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.
Take My Heart
Birdy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Said you'd watch over my heart
Your love was so real
Too late to forget how you made me feel
Tell me what I was supposed to believe
Held me so close I could hardly breathe
And now I can't find how to let you go
Say it's all in my head
I remember when you said
I'll never let you go
Held me in the dark
Sheltered as you took my heart
I could never let you go, ooh
Say it's all in my head
Remember when you said
I'll never let you go
Oh, hold me in the dark
Sheltered as you take my heart
Take my heart
Kiss me, pretend
Tell me all your love lies again
Cast your shadows
Like how you said you'd catch me but let me go
You said I could have been free if I wanted to
I know you could see I was lost in you
Said you'd let me be if I wanted you to
And I know you'll leave but I don't want you to
Say it's all in my head
I remember when you said
I'll never let you go
Held me in the dark
Sheltered as you took my heart
I could never let you go, ooh
Say it's all in my head
Remember when you said
I'll never let you go
Oh, hold me in the dark
Sheltered as you take my heart
Take my heart
So take my heart for your love
I'll let you break it, part every piece of me
So take my heart, it's all that's left
Take my heart
Say it's all in my head
I remember what you said
Hold me in the dark
Sheltered as you take my heart
Take my heart
The lyrics of Birdy's song "Take My Heart" seem to be about a relationship that has ended but the singer is still holding onto their feelings for their former lover. The first verse talks about how the singer had fallen deeply for the person and how they promised to watch over their heart. The love at that time seemed very real but now it's too late to forget how they made the singer feel. They then question what they were supposed to believe, at a time when they were held very close but are now dealing with the coldness of their former love. The chorus repeats a section where the singer remembers the promises their former love made, how they'd never let them go and held them in the dark. But now, they are trying to move on but can't seem to find a way to let go of their past love.
The second verse seems to start off on a very bitter note- the singer is asking their former lover to pretend to love them again, lie to them all over again. The person probably made promises about catching them but eventually let them go. The singer seems to be very frustrated because their former love had promised to set them free but now they feel lost within those same promises. They are admitting to themselves that their former love will eventually leave but they still don't want them to go. Towards the end of the song- the singer accepts that their love is all they have left and it's better to turn it over in order to release themselves from the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Fallen so far
I have fallen deeply in love with you
Said you'd watch over my heart
You promised to protect and care for my heart
Your love was so real
I believed your love for me was genuine
Too late to forget how you made me feel
I cannot erase the memories of how you made me feel
Tell me what I was supposed to believe
I need to know the truth about our relationship
Held me so close I could hardly breathe
You were suffocating me with your love and attention
And now I can't find how to let you go
I am struggling to move on from you
You were mine but you've grown so cold
You used to be mine, but now you are distant and unfeeling
Say it's all in my head
You are denying the reality of what we had
I remember when you said I'll never let you go
You promised to never leave me
Held me in the dark, sheltered as you took my heart
You took advantage of my vulnerability and stole my heart
I could never let you go
I was never able to move on from you
Kiss me, pretend, tell me all your love lies again
You are pretending to love me and telling me false promises again
Cast your shadows, like how you said you'd catch me but let me go
You are casting a shadow over me and have let me down after promising to catch me
You said I could have been free if I wanted to
You told me that I had the option to leave you if I wanted to
I know you could see I was lost in you
You knew that I was completely consumed by my love for you
Said you'd let me be if I wanted you to
You promised to let me go if I ever asked
And I know you'll leave but I don't want you to
I am aware that you will eventually leave, but I don't want you to
So take my heart for your love
I am giving you my heart to do what you wish with it
I'll let you break it, part every piece of me
I am okay with you breaking my heart and tearing apart every part of me
So take my heart, it's all that's left
My heart is the only thing I have left to give you
Take my heart
Take my heart
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ASMINE LUCILLA ELISABETH VAN BOGAERDE, DEN BOGAERDE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind