Birds Flew Backwards

Album: Kingdom of Rust (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The Doves explained to the NME April 11, 2009: "There's a lot of intensity on this album so we wanted this to be a breather. It's just a snapshot of walking through a forest."
  • For this song, the band bought in Baluji Shrivastav to play the delruba. This is an Indian string instrument that is a cross between a sitar and a cello. Frontman Jimi Goodwin explained to The Line Of Best Fit: "I wanted an esraj which proved quite hard to sort out but the delruba is a close relative. Andy (Williams, drums) heard the demo of the song which was quite crude, quite simple and it reminded him of 'Nobody's Fault But My Own' by Beck which is off the album Mutations, which we both love. That's got that that swirling Indian string feel to it. And that got us thinking." Andy Williams added: "It seemed appropriate y'know. For a start it's got an Eastern melody and with the background vocals and that it seemed to lend itself to that instrument."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jack Tempchin - "Peaceful Easy Feeling"

Jack Tempchin - "Peaceful Easy Feeling"They're Playing My Song

When a waitress wouldn't take him home, Jack wrote what would become one of the Eagles most enduring hits.

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.

Bryan Adams

Bryan AdamsSongwriter Interviews

What's the deal with "Summer of '69"? Bryan explains what the song is really about, and shares more of his songwriting insights.

Francis Rossi of Status Quo

Francis Rossi of Status QuoSongwriter Interviews

Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"They're Playing My Song

The first of Billy's five #1 hits was the song that propelled Madonna to stardom. You'd think that would get you a backstage pass, wouldn't you?

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?