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.
Aluminium Beach
Babybird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I remember the good old days up, up in my beautiful balloon,
My beautiful balloon, my beautiful lead balloon, my beautiful balloon.
On Aluminium Beach where the preachers preach.
On Aluminium Beach where the teachers teach,
And the magnet of truth pulls out your teeth,
On Aluminium Beach, on Aluminium Beach,
On Aluminium Beach, on Aluminium Beach, on Aluminium Beach.
I was sucked out by a leech on Aluminium Beach
And I cleared out my throat with Vodka and bleach.
I sung like a goat on Aluminium Beach.
I found my niche just out of reach on Aluminium Beach,
On Aluminium Beach, on Aluminium, Aluminium, Aluminium Beach.
There's a highway in the sky, and the people drive their Fords to the moon.
I remember the bad old days when you burst my balloon,
When you burst my balloon,
My balloon, my balloon, my balloon,
My balloon on Aluminium Beach,
On Aluminium Beach, on Aluminium Beach,
On Aluminium Beach, on Aluminium Beach,
On Aluminium Beach, on Aluminium, Aluminium Beach.
The sunshine in your eyes,
It withers like bluebottle flies coming out of cans on the beach.
They'll beseech you, they'll bewitch you,
They'll beseech you, they'll bewitch you they'll beseech you
To come on down to Aluminium Beach,
Aluminium Beach, to Aluminium Beach,
Aluminium, to Aluminium, Aluminium, Aluminium Beach. Aluminium Beach.
The song "Aluminium Beach" by Babybird features a unique combination of complex themes, poetic imagery, and layered meanings. The opening lines of the song suggest a world where people can physically drive their cars on a highway to the moon, presenting a surreal image of space travel as accessible to the masses. The lyrics then shift to a nostalgic tone as the singer recalls the early days of hot air balloon travel. However, this nostalgia is quickly undercut by the repetition of the phrase "my beautiful lead balloon," suggesting a sense of futility or danger. This ambiguity is echoed in the repeated reference to "Aluminium Beach," a location where preachers teach and the magnet of truth pulls out your teeth.
The middle section of the song brings a darker turn, describing the singer being "sucked out by a leech" and resorting to drinking vodka and bleach to clear their throat. The addition of the phrase "I sung like a goat" adds to the surreal and unsettling tone of the song. Despite these darker elements, there is still a sense of determination conveyed in the line "I found my niche just out of reach on Aluminium Beach."
The final verses of the song bring a return to the theme of space travel, but this time the singer's balloon has been burst, suggesting a loss of hope or optimism. The final repetition of the words "Aluminium Beach" is a reminder that this surreal and unsettling place is still the world that the singer inhabits.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a highway in the sky, and the people drive their Buics to the moon.
The singer is describing a futuristic world where people travel to the moon using cars that can fly.
I remember the good old days up, up in my beautiful balloon,
The singer misses the past when they used to travel in a hot air balloon.
My beautiful balloon, my beautiful lead balloon, my beautiful balloon.
The singer is reminiscing about their hot air balloon, which was once beautiful, but now feels like a heavy burden.
On Aluminium Beach where the preachers preach.
There is a place called Aluminium Beach where preachers give sermons.
On Aluminium Beach where the teachers teach,
There is a place called Aluminium Beach where teachers educate their students.
And the magnet of truth pulls out your teeth,
The truth on Aluminium Beach is cruel and harsh, and it can hurt you like pulling out teeth.
On Aluminium Beach, on Aluminium Beach,
The idea of Aluminium Beach is repeated to emphasize its significance.
I was sucked out by a leech on Aluminium Beach
The artist had a negative experience on Aluminium Beach where they were drained by a leech.
And I cleared out my throat with Vodka and bleach.
After the unpleasant experience, the artist needed to cleanse their throat using strong substances like vodka and bleach.
I sung like a goat on Aluminium Beach.
The artist felt embarrassed on Aluminium Beach, singing like a goat which could mean making a fool of oneself.
I found my niche just out of reach on Aluminium Beach,
The singer found their place on Aluminium Beach but it wasn't quite attainable and only seemed to elude them.
There's a highway in the sky, and the people drive their Fords to the moon.
In the future world, people use cars that can fly, even Fords, to travel to the moon.
I remember the bad old days when you burst my balloon,
The singer recalls a time when their balloon was destroyed, which they consider to be a negative experience.
When you burst my balloon, My balloon, my balloon, my balloon, My balloon on Aluminium Beach,
The singer is expressing their frustration about their balloon being destroyed on Aluminium Beach, repeating the word 'balloon' to emphasize its importance.
The sunshine in your eyes, It withers like bluebottle flies coming out of cans on the beach.
The singer describes how the sunshine in someone's eyes can quickly dissipate and die, like bluebottle flies coming out of a can on the beach.
They'll beseech you, they'll bewitch you, They'll beseech you, they'll bewitch you they'll beseech you To come on down to Aluminium Beach,
People will persuade others to visit Aluminium Beach because they believe it is a desirable place to be, using both charm and trickery.
Aluminium Beach, to Aluminium Beach, Aluminium, to Aluminium, Aluminium, Aluminium Beach. Aluminium Beach.
The idea of Aluminium Beach is repeated multiple times, suggesting its importance, even though it may not be a pleasant place to be.
Contributed by Cameron G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.