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.
It's Not Funny Anymore
Babybird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the lights, they are on
They shine through your eyes
Through your mouth on your tongue
There's a house in my head
But the lights, they're not on
They went out, one by one
In your heart, in your lungs
It's not funny anymore
Place our heads side to side
Knock a hole through the wall
Push your tongue through my ears
And nail me, nail me to the floor
Leave me there inside the house
Flush the keys, slam the door
Then you scream through the keyhole
It's not funny anymore
It's not funny anymore
There's a car on the road
And it drives like a dream
See your lies in my eyes
As my tears stream
Tear the brakes from the floor
Drop your toes on the gas
I'll stand here like a wall
That you made from sugarglass
It's not funny anymore
The lyrics of Babybird's song "It's Not Funny Anymore" describe a relationship that has gone sour and is no longer enjoyable. The singer uses the metaphor of a house in the head to describe how the other person is able to maintain a positive outlook, while the singer is unable to do so. The lights in the other person's house are on - meaning that they are happy and enjoying life, while the lights in the singer's house are off, one by one. This signifies the depression and sadness that has taken over.
In the second verse, the singer suggests that the two people should try to understand each other better, but the other person does not want to do so. The metaphor of knocking a hole through the wall and pushing a tongue through the ear highlights the desire for a closer connection, which is not reciprocated. Instead, the other person uses the relationship as a means of control, leaving the singer "nailed to the floor."
Line by Line Meaning
There's a house in your head
There's a place in your mind where you keep your thoughts and feelings
And the lights, they are on
Your emotions are visible and transparent to me
They shine through your eyes
Your eyes reflect your feelings and emotions
Through your mouth on your tongue
Your words tell me what you're feeling and thinking
There's a house in my head
I also have my own thoughts and feelings
But the lights, they're not on
But I'm not as open or transparent about them as you are
They went out, one by one
I've gradually become more closed off with time
In your heart, in your lungs
My emotions are still present, but hidden deep within me
It's not funny anymore
Our situation has become serious and we can't ignore it anymore
Place our heads side to side
Let's come together and share our experiences
Knock a hole through the wall
Let's break down the barriers between us
Push your tongue through my ears
Let's communicate with each other without holding back
And nail me, nail me to the floor
Let's be honest with each other, even if it's uncomfortable
Leave me there inside the house
Let's face our problems and work through them
Flush the keys, slam the door
Let's move past our past mistakes and start fresh
Then you scream through the keyhole
But even though we're moving on, the pain of the past lingers
It's not funny anymore
We can't pretend that everything is okay, we need to deal with our issues
There's a car on the road
There's something coming that we can't control
And it drives like a dream
It seems nice at first, but it's actually dangerous
See your lies in my eyes
I can see through your deception
As my tears stream
I'm hurt by your actions, but I'm still trying to hold on
Tear the brakes from the floor
You're not slowing down, even though it's hurting me
Drop your toes on the gas
You're only speeding up and making things worse
I'll stand here like a wall
I'm not going to let you break me down
That you made from sugarglass
Your words and actions can't hurt me anymore
It's not funny anymore
We need to address our issues before it's too late
Contributed by Isaac J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.