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.
Wings
Birdy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Illuminates our skin
We watch the day go by
Stories of all we did
It made me think of you
It made me think of you
Under a trillion stars
Took pictures of the stage
So far from where we are
They made me think of you
They made me think of you
Oh, lights go down
In the moment we're lost and found
And I just wanna be by your side
If these wings could fly
For the rest of our lives
I'm in a foreign state
My thoughts, they slip away
My words are leaving me
They caught an aeroplane
Because I thought of you
Just from the thought of you
Oh, lights go down
In the moment we're lost and found
And I just wanna be by your side
If these wings could fly
Oh, damn these walls
In the moment we're ten feet tall
And how you told me after it all
We'd remember tonight
For the rest of our lives
Ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah
If these wings could fly
Oh, lights go down
In the moment we're lost and found
And I just wanna be by your side
If these wings could fly
Oh, damn these walls
In the moment we're ten feet tall
And how you told me after it all
We'd remember tonight
For the rest of our lives
The lyrics of Birdy’s song Wings are about memories of a past relationship. The opening lines describe a moment watching the day go by with someone else, where the sunlight illuminates their skin. This moment reminds the singer of the person she’s singing about. The chorus describes the feeling of being lost and found in the moment of being with that person, with the plea to just be by their side forever, if “these wings could fly”.
The second verse continues with the theme of memories, where the singer is in a “foreign state” and her thoughts are slipping away. The line “They caught an aeroplane” could refer to both her thoughts flying away and a physical person flying away from her. The chorus repeats the same ideas of being lost and found, and the desperation to be with that person forever, with the reference to the walls that hinder them from being together. The song concludes with the repetition of the chorus.
Overall, the lyrics in Wings are poetic and emotional, conveying a sense of fond and desperate longing for a past relationship. The metaphor of wings, which is a common symbol for freedom and soaring to new heights, is utilized to express the idea of wishing to break free from the limitations of life and be with the person they love.
Interesting Facts:
1. Wings was written by Birdy when she was only 17 years old.
2. The song was released as a single in 2013 and was later included in Birdy’s 2013 album, Fire Within.
3. The official music video for Wings features the singer dancing with a group of people in a forest.
4. The song became a commercial success and peaked at number sixteen on the UK Singles Chart.
5. The song also charted in several other countries, including France, Belgium, and Switzerland.
6. Wings has been covered by various artists, including Gabby Barrett, who performed a rendition of the song on the sixteenth season of American Idol.
7. The song has been used in various TV shows, such as The Vampire Diaries and Reign.
8. The song was also used in the movie trailer for The Fault in Our Stars.
9. Birdy was inspired to write the song after hearing a quote from the novel The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak: "Every true love and friendship is a story of unexpected transformation".
Line by Line Meaning
Sunlight comes creeping in
The morning light is starting to come in through the windows
Illuminates our skin
The light is shining on our skin and it feels warm and lovely
We watch the day go by
We sit and observe as the day passes us by
Stories of all we did
We reflect on all the things we did the previous day
It made me think of you
My memories of the day brought you to my mind
Under a trillion stars
We were outdoors and there were an enormous number of stars scattered across the sky
We danced on top of cars
We climbed on top of parked cars and danced around in the moonlight
Took pictures of the stage
We captured memories of watching a live performance on our cameras
So far from where we are
We were so removed from our everyday lives that we felt free to let loose and enjoy ourselves
They made me think of you
The memories of our wild night made you come to mind
Oh, lights go down
The lights are getting dimmer, indicating that the night is winding down
In the moment we're lost and found
We are caught up in the moment and feel both a sense of being lost and a sense of being found
And I just wanna be by your side
Above all else, I want to be close to you in this moment
If these wings could fly
If only we had wings to take us away from this moment and keep us together forever
I'm in a foreign state
I feel disoriented and disconnected from my usual surroundings
My thoughts, they slip away
My mind is becoming distracted and I can't focus on any one thing
My words are leaving me
I am struggling to articulate my thoughts and emotions
They caught an aeroplane
My words are flying away from me and I can't bring them back
Because I thought of you
You are the reason my mind and words are slipping away from me
Oh, damn these walls
I feel trapped by the confines of the physical space around me
In the moment we're ten feet tall
Despite feeling trapped, we feel a sense of empowerment and possibility
And how you told me after it all
Recalling something you said to me makes me feel comforted and reassured
We'd remember tonight
We will always remember this incredible night together
For the rest of our lives
This experience will stay with us forever
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jasmine Lucilla Elisabeth Van Den Bogaerde, Ryan B. Tedder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Sunflower_that_loves_you
Sometimes to cry in your own arms, in your younger selves embrace is what you need
Same place
Same people
Same triggers
Same wounds
But a different time....
Living the future my past wanted to end .
Afterall i survived .
@DeanMoxley87
Sunlight comes creepin' in
Illuminates our skin
We watched the day go by
Stories of what we did
It made me think of you
It made me think of you
[Verse 2]
Under a trillion stars
We danced on top of cars
Took pictures of the stage
So far from where we are
They made me think of you
They made me think of you
[Chorus]
Oh, lights go down
In the moment, we're lost and found
I just wanna be by your side
If these wings could fly
For the rest of our lives
[Verse 3]
I'm in a foreign state
My thoughts, they slip away
My words are leavin' me
They caught an aeroplane
Because I thought of you
Just for the thought of you
Chorus]
Oh, lights go down
In the moment, we're lost and found
I just wanna be by your side
If these wings could fly
Oh, damn these walls
In the moment, we're ten feet tall
And how you told me after it all
We'd remember tonight
For the rest of our lives
[Interlude]
If these wings could fly
[Chorus]
Oh, lights go down
In the moment, we're lost and found
I just wanna be by your side
If these wings could fly
Oh, damn these walls
In the moment, we're ten feet tall
And how you told me after it all
We'd remember tonight
For the rest of our lives
@najiahinfinity5205
Lyrics 💙
Sunlight comes creeping in
Illuminates our skin
We watch the day go by
Stories of all we did
It made me think of you
It made me think of you
Under a trillion stars
We danced on top of cars
Took pictures of the stage
So far from where we are
They made me think of you
They made me think of you
Oh, lights go down
In the moment we're lost and found
And I just wanna be by your side
If these wings could fly
For the rest of our lives
I'm in a foreign state
My thoughts, they slip away
My words are leaving me
They caught an aeroplane
Because I thought of you
Just from the thought of you
Oh, lights go down
In the moment we're lost and found
And I just wanna be by your side
If these wings could fly
Oh, damn these walls
In the moment we're ten feet tall
And how you told me after it all
We'd remember tonight
For the rest of our lives
Ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah
If these wings could fly
Oh, lights go down
In the moment we're lost and found
And I just wanna be by your side
If these wings could fly
Oh, damn these walls
In the moment we're ten feet tall
And how you told me after it all
We'd remember tonight
For the rest of our lives
@oopdoopsoup
there's something about this song that makes me feel endless
@gyusfluffysocks
Same
@oliviaevans8994
Ester Taylor me too. i love that feeling
@whatiftherewerejust100peop8
well.. you are endless.
@laurinakuqi687
Do you guys know is this an uptempo song?
@AyeshaShafaat
*infinite
@amelie4813
She was only 16.. what a queen.
@helendarkness666
I think its 17....
@helendarkness666
@Hrt D who told you that?
@helendarkness666
@Hrt D Yes i know rn, but all i said is that she was 17 here nothing more 🙌🏻😊