I Get No Joy

Album: Jade Bird (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Jade Bird sings on this fast-paced song about not being able to crack a smile and enjoy life. Instead, the singer finds herself stuck in a constant stream of overthinking everything around her.

    Bird recalled to Girls Are Awesome that she'd been playing on some rocks with her guitarist and bassist, then she walked down the hill into the barn where she wrote many of the songs for her debut album. "I feel like it was my subconscious talking," she explained. "Numb was a new feeling to me in 2018, I was a little overstimulated by all the good change – which is strange, but it happens!"
  • The video was directed by Jamie Thraves, whose clip for Coldplay's "The Scientist" won three Moon Men at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. It shows Bird getting bashed up as she drives (and crashes) a battered vintage Trans Am around a muddy demolition track.

    Bird explained that Thraves handed her the treatment and they filmed it on a rainy day in Los Angeles. The singer added: "I wanted it to keep coming back around to nod to the mundanity 'military march' I mention in the song."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Superman in Song

Superman in SongSong Writing

Not everyone can be a superhero, but that hasn't stopped generations of musicians from trying to be Superman.

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.