I'm like a Bird
Encyclopedia
"I'm Like a Bird" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado
, and produced by Gerald Eaton
and Brian West, as the first single
from her first album Whoa, Nelly!
. It was one of the year's critically acclaimed songs and widely considered as Furtado's signature song
. Furtado said that "I'm Like a Bird" is her favourite song: "There's a simplicity about it that I love," she explained. "It's my freedom song".
It was one of the most successful singles of 2001, reaching number one in Canada
, number two in Australia
and New Zealand
, number five in the UK
, and number nine in the United States
.
The song received critical acclaim for its freedom-themed lyric and Furtado's vocal, and became one of the most critically acclaimed songs of 2001. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year
and won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
, making Furtado the first female act to win the award for her debut single since Mariah Carey
did so ten years earlier and the last to be awarded to a Canadian artist winner in the category. It also won the Juno Award for Single of the Year
.
in the key of B♭ major. The song moves at 90 beats per minute, and Furtado's voice spans around an octave and a half, from F3 to B♭4. It is written in verse-chorus form
, with a bridge
before the second chorus
.
Furtado said of the song, "I've heard it sung at karaoke or by cover bands and it was awesome — I was like, wow, I've got one of those songs. Somebody once called it a 'hairbrush song', one that girls and guys sing in front of the mirror with their hairbrush. I just think I'm lucky I have it — it's paying the bills!"
-based music video
for "I'm Like a Bird" was directed by Francis Lawrence
. The video begins in the sky where the camera slowly pans down onto Furtado, who is lying in the grass. It then shows her singing on a tree trunk in mid-air. In the chorus she gets up and starts singing to the camera while birds are flying around her. The second verse shows her sitting in mid-air in a forest, while singing to the camera. The chorus consists of flashes of Furtado singing in mid-air, again, while leaning on the tree trunk. During the bridge she is singing to a bug while her eyes change colour. The conclusion of the video shows her falling backwards from a branch into a mosh-pit as she sings the final chorus of the song. The last shot pans out to reveal a crowd of millions.
German 2-track single
German 4-track single
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
, and produced by Gerald Eaton
Gerald Eaton
Gerald Eaton is a Canadian R&B singer-songwriter and music producer, originally from Jamaica.He is the lead singer for the R&B-pop group The Philosopher Kings, which reached its peak popularity in the 1990s...
and Brian West, as the first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from her first album Whoa, Nelly!
Whoa, Nelly!
Whoa, Nelly! was well received by critics for its eccentric, yet intriguing instrumentations as well as Furtado's vocals. It currently holds a score of 79 from Metacritic...
. It was one of the year's critically acclaimed songs and widely considered as Furtado's signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
. Furtado said that "I'm Like a Bird" is her favourite song: "There's a simplicity about it that I love," she explained. "It's my freedom song".
It was one of the most successful singles of 2001, reaching number one in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, number two in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, number five in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and number nine in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The song received critical acclaim for its freedom-themed lyric and Furtado's vocal, and became one of the most critically acclaimed songs of 2001. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year
Grammy Award for Song of the Year
The Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 and unlike the Record of the Year award, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year...
and won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance is the latest in a series of awards recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. The award goes to the artist...
, making Furtado the first female act to win the award for her debut single since Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
did so ten years earlier and the last to be awarded to a Canadian artist winner in the category. It also won the Juno Award for Single of the Year
Juno Award for Single of the Year
The Juno Award for Single of the Year has been awarded since 1974 for the best single in Canada. It has also been known as Best Single and Best Selling Single.-Best Single :...
.
Background
"I'm Like a Bird" is composed in common timeTime signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
in the key of B♭ major. The song moves at 90 beats per minute, and Furtado's voice spans around an octave and a half, from F3 to B♭4. It is written in verse-chorus form
Verse-chorus form
Verse-chorus form is a musical form common in popular music and predominant in rock since the 1960s. In contrast to AABA form, which is focused on the verse , in verse-chorus form the chorus is highlighted...
, with a bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
before the second chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
.
Furtado said of the song, "I've heard it sung at karaoke or by cover bands and it was awesome — I was like, wow, I've got one of those songs. Somebody once called it a 'hairbrush song', one that girls and guys sing in front of the mirror with their hairbrush. I just think I'm lucky I have it — it's paying the bills!"
