the sun comes up and i can't get a tan
Oh yeah i'm happy now
The Babybird song "All Men Are Evil" is a study of gender and morality, exploring the idea of inherent good and evil in men and women. The recurring line "if all men are evil and all the girls are good" speaks to a common cultural trope that casts men as villains and women as victims. The song delves into this concept in a complex way, painting a picture of a world where evil exists in both sexes and outlining a violent, vengeful response to it.
The lyrics describe a man who is so evil that he should have been "put down at birth," but the people can't decide whether to "laugh or cry" about it. The singer suggests that they "hang him on the TV" as a form of punishment. This calls into question the morality of vigilantism and the death penalty, and the line "don't give a blind fuck, this man deserves to die" suggests a disregard for due process and the rule of law. The song ends on a dark note, with the repeated line "when the sun comes up and I can't get a tan, oh yeah I'm happy now," suggesting a satisfaction in the violence that has been enacted.
Overall, "All Men Are Evil" is a complex exploration of gender and morality that doesn't offer easy answers or solutions. It paints a bleak picture of a violent world where evil exists in both men and women, and suggests that the only response to it is further violence and retribution.
Line by Line Meaning
If all men are evil
The singer believes that all men are inherently bad.
And all the girls are good
The singer believes that all women are inherently good.
There are bad men in the dead trees
There are bad people hiding in plain sight.
And a girl in the wood
There are also good people hidden in plain sight.
All the little children when you catch him
When someone is caught doing something wrong or bad.
Open up his soul
Revealing their true nature or intentions.
Drop a going back to the womb pill
Giving them a chance to start over or be reborn.
And cover up the hole
Erase the mistakes or bad actions from the past.
And when the sun comes up and i can't get a tan
The artist is happy when they are not exposed to the sun, associating it with negative emotions or experiences.
Take out the big shovel
Taking action to remove or destroy something perceived as bad or evil.
And wade it through the earth
Going through great lengths to remove or destroy something.
This man's so old with evil
The person being referred to is so deeply ingrained with bad qualities and actions.
He should have been put down at birth
The singer believes that the person should have been stopped or prevented from existing in the first place.
But the people can't decide
There is disagreement or indecisiveness about what to do with the person referred to.
Whether to laugh or cry
Whether to react with amusement or despair at the situation.
I say hang him on the tv, don't give a blind fuck
The artist recommends that the person be publicly exposed and punished.
This man deserves to die
The artist believes that the person should face the ultimate punishment for their actions.
There's bad language in the trees
The surrounding environment is polluted with bad things.
Something dirty in the wood
There are bad things hiding in unexpected places.
Contributed by Connor B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.