UK singer-songwriter Jasmine Van den Bogaerde, better known by her professi… Read Full Bio ↴UK singer-songwriter Jasmine Van den Bogaerde, better known by her professional name Birdy was born on 15th May, 1996. Her mother was a concert pianist, Sophie (nee Roper-Curzon) and her father, Rupert Bogarde a writer. She was raised in a mill house on the Pylewell Park estate (Lymington, UK) of Birdy’s maternal grandfather, Baron Teynham. She attended Priestlands School in Lymington, UK until the age of 16, before going on to Brockenhurst Sixth Form College to study for her A-levels.
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.

People Help The People
Birdy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

God knows what is hiding in those weak and drunken hearts
Guess he kissed the girls and made them cry
Those hard-faced queens of misadventure
God knows what is hiding in those weak and sunken eyes
Fiery throngs of muted angels
Giving love but getting nothing back, oh

People help the people

And if you're homesick, give me your hand and I'll hold it
People help the people
Nothing will drag you down
Oh, and if I had a brain, oh, and if I had a brain
I'd be cold as a stone and rich as the fool
That turned all those good hearts away

God knows what is hiding in this world of little consequence
Behind the tears, inside the lies
A thousand slowly dying sunsets
God knows what is hiding in those weak and drunken hearts
Guess the loneliness came knocking
No one needs to be alone or sinking

People help the people
And if you're homesick, give me your hand and I'll hold it
People help the people
Nothing will drag you down
Oh, and if I had a brain, oh, and if I had a brain
I'd be cold as a stone and rich as the fool
That turned, all those good hearts away

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, ooh
Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, ooh

People help the people
And if you're homesick, give me your hand and I'll hold it
People help the people
Nothing will drag you down
Oh, and if I had a brain, oh, and if I had a brain

I'd be cold as a stone and rich as the fool
That turned all those good hearts away

Overall Meaning

Birdy’s “People Help the People” is a song about empathy and community. The song begins with an observation about people’s hidden inner feelings as a result of mistakes they’ve made, which often leads to a lonelier life. Despite that, the lyrics express the point of view that people could help each other to overcome their hardships by being kind and showing empathy towards each other. The chorus “People help the people / And if you're homesick, give me your hand and I'll hold it / People help the people / Nothing will drag you down” is a direct appeal to this message of the song.

As the song moves forward, it becomes clear that the song expresses frustration against the cold-hearted people who turn away from goodness, in order to be rich and powerful. The line “I'd be cold as a stone and rich as the fool / That turned all those good hearts away” suggests that empathy is not an attribute one can acquire through wealth or social status alone. It gives insight into the cry for compassion which is missing from society.

“People Help The People” is an uplifting song with powerful lyrics. It’s a call for people to help each other and be more united, despite differences. It’s a reminder that amidst all the darkness the world can present, there is always room for compassion and kindness.

Line by Line Meaning

God knows what is hiding in those weak and drunken hearts
There is a lot of hidden pain and vulnerability in those who seem to be confident and strong

Guess he kissed the girls and made them cry
Referring to someone who caused hurt and pain to others

Those hard-faced queens of misadventure
Referring to women who are living life recklessly and carelessly, with no regard for the consequences

God knows what is hiding in those weak and sunken eyes
Again, emphasizing the hidden pain and sorrow in those who appear to be strong

Fiery throngs of muted angels
Describing people who are full of passion and love but are not being appreciated or reciprocated

Giving love but getting nothing back, oh
Referring to those who unconditionally give love and care but don't receive it in return

People help the people
The main message of the song is that we need to help and support each other

And if you're homesick, give me your hand and I'll hold it
Offering unconditional support to those who are feeling lonely or homesick

Nothing will drag you down
Promising that as long as we have each other's support, nothing can bring us down

Oh, and if I had a brain, oh, and if I had a brain
Emphasizing the importance of being smart, insightful, and empathetic

I'd be cold as a stone and rich as the fool
Acknowledging that being cold and selfish might bring material wealth but will only make us a fool in the end

That turned all those good hearts away
Recognizing that our actions have consequences and that pushing away those who offer love and support is a mistake

God knows what is hiding in this world of little consequence
There is a lot of pain and suffering in the world that is often overlooked or dismissed

Behind the tears, inside the lies
People often hide their true feelings and emotions, and there is often more to a situation than what we see on the surface

A thousand slowly dying sunsets
A metaphor for the passing of time and the inevitability of death

Guess the loneliness came knocking
Acknowledging that loneliness can affect anyone, no matter how strong they appear to be

No one needs to be alone or sinking
Reiterating the importance of asking for and receiving help and support

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, ooh
A playful and uplifting refrain, driving home the importance of helping each other

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Simon Aldred

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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