Smith's music relies heavily on digital sampling and crosses many genres, forming a combination of "glitchy hip-hop beats, buzzing synth lines, and vintage funk and soul samples.". Pretty Lights' sound is generated by manipulating samples and organic beats using the Novation X-Station, monome and the Akai MPD32. Smith uses these digital controllers to program the music production software Ableton Live 8. When performing live, Smith uses two Macbook Pros running Ableton Live 8 and two Akai MPD32s. Smith usually considers his music as "Electro Hip-Hop Soul", a mix between elements of electronic based music, and beats from hip-hop and soul music.
Pretty Lights released A Color Map of the Sun on July 2, which is Grammy nominated for the Best Dance/Electronic Album . The two-CD collection contain the 13-song album A Color Map of the Sun plus a second album, Live Studio Sessions From A Color Map of the Sun.
A Color Map of the Sun builds on the original Pretty Lights sound and style that Smith pioneered. He spent a year composing and recording music and vocals that emulated genres and time periods that spanned the last century, then pressed it to vinyl. He used that vinyl along with a custom built analog modular synth to create A Color Map of the Sun. The resulting album is analog electronica โ soulful, electro hip-hop that pays respect to musicโs immense power to touch listeners emotionally, kinetically and inspirationally.
For more information and to download all Pretty Lights albums at no cost, visit http://www.prettylightsmusic.com.
Flitting between moody downtempo and upbeat, densely layered material geared for club play, Colorado's Pretty Lights was the project of Derek Vincent Smith. Smith spent his high school years making hip-hop and ultimately dropped out of his freshman year at the University of Colorado at Boulder to focus on his music. He made his recorded debut as Pretty Lights in 2006 with the full-length Taking Up Your Precious Time, which he supported with gigs for acts including STS9, the Disco Biscuits, and Widespread Panic. From there, he kept up a busy release schedule for the rest of the 2000s, issuing the double album Filling Up the City Skies in 2008 and another full-length, Passing by Behind Your Eyes, the following year. In 2010, Pretty Lights went on an extensive North American tour, playing that year's Coachella, Ultra, Movement, and Electric Zoo festivals, among other stops. Smith continued touring into 2011 and also developed his Pretty Lights Music imprint, releasing albums by Michal Menert, Gramatik, and Eliot Lipp. In 2012, Smith appeared in the music documentary Re:GENERATION Music Project and began work on Pretty Lights' fourth album. Instead of sampling existing recordings, Smith worked with longtime drummer Adam Deitch, Soulive's Eric Krasno, the Harlem Gospel Choir, and members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Treme Brass Band to create vintage-sounding original music that he then refashioned into the Pretty Lights sound. The results were 2013's A Color Map of the Sun, which became the first Pretty Lights album to be released physically and digitally at the same time. ~ Heather Phares & Andy Kellman, Rovi
Yellow Bird
Pretty Lights Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Fly fly fly)
Won't ya stay
Yellow bird, yellow bird, yellow bird don't fly away
No, not today
The lyrics of Pretty Lights's song Yellow Bird seem to be addressing a bird that is about to fly away. The repetition of the phrase "yellow bird, yellow bird, yellow bird" is almost like a plea or a call to get the bird's attention. The use of the word "fly" is interesting because it implies that the bird has the freedom to go wherever it wants, but the singer is asking it to stay. There's a sense of admiration and respect for the bird's ability to soar through the sky, but also a desire to keep it close. The repetition of "fly away" in the chorus creates a sense of urgency, like the bird is about to leave and the singer doesn't want it to go.
The phrase "no, not today" at the end of the chorus is also significant. It seems to imply that the singer knows that eventually the bird will leave, but not today. It's almost like a promise to let the bird go when it's ready, but for now, the singer just wants it to stay. The overall tone of the song is mournful and bittersweet, with a sense of acceptance mixed with a longing to hold on to something that can't be held.
Line by Line Meaning
Yellow bird, yellow bird, yellow bird don't fly away
Oh little bird with the yellow feathers, please don't leave and fly away
(Fly fly fly)
Please don't fly away, little bird
Won't ya stay
Won't you please stay with me a little while longer
Yellow bird, yellow bird, yellow bird don't fly away
Oh little bird with the yellow feathers, please don't leave and fly away
No, not today
Please don't leave me today, little bird
Lyrics ยฉ BMG Rights Management
Written by: Derek Vincent Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Liynkx
Timeless tune. I like to think about the past on this one. Heartbreak and friends no longer around. I took my daughter to the zoo a while ago and she slept on the long ride home while I listened to this. One of those times you just realize you're creating precious memories in real time.
@BeeTheBird
Yes! Love this comment
@mhoovair89
This hits hard.
@roxannmccoy5407
@Liynkx My daughter turned me onto PL years ago...soothing to the soul
@sandra-dx6sw
Beautiful โค
@sjsharks2019
play this song at my funeral
@rosajernigan6616
Lee wells new release
@jesuschristmas4206
I got you homie
@brittanykasha4825
Best song
@chloelouw469
Same