Music video
The CGIComputer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
-based music video
Music 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...
for "I'm Like a Bird" was directed by Francis Lawrence
Francis Lawrence
Francis Lawrence is an American music video and film director.-Life and career:Lawrence was born in Vienna, Austria. His father is a physicist who taught at California State University, Northridge and his mother is V.P. Technology at a PR agency. He moved to Los Angeles at the age of three...
. The video begins in the sky where the camera slowly pans down onto Furtado, who is lying in the grass. It then shows her singing on a tree trunk in mid-air. In the chorus she gets up and starts singing to the camera while birds are flying around her. The second verse shows her sitting in mid-air in a forest, while singing to the camera. The chorus consists of flashes of Furtado singing in mid-air, again, while leaning on the tree trunk. During the bridge she is singing to a bug while her eyes change colour. The conclusion of the video shows her falling backwards from a branch into a mosh-pit as she sings the final chorus of the song. The last shot pans out to reveal a crowd of millions.
Track listing
UK CD single- "I'm Like a Bird" (LP version) – 4:02
- "Party" (Reprise) (non-LP version) – 4:53
- "My Love Grows Deeper" (non-LP version) – 4:54
- "I'm Like a Bird" (video) – 4:02
German 2-track single
- "I'm Like a Bird" (LP version) – 4:02
- "Party" (Reprise) (non-LP version) – 4:53
German 4-track single
- "I'm Like a Bird" (LP version) – 4:02
- "Party" (Reprise) (non-LP version) – 4:53
- "My Love Grows Deeper" (non-LP version) – 4:54
- "I Feel You" (featuring EstheroEstheroEsthero ,born Jenny-Bea Englishman, is a Canadian singer-songwriter who currently lives in Los Angeles, California. The name Esthero refers both to the singer and formerly to the two-person team of herself and producer Doc McKinney...
) – 4:08
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the Whoa, Nelly! album liner notes.- Nelly Furtado – songwriterSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, co-producer, lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Brian WestBrian West (musician)Brian West was the lead guitarist for the Canadian band The Philosopher Kings. His partner, Gerald Eaton began the record label Track and Field Records after they were nominated for several awards as a production duo under the name of Track and Field...
– producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, engineering, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
, recording - Gerald EatonGerald EatonGerald Eaton is a Canadian R&B singer-songwriter and music producer, originally from Jamaica.He is the lead singer for the R&B-pop group The Philosopher Kings, which reached its peak popularity in the 1990s...
– producer, programming - Russ MillerRuss MillerRuss Miller is an American session drummer.As a Multi-Platinum recording artist, he has played on multiple Grammy award winning recordings with combined sales of over 26 million copies...
– drums - Mike ElizondoMike ElizondoMichael "Mike" Elizondo is a well-known songwriter, bassist, keyboardist, and hip hop music producer.-Musical career:Mike Elizondo is especially known for his collaborations with internationally successful producer Dr. Dre and rapper Eminem. He has played the bass for many of Dr...
– bassBass (instrument)Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles... - Brad Haehnel – shaker, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, engineering, recording - Allan Molnar – vibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
, acoustic guitar, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - John Knupp – second engineering
Official versions
- "I'm Like a Bird" (Junior Vasquez Club Anthem Remix) – 10:21
- "I'm Like a Bird" (Junior Vasquez Club Anthem Padapella) – 9:12
- "I'm Like a Bird" (Junior Vasquez Earth Anthem Radio Mix) – 6:30
- "I'm Like a Bird" (Gavo's Martini Bar mix) – 6:56
- "I'm Like a Bird" (Moon mix) – 4:27
- "I'm Like a Bird" (Tara remix)
- "I'm Like a Bird" (F Man remix)
- "I'm Like a Bird" (Vadco Martini mix)
- "I'm Like a Bird" (Bubbling Reggae remix)
- "I'm Like a Bird" (Asha vs. Nelly Remix) – 5:33
- "I'm Like a Bird" (Studio Version from Get Loose Tour) – 5:51
- "I'm Like a Bird" (Radio promo) – 4:02
- "I'm Like a Bird" (LP version) – 4:04
- "I'm Like a Bird" (Acoustic version) – 4:29
- "I'm Like a Bird" (Piano version)
- "I'm Like a Bird" (Karaoke version)
- "I'm Like a Bird" (Instrumental version)
- "I'm Like a Bird" (Element 101 Cover from Punk Goes Pop)
Release history
| Country | Release date |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Canada | |
| Europe | |
| United Kingdom |
Charts
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Mainstream Top 40 | 6 |