Nightbird by Labelle

Album: Nightbirds (1974)

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Songfacts®:

This was written by Nona Hendryx, who was a member of Labelle and wrote many of their songs. She explained in I Got Thunder: Black Women Songwriters and Their Craft: "That's really about being an artist. You know, we live in the night. For many, many years I didn't leave my apartment before 4:00 p.m. I had no idea what people were doing during the morning hours. This was a life during that whole disco club period. I was a club bunny - I was a nightbird, I lived in the night. It's something about the night - maybe it's because the world is quieter. And there are no nightbirds - birds don't fly at night, but you do if you're an artist, metaphorically speaking."

Comments: 1

Jesse from Madison, WiJesus H, no comments? OK, I'll start: Can we say artistry? This takes the art of singing into space. Maybe that's why Space Children follows this tune on the album. The vocals are astounding. We speak of feeling and soul in music, and in this the cup runneth over. We want talent, emotion, dynamics, etc etc. Got an acre of land? You're gonna need it. Celine Dion one of the best? HAAA HAAAA HAAAAAAA! She ain't got s--t! La Belle simply, SIMPLY, UNADULTERATEDLY BLOWS THEM ALL AWAY! They could be the very cream of the crop, the best of the best, the creme de la creme of pop-female-soul vocal groups, and I'm a friggin' WHITE BOY!

Listen to this song! Find it and listen to it. That note, THAT NOTE, held at the end of the last verse will send shivers down your spine and maybe even bring a tear to your eye. This song is an aural massage for your inner sanctum. It IS one of the best songs ever sang by a human being (or three).

And Allan Toussaint and the Meters provided the instrumentational backup for this sensational trio of super soul divas.

I'm not one to pick "bests", I love too much music to do that, but this makes a hypocrite of me there and speaks volumes about superlatives in the world of music.

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