Bird Flu (song)
Encyclopedia
"Bird Flu" is an urumee melam
song recorded by the Sri Lankan Tamil songwriter M.I.A.
. It was released in 2006 and appears on her second studio album Kala
, released in 2007.
The song is lyrically autobiographical, "updated to the present day, where she's straddling the line between major-label success and her own crazy-ass major-label-bucking tendencies, singing she's too cool "to be a Rocawear model," whilst adding that she couldn't be a "rocker on a label"- they wouldn't have her because "...my beats were too evil." "Bird Flu" incorporates elements of the song "Thirvizha Na Vantha" from the Indian Tamil language film Jayam. "Bird Flu" utilises the urumee melam/gaana
music (which accompanies the dance of Dappan koothu
). Arulpragasam recorded the song using live drummers from temples in Chennai. M.I.A. wanted to work with Tamil folk music as it gave her a sense of rhythm as a child and she wanted to draw certain aspects from Indian music that Western audiences hadn’t heard before.
was produced and directed by M.I.A. and a few creative consultants. It was shown at the 2008 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
in the "Music Video Asia 2008" category. M.I.A. talked about the filming location for Bird Flu and how it had a personal connection for her:
Where we shot the ‘Bird Flu’ video...it was really close to the refugee camp where all the Sri Lankans get off the boat in India in the south, just outside Chennai
. I went to this press office from 1986 or something, and found all these pictures of the refugees and stuff. I didn’t find pictures of us but I found pictures of my dad.
Clothes were made for the "Bird Flu" project with Carri Mundane
who with M.I.A., Steve Loveridge, and Sugu Arulpragasam, moved to Tamil Nadu during the shoot. Dancers were filmed auditioning for the video, which were posted on her YouTube
account. She chose the boy featured in the video for inventing her the Bird Flu dance, saying he "can out dance anything i've ever seen."
on November 23, 2006, despite M.I.A. not considering this song to be the album's first official single. It was first mentioned in M.I.A.'s MySpace
blog on August 18, 2006. M.I.A. posted the video for this track on her MySpace on February 5, 2007.
"Bird Flu" has been remixed by Cavemen. This song is featured in the video game FIFA Street 3
and was featured in the Japanese CGI anime
film Vexille
. Kitty Empire
in The Observer
and Jody Rosen in Slate.com named it the best song of 2007, with the latter appreciating the "clobbering" urumee symphony of the song complementing the "thick, buzzy and exciting beats" of much of Kala that was likened to "a post colonial studies seminar". The folktronica
artist Patrick Wolf
and experimental
band Fuck Buttons
cited the song as a favourite with Andrew Hung of the band commenting "She's got experimental tendencies but it's really popular at the same time. It's quite admirable in that sort of way. I love it."
M.I.A. often requested fans to dance with her on stage when "Bird Flu" was played in concerts during the KALA Tour in 2007 and the People Vs. Money Tour
in 2008.
Urumee
The urumee is a double-headed hourglass-shaped drum from the state of Tamil Nadu, South India. Two skin heads are attached to a single hallow, often intricately carved wooden shell. The preferred wood is jackwood, although other wood may be used...
song recorded by the Sri Lankan Tamil songwriter M.I.A.
M.I.A. (artist)
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...
. It was released in 2006 and appears on her second studio album Kala
Kala (album)
Kala is the second studio album by British musician M.I.A., released in August 2007. The album features musical styles ranging from dance music to alternative hip hop and makes extensive use of South Asian music such as that of the urumee, a drum used in gaana music native to Tamil Nadu, India. It...
, released in 2007.
The song is lyrically autobiographical, "updated to the present day, where she's straddling the line between major-label success and her own crazy-ass major-label-bucking tendencies, singing she's too cool "to be a Rocawear model," whilst adding that she couldn't be a "rocker on a label"- they wouldn't have her because "...my beats were too evil." "Bird Flu" incorporates elements of the song "Thirvizha Na Vantha" from the Indian Tamil language film Jayam. "Bird Flu" utilises the urumee melam/gaana
Gaana
Gaana is a type of Tamil song, often accompanied by the percussion of Dappan koothu. It is characterised as a fastbeat song, with less emphasis on meaning, sung at a celebration. Initially, this was very popular with Indians from Chennai to relax while doing stressful work. It gained further...
music (which accompanies the dance of Dappan koothu
Dappan koothu
Dappan Koothu is a folk dance and music genre with an emphasis on percussion performed in Tamil Nadu, India. It has become one of several popular genres employed in film music: Tamil cinema....
