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.
Candy Girl
Babybird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are you Jesus without the nails
Are you the bury met without the rails
Are you Paris without snails
Of course you're not
But you're all I've got
And that's fine & dandy
When you lick my candy girl
When you lick my
When you lick my candy
Are you Disneyland without whales
Are you a farmer without bales
Are you the red lion without ales
Are you the lakes without the dales
Naturally you're not
But you're all I've got
And that's fine & dandy
When lick my candy girl
(And I don't mean that rude)
When you lick my
When you lick my candy
Are you Ra without Dion
Are you the words in the sky without neon
Are you indigenous or did you disappear
Are you the lime in my bottleneck of beer
Candy candy candy girl...
The song "Candy Girl" by Babybird starts with a series of odd comparisons, questioning if the person he’s addressing is the tornado in his sails or Jesus without the nails, indicating the confusion and lack of direction in the singer's life. The imagery used in this song presents a sense of a chaotic, haphazard world, one that is flawed with contradictions, adding to the element of surrealism that runs through the lyrics. The repeated phrase "Are you… without..." exemplifies how the singer's world has lost its fundamentals, as though he doesn't even know what reality is anymore.
The phrase "Naturally you're not, but you're all I've got" reveals that the singer knows that the person he's addressing is not anything like the things he's previously mentioned, but it doesn’t matter, because they're all he has. The phrase "fine & dandy" is used to imply that the circumstances are not really fine and dandy, but the singer has found a way to cope by indulging in some of the pleasures of life. The phrase "When you lick my candy girl (And I don't mean that rude)" seems to indicate that the singer is receiving some kind of pleasure from the person he's addressing, which is providing some comfort amidst the chaos in his life.
Overall, the content of the song is ambiguous, but it suggests a loss of direction, accompanied by a need for security and pleasure, which is sought out in the pleasures of life. The way the lyrics are expressed are unconventional and somewhat surreal, which makes it difficult for listeners to discern what the meaning of the song is, but it definitely expresses a sense of confusion and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you the tornado in my sails
Are you my driving force that propels me forward even amidst turbulent times?
Are you Jesus without the nails
Are you the savior figure in my life who guides me without the burden of sacrifice?
Are you the bury met without the rails
Are you the final resting place for my earthly remains without the societal conventions of burial?
Are you Paris without snails
Are you the romanticized version of a place without the less desirable aspects that are often associated with it?
Of course you're not
Admitting the rhetorical nature of the previous questions and statements
But you're all I've got
Acknowledging the importance of the subject, even if they do not fit the bill of one's ideal scenario
And that's fine & dandy
Accepting the current state of affairs as satisfactory despite potential shortcomings
When you lick my candy girl
When you offer me sweet indulgences and pleasures, both literal and metaphorical
(And I don't mean that rude)
Clarifying that the aforementioned statement is not meant to be sexual or inappropriate
When you lick my
Reiterating the previous sentiment while maintaining the sexual innuendo
Are you Disneyland without whales
Are you the quintessential amusement park experience without any extra or unnecessary extravagances?
Are you a farmer without bales
Are you the embodiment of rural life without any of the laborious aspects associated with it?
Are you the red lion without ales
Are you the iconic public house without any alcohol, the very essence of its appeal?
Are you the lakes without the dales
Are you the tranquil and serene aspect of nature without its rugged and untamed counterpart?
Naturally you're not
Once again acknowledging the unlikelihood of the comparisons presented
But you're all I've got
Persisting in the idea of needing the given subject, all shortcomings aside
And that's fine & dandy
Stressing the idea that the current state of affairs is completely acceptable and satisfactory
Candy candy candy girl...
Concluding with emphasis on the titular subject and their offered sweetness
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NANNA MARTORELL, ROBERTO CORTES MARTORELL, ISAAC PHILLIP II JONES, HENRIK LEIF MARQUART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ivan_sergeich5188
Never saw this in such a quality, thank you for the restoration. Fruit moments are the best for sure!
P.S. These watersports... my heart's always bleeding for mics, guitars and else, even if it's cheap stuff. Hope that the record label covered all the expenses 🥲
@fitrianstradlin903
Like it ❤
@garynorred4643
👊👍👏👏👏
@worldtrap82
original