Lead singer, Florence Welch, was an art-college drop-out, from Camberwell (London), who was discovered singing Motown covers in a nightclub toilet, drunk. ”The Machine” name originated with an in-joke between Welch and Summers. Musically, Florence + The Machine's sound is sometimes referred to as soul-inspired indie rock. Welch grew up listening to The White Stripes and Kate Bush and says she writes metaphorical songs that are "stories with consequences and weird morality issues."
2008
Florence + The Machine's music has received praise across the British music media, especially from the BBC, who played a large part in their rise to prominence, by bringing them into the spotlight as part of "BBC Introducing" (a program to support unsigned artists) - firstly at South By South West (SXSW) in Austin, Texas in March 2008 and later that year (Sept 2008) the band recorded a full session for the BBC at their Maida Vale studios.
2009 - 2010 - first awards and first studio album - "Lungs"
At the Brit Awards 2009, Florence + The Machine received the Critics' Choice Award at the Brits in the UK. The award was introduced in 2008 (when it was awarded to Adele) and focuses on new and emerging British talent, voted for by a panel of music industry experts.
The band's début album was "Lungs" (Jul 2009, Universal), preceded by third single Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) (Jun 2009, Moshi Moshi). "Lungs" went on to become number one in the UK album charts in January 2010, and won the MasterCard British Album award at the 2010 Brits, where they performed a hugely popular collaboration, You've Got the Dirtee Love (live at The Brit Awards 2010) with Dizzee Rascal - a mix of You've Got the Love, the Candi Staton cover from "Dog Days Are Over" (Nov 2008, IAmSound), and Dizzee’s Dirtee Cash (Sept 2009, Dirtee Stank).
2011 - second studio album - "Ceremonials"
The second album "Ceremonials" (31 Oct 2011, Island) - with which Welch was inspired for the title and some themes from a '70s Super 8 film of an art installation, she recalls: "... this big procession of kind of coquette-style hippies and all these different coloured robes and masks, and it was all to do with colour, really saturated, brightly coloured pastas and balloons. I saw it a couple years ago, and it was called 'Ceremonials' and then, like, Roman numerals after it. And the word sort of stuck with me, and I think the whole idea of performance ...". The album is also influenced by hymns, poems and church bells.
2012 - MTV Unplugged album - "MTV Unplugged"
In 2012, the band released a live album - "MTV Unplugged" (Apr 2012, Universal) - as part of the MTV Unplugged series. It was filmed in December 2011 in New York’s oldest synagogue building, Angel Orensanz Center, with the band being backed by a ten-person choir.
2015 - third studio album - "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful"
The band's long awaited third studio album is called "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful". It was released on May 29, 2015 on Island Records.
2018 - fourth studio album - "High As Hope"
The band's fourth studio album is called "High As Hope". It was released on June 29, 2018 on Republic Records.
Bird Song
Florence + the Machine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Saw what I'd done he set up a nest outside,
And he sang about what I'd become
He sang so loud, sang so clear
I was afraid all the neighbours would hear,
So I invited him in, just to reason with him
I promised I wouldn't do it again
And no I couldn't get him out
So I trapped him under a cardboard box
Stood on it to make him stop
I picked up the bird and above the din I said
That's the last song you'll ever sing
Held him down, broke his neck,
Taught him a lesson he wouldn't forget
But in my dreams began to creep
That old familiar tweet tweet tweet
I opened my mouth to scream and shout,
I waved my arms and flapped about
But I couldn't scream and I couldn't shout,
Couldn't scream and I couldn't shout
I opened my mouth to scream and shout
Waved my arms and flapped about
But I couldn't scream I couldn't shout,
The song was coming from my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
The lyrics to Florence + the Machine’s song Bird Song tell a haunting story about a bird witnessing a person’s cruel actions, and then haunting the person in their dreams as a result. The verses begin with the singer revealing she did something wrong, but didn’t tell anyone about it. The bird saw and set up a nest, singing about the singer’s actions. The singer became afraid the neighbors would hear and let the bird inside to reason with it, promising not to repeat the behavior. However, the bird continued to sing louder and louder, forcing the singer to trap it under a cardboard box and ultimately break its neck.
The chorus then introduces a dream-like state where the singer begins to hear the bird’s song in her own voice. She waves her arms and flaps about, but can’t scream or shout. The song is coming from her own mouth. This haunting experience illustrates the concept of “skeletons in the closet” and how they can come back to haunt and define us. The bird brings to light the guilt and shame felt by the singer, who ultimately cannot escape from her own wrongdoing.
Overall, the lyrics in Bird Song showcase the intense emotions and introspection present in Florence + the Machine’s music. The haunting melody combined with the powerful lyrics creates a surreal and impactful experience for listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I didn't tell anyone, but a bird flew by
I kept my secrets to myself, but a bird discovered what I had done.
Saw what I'd done he set up a nest outside,
And he sang about what I'd become
He sang so loud, sang so clear
The bird saw the effects of my actions and built a nest outside, singing a song about what I had become in a clear and powerful voice.
I was afraid all the neighbours would hear,
So I invited him in, just to reason with him
I promised I wouldn't do it again
I was worried that the neighbors would hear the bird's song, so I let him in and promised to change my ways.
But he sang louder and louder inside the house,
And no I couldn't get him out
So I trapped him under a cardboard box
Stood on it to make him stop
The bird sang even louder inside my home and I couldn't get him to leave, so I trapped him under a box and stood on it to silence him.
I picked up the bird and above the din I said
That's the last song you'll ever sing
Held him down, broke his neck,
Taught him a lesson he wouldn't forget
I grabbed the bird and told him he would never sing again. I held him down and broke his neck to teach him a lesson.
But in my dreams began to creep
That old familiar tweet tweet tweet
Even in my dreams, I hear the bird's familiar song.
I opened my mouth to scream and shout,
I waved my arms and flapped about
But I couldn't scream and I couldn't shout,
Couldn't scream and I couldn't shout
I tried to scream and flail about, but I was unable to make any noise.
I opened my mouth to scream and shout
Waved my arms and flapped about
But I couldn't scream I couldn't shout,
The song was coming from my mouth
Once again, I tried to make noise but the song I heard was actually coming from my own mouth.
From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
The song continued to come from my own mouth.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Universal Music Publishing Group, Spirit Music Group
Written by: DEVONTE HYNES, FLORENCE LEONTINE MARY WELCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind