After she won the Under 18s category of the UK talent contest Open Mic UK at the age of 12, Bogaerde was soon offered a publishing contract by Good Soldier Songs Ltd, run by Christian Tattersfield, chairman of Warner Music UK. In 2011, at the age of 14, she released a haunting cover version of the Bon Iver "Skinny Love", which reached #17 on the UK Singles Chart. The track was later featured in an episode of The Vampire Diaries.
Her self-titled debut album, "Birdy", was released on 4th November, 2011 and featured "Skinny Love" , "1901" and "People Help The People", other notable tracks from the album include James Taylor's" Fire and Rain" and “Terrible Love” The album reached #1 in Australia, Belgium and The Netherlands, it also peaked at #13 in the UK.
In 2011, "Skinny Love" sold 259,000 copies in the UK becoming the third biggest selling rock single of that year. As of August 2016, the song had sold almost 800,000 copies in the UK.
In 2012, Birdy released an 8 track EP " Live in London “ which featured several tracks from her debut album plus a version of the Ed Sheeran song "The A Team “and "Just a Game from “The Hunger Games”
In July 2013 Birdy announced via YouTube, that her 2nd album would be released later in the year. She also previewed two new songs "Wings "and "No Angel" which would both be featured on her second studio album "Fire Within"
Her second studio album, "Fire Within" was released 23rd September, 2013. It featured 11 original songs, either written or co written by Birdy including Strange Birds, co-written with Sia.
The first single from the album was “Wings” released as a digital download then officially released in the UK on 8th September 2013. The song reached #8 on the UK charts, becoming Birdy’s first UK top 10. It was also featured in an episode of The Vampire Diaries. Subsequent singles were “No Angel”, Light Me Up” and “Words as Weapons”
In 2014, Birdy submitted three songs to the soundtrack of the film “The Fault In Our Stars” which stars “Shailene Woodley” and “Ansel Elgort”. “Not About Angels” was the second released single from the soundtrack album. Other Birdy contributions were “ Tee Shirt" and “ Best Shot"
On 25th March 2016, Birdy's third album "Beautiful Lies" was released, it featured the singles, "Keeping Your Head Up" ,"Wild Horses" and "Words" Once again her songwriting abilities were evident as she wrote or co wrote all of the 14 tracks.
Also in 2016 she was featured on the "Sigma" single " Find Me which was only a minor success in the UK.
Her song Ghost In The Wind" also appeared on the soundtrack of the film The Edge Of Seventeen
After an extensive tour of USA and Asia, she took a break from music, only to return with a new single called “ Open Your Heart" in 2020. The song was featured on the 4 track EP called “Piano Sketches”
Birdy’s fourth studio album “Young Heart” was then released on 30th April 2021, the first single “ Surrender” was issued earlier in 2021, a day after she had announced that her new album was coming. Birdy described the album as a heartbreak album heavily inspired by Joni Mitchell’s “Blue”
2023 saw the release of Birdy's fifth studio album “Portraits” It was released on 18th August 2023. “Raincatchers” was issued as the first single, which had been released earlier in 2023. Subsequent singles from the album have since followed, “Heartbreaker”, “Your Arms” and “Paradise Calling”
Birdy's music is described as folk, pop, indie folk. She cites her early music influences as Classical Music and Pop music that her parents would play. along with her own influences, which are so evident in her music(Bon Iver, George Michael and Keane)
Album Discography:
Birdy (2011)
Fire Within (2013)
Beautiful Lies (2016)
Young Heart (2021)
Portraits (2023)
Sites: Discogs, Wikipedia and YouTube.
Hear You Calling
Birdy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are harder to recover from
And I miss the days
I could take my make up and put a brave face on
Oh, my beautiful summer
How the winter makes me wonder
Where you've gone
How the winter makes me wonder
Where you've gone
Every night when the sun goes down
And I'm left in this lonely town
I hear you calling me, hear you calling me, yeah
Everytime that I say goodbye
Every night when I close my eyes
I hear you calling me, hear you calling me
Memories lie
There's no such thing as a perfect life
Oh, and I let it die
But looking back I can't remember why
Oh, my beautiful summer
How the winter makes me wonder
Where you've gone
Oh, my beautiful lover
We were perfect for each other
I was wrong
Every night when the suckle start
And I'm left in this lonely town
I hear you calling me, hear you calling me, yeah
Everytime that I say goodbye
Every night when I close my eyes
I hear you calling me, hear you calling me
Take me home, take me home, don't know this place
Are you there watching if I'm lying awake?
Thinking of you
Take me home, take me home, don't know this place
Are you there watching if I'm lying awake?
Thinking of you
Oh, my beautiful summer
How the winter makes me wonder
Where you've gone
Every night when the suckle start
And I'm left in this lonely town
I hear you calling me, hear you calling me, yeah
Everytime that I say goodbye
Every night when I close my eyes
I hear you calling me, hear you calling me
I hear you calling
I hear you calling
Me, me
The song "Hear You Calling" by Birdy is a love ballad about the pain and longing of a past relationship. The lyrics talk about how some mistakes are harder to recover from, and the singer misses the days where she could put on a brave face and move on. She reminisces about a beautiful summer with her lover, and how the winter makes her wonder where they've gone. She can't help but hear their voice calling out to her every night, and she's left with memories of what once was.
The lyrics convey a sense of nostalgia and regret, with the singer acknowledging that memories can be deceiving and there's no such thing as a perfect life. She let the relationship die, but can't remember why. The chorus emphasizes her longing to be with her lover again, with the repeated line "Every night when I say goodbye, every night when I close my eyes, I hear you calling me, hear you calling me."
The bridge of the song changes the perspective to the present, with the singer feeling lost and out of place in her current surroundings. She asks to be taken home, and wonders if her lover is watching over her as she lies awake, thinking of them.
Overall, "Hear You Calling" is a heartfelt and emotional song about the pain of lost love and the longing to be reunited with a past lover.
Line by Line Meaning
Some mistakes
There are certain mistakes that are impossible to undo
Are harder to recover from
It is difficult to recover from certain mistakes
And I miss the days
I miss how things used to be
I could take my make up and put a brave face on
I had the ability to put on a brave face and pretend like everything is fine
Oh, my beautiful summer
Referring to a happier time in my life
How the winter makes me wonder
During the colder months, I reflect on where I am in life and how I got here
Where you've gone
I am wondering where a specific person or thing has gone
Every night when the sun goes down
At the end of each day
And I'm left in this lonely town
I am alone
I hear you calling me, hear you calling me, yeah
I am being called by someone or something from my past
Everytime that I say goodbye
Whenever I part ways with something or someone
Every night when I close my eyes
At the end of each day, when I am alone with my thoughts
Memories lie
Memories can be misleading or inaccurate
There's no such thing as a perfect life
Perfection does not exist in life
Oh, and I let it die
I allowed something to come to an end
But looking back I can't remember why
Now that I reflect on the situation, I cannot recall why things ended
Oh, my beautiful lover
Referring to a past romantic relationship
We were perfect for each other
We were well-suited for each other
I was wrong
I made a mistake with this person or situation
Every night when the suckle start
At the end of each day, when I am alone with my thoughts
Take me home, take me home, don't know this place
I am longing for familiarity and comfort in an unfamiliar place
Are you there watching if I'm lying awake?
I wonder if someone is still keeping an eye on me while I am alone
Thinking of you
I am still remembering a specific person or situation
I hear you calling
I am being summoned by someone or something from my past
Me, me
I am feeling isolated or alone
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JASMINE LUCILLA ELISABETH VAN DEN BOGAERDE, STEVE MAC, WAYNE ANTHONY HECTOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind