Babybird is a British indie band, formed in 1995. The band is fronted by St… Read Full Bio ↴Babybird is a British indie band, formed in 1995. The band is fronted by Stephen Jones, who has also released records as a solo artist, using his own name and the name Baby Bird.

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.

You Are Gorgeous
Babybird Lyrics

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Remember that tanktop you bought me
You wrote 'You're gorgeous' on it
You took me to your rented motor car
And filmed me on the bonnet

You got me to hitch my knees up
And pulled my legs apart
You took an instamatic camera and

And pulled my sleeves around my heart

Because you're gorgeous, I'd do anything for you
Because you're gorgeous, our love will see us through
Because you're gorgeous, I'd do anything for you
Because you're gorgeous, I know you'll get me through

You said my clothes were sexy
You tore away my shirt
You rubbed an ice-cube on my chest
Snapped me 'til it hurt

Because you're gorgeous, I'd do anything for you
Because you're gorgeous, our love will see us through
Because you're gorgeous, I'd do anything for you
Because you're gorgeous, I know you'll get me through

Ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba

You said I wasn't cheap
You paid me twenty pounds
You promised to put me in a magazine
On every table, in every lounge

Because you're gorgeous, I'd do anything for you
Because you're gorgeous, our love will see us through
Because you're gorgeous, I'd do anything for you
Because you're gorgeous, our love will see us through

Because you're gorgeous, I know you'll get me through
I know you'll get me through

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Babybird's song "You Are Gorgeous" depict a sensual encounter between two lovers. The singer recounts how the other person bought them a tank top with the words "You're gorgeous" on it and filmed them on the bonnet of their rented car. The other person then proceeded to take pictures of the singer, prompting him to lift his legs and wrap his sleeves around his heart. The chorus repeatedly emphasizes how the singer would do anything for this other person because of their beauty and how their love will see them through.

The second verse describes how the other person tore off the singer's shirt and rubbed an ice-cube on his chest while taking more pictures. The bridge alludes to the other person's promise to put the singer in a magazine, solidifying the idea of objectification and the power dynamic between the two.

Line by Line Meaning

Remember that tanktop you bought me
You bought me a tank top and wrote 'You're gorgeous' on it

You took me to your rented motor car
You took me to your rental car

And filmed me on the bonnet
And took a video of me lying on the hood of the car

You got me to hitch my knees up
You asked me to pull my knees up

And pulled my legs apart
And spread my legs apart

You took an instamatic camera and
You took a polaroid camera

And pulled my sleeves around my heart
And pulled my sleeves around my chest

Because you're gorgeous, I'd do anything for you
I'm so in love with you that I'm willing to do anything for you

Because you're gorgeous, our love will see us through
Our love is so strong that we can overcome anything

You said my clothes were sexy
You complimented my clothing

You tore away my shirt
You ripped off my shirt