Babybird is a British indie band, formed in 1995. The band is fronted by St… Read Full Bio ↴Babybird is a British indie band, formed in 1995. The band is fronted by Stephen Jones, who has also released records as a solo artist, using his own name and the name Baby Bird.

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.

Bastard
Babybird Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You can love me if you want to
But it's best if you don't
You can believe me, you can deceive me
But it's best if you don't

You could date me, you could hate me
But it's best if you don't
We could have kids, we could grow old

But it's best if we don't

I'm untouchable, yes I am
But if you wanna touch me, you can
I'm a bastard, you know that I am
But that's just what you like in a man

You can hold me, you can scold me
But it's best if you don't
You could tease me, you could please me
But it's best if you don't

I'm untouchable, yes I am
But if you wanna touch me, you can
I'm a bastard, you know that I am
I should be locked up for who I am

I'm unloveable, yes I am
But if you want to love me, you can
I've got straight white teeth and a tan
But that's just what you like in a man

Sha la la, sha la la
Sha la la, sha la la
Sha la la, sha la la
Sha la la, sha la la

You could trust me, you could bust me
But it's best if you don't
It would kill me if you left me
But I don't think you will

I'm untouchable, yes I am
But if you want to touch me, you can
I'm a bastard, you know that I am
But that's just what you like in a man

I'm unloveable, yes I am
But if you want to love me, you can
I've got straight white teeth and a tan
But that's just what you like in a man

Sha la la, sha la la
Sha la la, sha la la

Sha la la, sha la la
Sha la la, sha la la

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Babybird's song Bastard seem to be exploring the idea of a person who knows they are difficult to love or be with, but who still wants to be wanted by someone. The lines "you can love me if you want to, but it's best if you don't" and "You can believe me, you can deceive me, but it's best if you don't" suggest that the singer recognizes their own issues and difficulties, but is still willing to engage with others if they want to. However, the repetition of "it's best if you don't" and "it's best if we don't" implies that the singer ultimately knows that getting too close could be problematic or even harmful.

The chorus of the song seems to emphasize the singer's unworthiness, with lines like "I'm a bastard, you know that I am" and "I'm unloveable, yes I am." However, the repeated line "But that's just what you like in a man" suggests that the singer has some self-awareness and is perhaps trying to push others away before they get hurt. The line "I've got straight white teeth and a tan" feels almost like a sarcastic commentary on superficial attraction, as if the singer is saying "Sure, I look good on the outside, but that doesn't mean I'm worth loving."

Overall, the song seems to be about the difficulties of accepting oneself and being vulnerable with others, while recognizing that sometimes it's necessary to put up walls to avoid getting hurt.

Line by Line Meaning

You can love me if you want to
I am open to love, but it may not be the best idea

But it's best if you don't
I am not necessarily going to reciprocate that love

You can believe me, you can deceive me
You have the option to trust me or not

You could date me, you could hate me
You can choose to spend time with me or avoid me

We could have kids, we could grow old
We could build a life together if we wanted to

But it's best if we don't
But that may not be the wisest choice

I'm untouchable, yes I am
I am emotionally guarded

But if you wanna touch me, you can
But it is possible for someone to reach me

I'm a bastard, you know that I am
I am flawed, and not necessarily a good person

But that's just what you like in a man
But some people are attracted to that kind of personality

You can hold me, you can scold me
You can provide comfort or chastisement