). Arulpragasam recorded the song using live drummers from temples in Chennai. M.I.A. wanted to work with Tamil folk music as it gave her a sense of rhythm as a child and she wanted to draw certain aspects from Indian music that Western audiences hadn’t heard before.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was produced and directed by M.I.A. and a few creative consultants. It was shown at the 2008 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival presented every March is the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films, annually presenting approximately 130 works in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose, USA...
in the "Music Video Asia 2008" category. M.I.A. talked about the filming location for Bird Flu and how it had a personal connection for her:
Where we shot the ‘Bird Flu’ video...it was really close to the refugee camp where all the Sri Lankans get off the boat in India in the south, just outside Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
. I went to this press office from 1986 or something, and found all these pictures of the refugees and stuff. I didn’t find pictures of us but I found pictures of my dad.
Clothes were made for the "Bird Flu" project with Carri Mundane
Carri Mundane
Carri Mundane is an English fashion designer. Born as Carri Munden, she is also credited as Carri Mundane and CassettePlaya, her fashion label. She currently works and lives in London.-Career:...
who with M.I.A., Steve Loveridge, and Sugu Arulpragasam, moved to Tamil Nadu during the shoot. Dancers were filmed auditioning for the video, which were posted on her YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
account. She chose the boy featured in the video for inventing her the Bird Flu dance, saying he "can out dance anything i've ever seen."
Release and reception
It was released as a downloadable single and video on iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on November 23, 2006, despite M.I.A. not considering this song to be the album's first official single. It was first mentioned in M.I.A.'s MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
blog on August 18, 2006. M.I.A. posted the video for this track on her MySpace on February 5, 2007.
"Bird Flu" has been remixed by Cavemen. This song is featured in the video game FIFA Street 3
FIFA Street 3
FIFA Street 3 is a video game for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS. It is the third game in the FIFA Street series. Electronic Arts confirmed that a third FIFA Street game was being developed for next-generation consoles to be released in 2008. The game will be using the same engine from...
and was featured in the Japanese CGI anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
film Vexille
Vexille
is a 2007 Japanese CGI anime film, written, directed, and edited by famed Ping Pong director Fumihiko Sori, and features the voices of Meisa Kuroki, Yasuko Matsuyuki, and Shosuke Tanihara....
. Kitty Empire
Kitty Empire
Kitty Empire is the pen name of a British writer and music critic.Empire was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1970 and brought up in Canada, Italy and Egypt before arriving in Britain in 1988....
in The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
and Jody Rosen in Slate.com named it the best song of 2007, with the latter appreciating the "clobbering" urumee symphony of the song complementing the "thick, buzzy and exciting beats" of much of Kala that was likened to "a post colonial studies seminar". The folktronica
Folktronica
Folktronica or electrofolk is a genre of music comprising various elements of folk music and electronica, often featuring samplings of acoustic instruments—especially stringed instruments—and incorporating hip hop rhythms...
artist Patrick Wolf
Patrick Wolf
Patrick Wolf is an English-Irish singer-songwriter from South London. Patrick utilises a wide variety of instruments in his music, most commonly the ukulele, piano and viola...
and experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
band Fuck Buttons
Fuck Buttons
Fuck Buttons are a two-piece electronic group formed in Bristol in 2004 by Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power.-Biography:Hung and Power grew up in Worcester. Hung was influenced by Aphex Twin, while Power was a fan of Mogwai. They developed a friendship in 2004 while attending art school in...
cited the song as a favourite with Andrew Hung of the band commenting "She's got experimental tendencies but it's really popular at the same time. It's quite admirable in that sort of way. I love it."
M.I.A. often requested fans to dance with her on stage when "Bird Flu" was played in concerts during the KALA Tour in 2007 and the People Vs. Money Tour
People Vs. Money Tour
The People vs. Money Tour was a 2008 M.I.A. concert tour in support of her studio album Kala. Concerts also featured songs from her debut album Arular. It began on 26 April 2008 and ended on June 13 in Manchester, Tennessee....
in 2008.