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.
Terrible Love
Birdy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's a terrible love and I'm walkin' in
It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders
It's a terrible love and I'm walkin' in
its quiet company, its quiet company
And I can't fall asleep without a little help
It takes a while to settle down
Until the panic sets
It takes an ocean not to break
It takes an ocean not to break
It takes an ocean not to break
It takes an ocean not to break
Company
Its quiet company
Its quiet company
But I won't
follow you into the rabbit hole
I said I would
but then I saw
your shivered bones
They didn't want me to
It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders
It's a terrible love and I'm walkin' in
It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders
It's a terrible love and I'm walkin' in
It takes an ocean not to break
It takes an ocean not to break
It takes an ocean not to break
It takes an ocean not to break
In "Terrible Love," Birdy expresses the complexity of a painful and suffocating relationship. She is caught in a cycle of fear, dependence, and instability. The recurring line “It’s a terrible love and I’m walking with spiders” is a metaphor for the fear and discomfort she feels around the person she loves. Spiders are typically a symbol of fear, danger, and unease. Birdy is acknowledging the fact that she is in a difficult situation, and she feels constantly on edge. The repetition of this line highlights how overwhelming and pervasive this feeling is.
Birdy also reveals that she struggles with anxiety, and that she uses some form of medication or assistance to help her sleep. She describes how it takes a while for her "shivered bones" to settle down, and how she experiences panic before she falls asleep. This anxiety is likely linked to her relationship struggles, and the turmoil she experiences on a daily basis.
In the last verse, Birdy admits that she cannot continue following her partner down a self-destructive path. She had initially promised to "follow [them] into the rabbit hole," which is a reference to Alice in Wonderland, where Alice falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world. However, she ultimately decides to distance herself from her partner and avoid being dragged down with them. The lyrics "But I won't follow you into the rabbit hole, I said I would but then I saw your shivered bones, they didn't want me to," demonstrate that although Birdy cares deeply about the person she's with, she recognizes that staying with them could be harmful to herself.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders
This love is haunting and uncomfortable, and I feel like I'm surrounded by danger.
It's a terrible love and I'm walkin' in
Despite knowing how unsettling it is, I continue moving forward in this toxic relationship.
its quiet company, its quiet company
Even though I'm with someone, I still feel alone and isolated in my thoughts.
And I can't fall asleep without a little help
I'm struggling to find peace, and I rely on substances to temporarily escape my troubles.
It takes a while to settle down
Even with the help of substances, it takes me a long time to calm my racing thoughts and emotions.
My shivered bones
I'm feeling such intense fear and anxiety that it's physically affecting me.
Until the panic sets
My anxiety reaches a tipping point and I feel like I'm spiraling out of control.
It takes an ocean not to break
It takes immense strength and resilience to weather the storm of this tumultuous relationship without losing myself completely.
But I won't follow you into the rabbit hole
I won't let myself be dragged down further into this unhealthy dynamic.
I said I would but then I saw your shivered bones
I thought I could handle all of this, but now that I see how much it's hurting you too, I can't bear to continue.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Matthew Donald Berninger, Aaron Brooking Dessner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind