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.
Too Much
Babybird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the silence gets too loud
Like a needle stuck
On a bad song
If I had the power
I'd turn my ears off
Settle back and
ALL THIS NEW STUFF
IS WAY TOO MUCH
I'M TIRED
AND IT'S ENOUGH
IT'S TOO MUCH
ALL THIS STUFF
IS NOT ENOUGH
I'M WIRED
INTO TOO MUCH
TOO MUCH
All my life
I've had these these things
That I could never give up
Because they were in my blood
Now I wanna go back
To that little kid I was
Who had nothing else
But love
ALL THIS NEW STUFF
IS WAY TOO MUCH
I'M TIRED
AND IT'S ENOUGH
IT'S TOO MUCH
ALL THIS STUFF
IS NOT ENOUGH
I'M WIRED
INTO TOO MUCH
TOO MUCH
ALL THIS STUFF
IS NOT ENOUGH
I'M WIRED
INTO TOO MUCH
TOO MUCH
TOO MUCH...TOO FAST...TOO YOUNG
In these lyrics, Babybird expresses a feeling of overwhelm with the constant inundation of new information, technologies, and stimuli. The world may be quiet, but the silence itself feels too loud, like an annoying song stuck in your head. The singer longs for the power to turn off their ears and tune into themselves instead. The repetition of "too much" in the chorus emphasizes the feeling of inundation, and the singer wants to return to a simpler time when things were less overwhelming.
The second verse further reflects on this nostalgia for simpler times. The singer realizes that they have been wired into too much stimulation and desire to return to a time when they had fewer possessions or responsibilities. The irony of the situation is that the "all this stuff" that the singer has accumulated is still not enough to satisfy them. This song is a commentary on the constant barrage of information and materialism in modern society and the longing for a simpler life.
Line by Line Meaning
When the world goes quiet
When everything around me seems calm and still
But the silence gets too loud
But the lack of noise becomes overwhelming and suffocating
Like a needle stuck
Similar to a record player's needle that gets stuck in the same spot and repeats the same sound
On a bad song
Playing a song that I don't like or that makes me feel negative
If I had the power
If there was a way for me to control this situation
I'd turn my ears off
I would shut out all the noise around me
Settle back and
Relax and get comfortable
Turn myself on
Concentrate on my own thoughts and feelings
ALL THIS NEW STUFF
All the new things that are happening or coming into my life
IS WAY TOO MUCH
Are overwhelming and too much for me to handle
I'M TIRED
I am exhausted from trying to keep up and deal with everything
AND IT'S ENOUGH
I can't take it anymore
IT'S TOO MUCH
It's more than I can handle
ALL THIS STUFF
All the material possessions and distractions in my life
IS NOT ENOUGH
They don't bring me true happiness and satisfaction
I'M WIRED
I am accustomed to and dependent on too many things
INTO TOO MUCH
I am caught up in and overwhelmed by too many things
All my life
For as long as I can remember
I've had these these things
I have possessed certain material things or attached myself to certain habits or people
That I could never give up
That I couldn't let go of or live without
Because they were in my blood
Because they were ingrained in me and seemed to define me
Now I wanna go back
Now, I wish things were different and I long for the past
To that little kid I was
To the version of myself that was innocent and unburdened by material possessions
Who had nothing else
Who had no other material possessions or distractions
But love
But the capacity to love and be loved was enough
TOO MUCH...TOO FAST...TOO YOUNG
The overwhelming amount of stimulation and distractions in my life lead to exhaustion and feeling lost
Contributed by Anthony H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.