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.
One Dead Groove
Babybird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take a look at the ground
Take a look ahead
You’ll hear the sound
Take a look at the ground
The way your feet don’t move
Spinning like car wheels
In one dead Groove
In one dead groove
Take a look at your eyes
Like the holes in the ground
Uncover your face
Till you hear the sound
Somewhere you shouldn’t be
before your ears got wings
Things you never want to hear
So high the air stings
In one dead groove
You can get so high
From one dead groove
You can touch the sky
In one dead groove
The song "One Dead Groove" by Babybird revolves around the idea of being stuck in a rut, going through life in one motion, unable to change the path you're on. The opening lines of "Take a look at the sky, take a look at the ground, take a look ahead, you'll hear the sound" speaks to the idea of living your life on autopilot, not truly seeing the beauty in the world around you. The repetition of "take a look at the ground, the way your feet don't move, spinning like car wheels in one dead groove" reiterates the concept of being stuck, not moving forward towards anything new or exciting.
The second verse talks about breaking free from this monotony, "take a look at your eyes, like the holes in the ground, uncover your face till you hear the sound." The idea of "uncovering your face" and seeing the world in a new light is a metaphor for breaking out of the cycle of sameness. The lines "somewhere you shouldn't be before your ears got wings, things you never want to hear, so high the air stings" speak to stepping out of your comfort zone and experiencing new and sometimes uncomfortable things to truly grow and live life to the fullest.
Overall, the song portrays the message that living a life of monotony and predictability can be stifling, and that it is important to seek out new experiences and break out of our comfort zones.
Line by Line Meaning
Take a look at the sky
Observe the upward expanse of the atmosphere
Take a look at the ground
Examine the surface below your feet
Take a look ahead
Gaze towards the future
You’ll hear the sound
You will perceive a noise
Take a look at the ground
Look down at the earth below you
The way your feet don’t move
Notice how you remain immobile
Spinning like car wheels
Rotating in a manner similar to automotive tires
In one dead Groove
Stuck in a stagnant and unchanging pattern
Take a look at your eyes
Inspect the organs of vision present in your face
Like the holes in the ground
Comparable to the openings in the earth
Uncover your face
Expose your countenance
Till you hear the sound
Until an auditory sensation is detected
Somewhere you shouldn’t be
In a location you are not supposed to occupy
before your ears got wings
Prior to experiencing a heightened sense of aural perception
Things you never want to hear
Information that would be undesirable to receive
So high the air stings
Ascending to such heights that the atmosphere is physically painful
In one dead groove
Trapped in a monotonous and unchanging situation
You can get so high
It is possible to become excessively elevated
From one dead groove
Derived from remaining in a repetitive and uninspired state
You can touch the sky
It is feasible to make contact with the atmosphere above
In one dead groove
Stuck in a static and unvarying situation
Contributed by Allison E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.