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.
I Was Never Here
Babybird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sad not being happy, happy having fun
And the rain comes down
And makes a fool out of us
We wet our hair
And murder the raindrops
Oh but we don't hear it coming
We don't hear it coming
And i won't say goodbye
Because i was never here
And i won't say hello
Because it wouldn't be true
And if i told you that the sky was green today
Lying upside down
Looking at the grass
Would you believe me?
Would you understand why i told you what i did?
Would you understand me?
Or just put me down as another fool?
And you can't say goodbye
Because i am always here
And you can't say you love me
Because it wouldn't be true
And the rain comes down
And makes a fool out of us
We wet our lips
And murder the raindrops
Oh but we don't hear it coming
We don't hear it coming
But the cats and the birds do
So what does that say about us?
The lyrics of Babybird's song "I Was Never Here" touch upon themes of loneliness, self-delusion, and the search for connection in a world that sometimes feels meaningless. The opening lines suggest a sense of contentment in ignorance - the singer and their company are "happy being stupid, happy being dumb", finding pleasure in simple things. However, this happiness is fleeting and easily disrupted by external factors like the rain, which reminds them of their own vulnerability and impotence. In the face of this harsh reality, the singer retreats further into their own delusions, refusing to say goodbye or hello because it would be disingenuous. They ask a hypothetical question about the color of the sky and whether anyone would believe them, testing the limits of their own ability to connect with others.
Line by Line Meaning
We were happy being stupid, happy being dumb
We were content with being ignorant and carefree
Sad not being happy, happy having fun
We found joy in simple things, but were unhappy without them
And the rain comes down
And makes a fool out of us
We wet our hair
And murder the raindrops
Oh but we don't hear it coming
We don't hear it coming
The rain reminds us of our insignificance, but we distract ourselves from this truth with trivial actions
And i won't say goodbye
Because i was never here
And i won't say hello
Because it wouldn't be true
The artist feels disconnected from those around them and unable to form meaningful connections
And if i told you that the sky was green today
Lying upside down
Looking at the grass
Would you believe me?
Would you understand why i told you what i did?
Would you understand me?
Or just put me down as another fool?
The artist questions whether others would even try to understand them or dismiss them as irrational
And you can't say goodbye
Because i am always here
And you can't say you love me
Because it wouldn't be true
The singer is always present, but their emotional distance makes meaningful love impossible
And the rain comes down
And makes a fool out of us
We wet our lips
And murder the raindrops
Oh but we don't hear it coming
We don't hear it coming
But the cats and the birds do
So what does that say about us?
The animals around us are more aware of the world's natural rhythms and our own foolishness and lack of awareness compared to them
Contributed by Audrey O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Der Emma
Like Mark Roe said it, it's one of the greatest songs of all time, because it's deep, although it's "simple". Stephen Jones would be a genious for me for only this one song, and he has made so many, many more...This one is in my head for so many years now almost every day. 😂
Glen Gregson
Another georgeous song by baby bird.ni love it! This needs recognition!
Peregrine Trousers
Went to see Baby bird back in the nineties before his short-lived commercial success. He picked a row with some knob in the audience, then walked off.
Mischelle Watson
it sums it all up for me.
stabilisedchaos
Thank you.