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.
What You Want
Birdy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wait till you get home
Sick of communicating
Over the telephone
Tell me how you feel
For I am lonely too
Need you to know
I'm just as cold and numb as you
But I could fly away
Or I could be no one
And you could be the sunshine falling
Over the mountains
Or you can come and stay
You could come right home
I don't see why I have to live this life
All alone
I could know
There is a way to make up for old mistakes
And I know whats happening is for a reason
I know
But I could fly away
Or I could be bo one
Sunshine falling over the mountains
The lyrics to Birdy's song "What You Want" express a deep sense of longing and loneliness between two people, with the singer lamenting the distance between them despite their attempts to communicate over the telephone. The opening lines of the chorus - "But I could fly away / Or I could be no one" - suggest a desire to escape from the current situation, perhaps indicating a lack of fulfillment in the relationship.
However, the song also suggests a potential for renewal and growth between the two individuals. The lines "I could know / There is a way to make up for old mistakes" serve to highlight the possibility of reconciliation, and the idea that the struggles they are currently facing may ultimately lead to a stronger, more fulfilling connection.
Throughout "What You Want," Birdy's understated vocals convey a sense of vulnerability and emotional depth, imbuing the lyrics with a sense of authenticity and sincerity. The song is a testament to the power of music to express complex feelings, and a reminder that even in our darkest moments, there is always hope for healing and growth.
Line by Line Meaning
What you want to say
Tell me what's on your mind
Wait till you get home
Let's talk about it in person
Sick of communicating
Tired of talking over the phone
Over the telephone
Through phone calls
Tell me how you feel
Share your emotions with me
For I am lonely too
Because I feel lonely as well
Need you to know
I want you to understand
I'm just as cold and numb as you
I'm also feeling disconnected and unemotional
But I could fly away
I have the option to leave
Or I could be no one
I have the option to vanish
And you could be the sunshine falling
You could bring happiness and warmth into my life
Over the mountains
All around me
Or you can come and stay
You could come and live with me
You could come right home
You could return to me
I don't see why I have to live this life
I don't understand why I have to be alone
All alone
Without anyone
I could know
I could understand
There is a way to make up for old mistakes
There's a chance to rectify past errors
And I know whats happening is for a reason
I believe that everything is happening for a purpose
Contributed by Camilla A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@petsis2547
What you want to say
Wait 'til you get home
sick of communicating
over the telephone
Tell me how you feel
For I am lonely too
Need you to know
I'm just as cold and numb as you.
But I could fly away
Or I could be no one
And you could be the
Sunshine falling over the mountain
You could come to stay
You could come right home
I don't see why I have to
Live this life all alone
I know there is a way
to make up for all mistakes
and I know what's happening is for a reason
I know...
But I could fly away
Or I could be no one
Sunshine falling
over the mountain
@mychannel-vn2vp
After all these years still a big fan of Birdy. Checking her IG and YT accounts daily. What a wonderful singer and person she is
@Setsuna-omokage
1:06- The moment the instrumentals start... It's so heart wrenchingly beautiful.
@tiramisu9682
This is the best song I've ever heard in my whole life. The beginning is so fantastic. And I like how the melodie always chances but still sounds so beautiful and touching.Just perfect.
@leemurphy7800
My favourite Birdy song - ever
@all4Hisgloryalone2Tim215
I'm hearing this for the furst time. Wow, so good!
@birdyvideotheek
she is so good she sings with so much feelings
@stuartscovell45
Another of Birdys one off tracks that needs to be on its own album , along with "Guardian Angel""Learn Me Right" "Ill Keep Loving You" "Tea Shirt" "Not About Angels" "Best Shot" "Let It All Go," acoustic"Wings"and the cover of" Angel"by Sarah McLachlan, (the last one being on my wish list)xx It could be called ,Birdys High Flying Collection.x
@echoecho7575
I will make this
@albablabla
Also the cover she did of Bird Gerhl! This is such an amazing idea
@echoecho7575
+Alba Paez , thanks that's a good one too, ill add it to my playlist, its called birdy:high flying