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I'm Like a Bird
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = I'm Like a Bird
| cover = Nelly Furtado - I'm Like a Bird.jpg
| alt =
| caption = One variant of the standard artwork
| type = single
| artist = Nelly Furtado
| album = Whoa, Nelly!
| released =
| recorded =
| studio =
* The Gymnasium (Toronto, Canada)
* Can-Am Recorders (Tarzana, Los Angeles)
| genre = Folk-pop
| length = 4:03
| label = DreamWorks
| writer = Nelly Furtado
| producer =
* Gerald Eaton
* Brian West
* Nelly Furtado
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Turn Off the Light
| next_year = 2001
| misc =
}}
"'I'm Like a Bird'" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado. It was written by Furtado and produced by Gerald Eaton and Brian West for her debut studio album, 'Whoa, Nelly!' (2000). Released as the album's first single, it became one of the most successful singles of 2001, peaking at number one in Portugal, number two in Australia and New Zealand, number five in the United Kingdom, and number nine in the United States. It was the eighth-most-played song on Canadian radio in 2001.
In 2002, "I'm Like a Bird" 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 in the category. It also won the Juno Award for Single of the Year in 2001. 'Select' 2001 'from the drop-down list near the top of the page'.
Composition
"I'm Like a Bird" is composed common time in the key of B major.Sheet music for "I'm Like a Bird". Nelstar Publishing. 2001. The song moves at 90 beats per minute, and Furtado's voice spans around two octaves, from F3 to F5. It is written in verse-chorus form, with a bridge before the third chorus.
Furtado's response
In 2006, 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!".de Silverio, Victoria. [http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=1968 "Nelly Furtado: Free As A Bird"] . 'Blender'. July 2006. Retrieved September 18, 2006.
Music video
The music video for "I'm Like a Bird" was directed by Francis Lawrence, and features heavy use of CGI.[http://www.methodstudios.com/project/243.html Method Studios - Nelly Furtado "I'm Like a Bird"] 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, which changes the bug's color accordingly. The conclusion of the video shows her falling backwards from a branch into a crowd as she sings the final chorus of the song. The last shot pans out to reveal a crowd of tens of thousands.
There was an edited version of the music video for European VH1, where some scenes were changed.
Track listings
Credits and personnel
Credits are adapted from the 'Whoa, Nelly!' album booklet.
'Studios'
* Recorded and engineered at The Gymnasium (Toronto, Canada) and Can-Am Recorders (Tarzana, Los Angeles)
* Mixed at Can-Am Recorders (Tarzana, Los Angeles)
* Mastered at Classic Sound (New York City)
'Personnel'
* Nelly Furtado writing, lead vocals, background vocals, production
* Gerald Eaton micro-synth guitar, programming, production
* Mike Elizondo bass guitar
* Russ Miller drums
* Allan Molnar vibraphone
* Brian West production, programming, recording, engineering
* Brad Haehnel pepper shaker, mixing, recording, engineering
* John Knupp second engineering
* Scott Hull mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"|+Year-end chart performance for "I'm Like a Bird"
!scope="col"|Chart (2001)
!scope="col"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia (ARIA)
|7
|-
!scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)
|88
|-
!scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)
|77
|-
!scope="row"|Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)
|147
|-
!scope="row"|Canada Radio (Nielsen BDS)
|8
|-
!scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)
|57
|-
!scope="row"|France (SNEP)
|92
|-
!scope="row"|Ireland (IRMA)
|29
|-
!scope="row"|Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)
|25
|-
!scope="row"|Netherlands (Single Top 100)
|49
|-
!scope="row"|New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)
|8
|-
!scope="row"|Romania (Romanian Top 100)
|61
|-
!scope="row"|Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)
|72
|-
!scope="row"|Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)
|86
|-
!scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)
|31
|-
!scope="row"|US 'Billboard' Hot 100
|43
|}
Certifications
Release history
Notes
References
Category:1999 songs
Category:2000 debut singles
Category:2001 singles
Category:DreamWorks Records singles
Category:Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Category:Juno Award for Single of the Year singles
Category:Music videos directed by Francis Lawrence
Category:Nelly Furtado songs
Category:Number-one singles in Portugal
Category:Songs about birds
Category:Songs written by Nelly Furtado
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