Little Bird (Annie Lennox song)

"Little Bird" is a song composed and recorded by the Scottish singer-songwriter Annie Lennox. Taken from her debut solo album, Diva (1992), it was released in 1993 as a double A-side with "Love Song for a Vampire" (which appeared on the soundtrack for the Francis Ford Coppola film Bram Stoker's Dracula) in Ireland, the United Kingdom and various other European countries. In other territories, "Little Bird" was released alone.

"Little Bird"
Single by Annie Lennox
from the album Diva
A-side"Love Song for a Vampire"
ReleasedFebruary 1993
Genre
Length
  • 4:48 (album version)
  • 4:32 (edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)Annie Lennox
Producer(s)Stephen Lipson
Annie Lennox singles chronology
"Cold"
(1992)		 "Little Bird" / "Love Song for a Vampire"
(1993)		 "No More I Love You's"
(1995)
Music video
"Little Bird on YouTube

Lennox performed "Little Bird" during the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in London on 12 Aug 2012. A live version was played in the end credits to The Sopranos episode "Eloise". The song was also featured in the film Striptease. The video for "Little Bird" does not appear on the video album for Diva but is heard instrumentally over the end credits.

Critical reception

In their review, Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet noted that the song is "based on a vibrant sight loop not quite unlike many old Eurythmics songs".[1] Larry Flick from Billboard described it as "a synth-driven thumper that harks back to her early Eurythmics tenure. Icy cool instrumentation is contrasted by a passionate vocal and an elastic bass line." He also called it "adventurous".[2] Randy Clark from Cashbox said it's a "beat-laden, pop/rock ditty". He added, "Although slightly less artsy musically than the first two singles, "Little Bird" has wings of its own."[3] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report commented that Lennox' "hit streak is about to carryover into 1993 on the wings of a sensitively written and brilliantly produced song that expresses what many people feel from time to time. All that, and it's uptempo!"[4] In their review of Lennox' 2009 Greatest Hits collection, HuffPost said that in the song, "Lennox observes the creature's freedom as it glides across the sky. Though the song starts out with self-doubt, she concludes, "...this little bird's fallen out of that nest now...so I've just got to put these wings to test", and both she and the collection soar from that point on."[5] Kjell Moe from Norwegian newspaper Nordlys described it as "suggestive".[6] Pop Rescue noted that it "has a wonderful electro-pop feel to it – the beat and swirling synth helps the song grow wonderfully as Annie sings over the top." They added that "the beat builds as Annie's vocals get stronger and she's soon joined by guitars in the chorus."[7] In his review of Diva, Alec Foege from Spin stated that "Little Bird" "is the album's finest track. Its call-and-response woo-woos exude genuine confidence, cleverness, and craft."[8]

Chart performance

"Little Bird" / "Love Song for a Vampire" was successful on the charts on several continents, peaking at number-one on both the RPM Dance/Urban Chart in Canada and the Billboard Dance Club Songs in the United States. In Europe, it managed to climb into the Top 10 in Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom, as well as on the European Hot 100 Singles, where it hit number 5. In the UK, the single peaked at number 3 in its first week at the UK Singles Chart, on 7 February 1993.[9] Additionally, it was a Top 30 hit in Germany and Iceland, and a Top 40 hit in Switzerland. In the United States, "Little Bird" peaked at number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100, while in Canada, it went to number 7 on the RPM Singles Chart. It earned a silver record in the UK, after 200,000 singles were sold. In 2012, after Lennox performed the song during the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, it charted as a solo single for the first time, reaching number 96 on the UK Singles Chart.

Music video

The music video was directed by Sophie Muller and features eight Lennox lookalikes dressed as the many different personas that Lennox has used in her videos (both solo and as part of Eurythmics) over the past decade, with Lennox herself in a Cabaret-esque setting acting as ringmaster. Gradually the personas begin to squabble for the spotlight, pushing aside one another and Lennox herself as she fights to maintain control.

The music videos referenced by the personas include:

Lennox was in late stages of pregnancy with her second daughter Tali during the filming of the video. The "ringmaster" persona, played by Lennox, wears a black dress designed to give the illusion of being close-fitting, with a fully sequinned front and a flowing matte back panel that together partially conceal her baby bump. The video was uploaded to YouTube in October 2009. By September 2020, it had more than 6.9 million views.[10]

Track listing

All tracks were written by Annie Lennox unless otherwise noted.

CD – Arista (US)

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Little Bird" (Edit) 4:32
2."Love Song for a Vampire" (from Bram Stoker's Dracula) 4:16
3."Why" 5:04
4."The Gift"Lennox/Buchanan, Bell, Moore4:36*
5."You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart"Lennox/Stewart4:06*

CD – BMG (UK)

No.TitleLength
1."Little Bird"4:39
2."Love Song for a Vampire" (from Bram Stoker's Dracula)4:17
3."Little Bird" (Utah Saints Version)6:35
4."Little Bird" (N-Joi Version)4:46

12" – Arista (US)

No.TitleLength
1."Little Bird" (House of Gypsies Version)6:59
2."Little Bird" (House of Gypsies Radio Version)4:18
3."Little Bird" (House of Annie Version)4:19
4."Little Bird" (Single Version)4:32
5."Little Bird" (Utah Saints Version)6:38
6."Little Bird" (N-Joi Version)4:52

Charts

See also

References
  1. Aftonbladet. 3 April 1992.
  2. Flick, Larry (19 December 1992). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 71. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  3. Clark, Randy (26 December 1992). "Music Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Cashbox. p. 7. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  4. Sholin, Dave (11 December 1992). "Gavin Picks > Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. No. 1935. p. 48. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  5. "HuffPost Reviews : The Annie Lennox Collection". HuffPost. 27 March 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  6. Moe, Kjell (10 April 1992). "På egen hånd". Nordlys (in Norwegian). p. 31. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  7. "REVIEW: "DIVA" BY ANNIE LENNOX (CD, 1992)". Pop Rescue. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  8. Foege, Alec (July 1992). "SPINS". Spin. p. 75. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  9. "Official Singles Chart Top 75 07 February 1993 – 13 February 1993". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  10. "Annie Lennox - Little Bird (Official Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  11. "Australian-charts.com – Annie Lennox – Little Bird". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  12. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 100235." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  13. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 1709." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  14. "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Annie Lennox – Little Bird". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  16. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (02.04.1993 – 08.04.1993)" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir - Tónlist. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  17. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Little Bird / Love Song for a Vampire". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  18. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 19. 8 May 1993. p. 24. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  19. "Charts.nz – Annie Lennox – Little Bird". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  20. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 11. 13 March 1993. p. 24. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  21. "Swisscharts.com – Annie Lennox – Little Bird / Love Song for a Vampire". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  22. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  23. "Annie Lennox: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  24. "Annie Lennox Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  25. "Annie Lennox Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  26. "Annie Lennox Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  27. "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1993". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  28. "The RPM Top 50 Dance Tracks of 1993". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  29. "1993 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 51/52. 18 December 1993. p. 15. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  30. "Top 100 Singles 1993". Music Week. 15 January 1994. p. 24.
  31. "British single certifications – Annie Lennox – Little Bird / Song for a Vampire". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
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