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.
Learn Me Right
Birdy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or even spit out some holy word
I have no strength with which to speak
When you sit me down and see I'm weak
We will run and scream
You will dance with me
We'll fulfill our dreams
We will run and scream
You will dance with me
We'll fulfill our dreams
And we'll be free
We will be who we are
And they'll heal our scars
Sadness will be far away
So I had done wrong but you put me right
My judgment burned in the black of night
When I give less than I take
It is my fault, my own mistake
We will run and scream
You will dance with me
We'll fulfill our dreams
And we'll be free
We will be who we are
And they'll heal our scars
Sadness will be far away
The lyrics to Birdy/Mumford & Sons's song "Learn Me Right" encapsulate the journey of a character who is seeking redemption after making mistakes. Though the character has knowledge of language and even the power of the divine, they feel weak and unable to express themselves. The anonymity of their weakness is challenged by the presence of someone who sees them as they are and accepts them anyway. Through this relationship, the character is given hope for the fulfillment of their dreams and the ability to be free.
The chorus of the song repeats three times, emphasizing the importance of fulfillment and freedom. The character is seeking a release from their pain and sorrow, and the message of the song is that this is possible with the help of another person. The lyrics also suggest a sense of equality, as both participants will run and scream together and both will be free. The theme of redemption is brought up again in the second verse, where the character acknowledges their mistakes and how they have caused harm to themselves and others. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the belief that their scars will be healed and their sadness will be far away.
Line by Line Meaning
Though I may speak some tongue of old
Even if I try to speak in an archaic language
Or even spit out some holy word
Or try to recite religious scriptures,
I have no strength with which to speak
I don't have the willpower to express myself
When you sit me down and see I'm weak
When you confront me and observe my vulnerability
We will run and scream
We'll escape from all our worries and shout out in delight
You will dance with me
You'll join me in the celebration
We'll fulfill our dreams
We'll achieve our aspirations
And we'll be free
And we'll experience complete liberation
We will be who we are
We'll stay true to our inner selves
And they'll heal our scars
Our wounds will be mended by the people we love
Sadness will be far away
We'll be able to banish all sorrow
So I had done wrong but you put me right
Even if I made a mistake, you corrected me
My judgment burned in the black of night
I felt remorseful for my decision-making in the dark
When I give less than I take
When I take more than I give
It is my fault, my own mistake
It's my responsibility and I have to accept the blame
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MARCUS OLIVER JOHNSTONE MUMFORD, WINSTON AUBREY ALADAR MARSHALL, EDWARD JAMES MILTON DWAYNE, BENJAMIN WALTER DAVID LOVETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind