Bird on the Wire
Encyclopedia
"Bird on the Wire" is one of Leonard Cohen
's signature song
s. It was recorded 26 September 1968 in Nashville
and included on his 1969 album Songs from a Room
. A May 1968 recording produced by David Crosby
, entitled "Like a Bird", was added to the 2007 remaster
ed CD. Judy Collins
was the first to release the song on her 1968 album Who Knows Where the Time Goes
.
In the 1960s, Cohen lived on the Greek island Hydra
with his girlfriend Marianne (the woman depicted on Songs from a Rooms back cover). She has related how she helped him out of a depression
by handing him his guitar, whereupon he began composing "Bird on the Wire" – inspired by a bird sitting on one of Hydra's recently installed phone wires, followed by memories of wet island nights. He finished it in a Hollywood motel.
Cohen has described "Bird on the Wire" as a simple country
song, and the first recording, by Judy Collins, was indeed done in a country setting. He later made various minor changes, such as the modifications present on Cohen Live
. Different renditions are included on all of his live albums. On occasion he also performed Serge Lama
's French version, "Vivre tout seul", in concert.
In the sleevenotes to a 2007 release of Songs From A Room the song was described as "simultaneously a prayer and an anthem, a kind of bohemian
My Way
. Kris Kristofferson
once told Cohen that he wanted the song's opening lines (Like a bird on the wire/like a drunk in a midnight choir/I have tried in my way to be free) to serve as his epitaph."
), including:
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
's signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
s. It was recorded 26 September 1968 in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and included on his 1969 album Songs from a Room
Songs from a Room
Songs from a Room is the second album of Canadian musician Leonard Cohen, released in 1969. It reached #63 on the Billboard list and #2 at UK charts....
. A May 1968 recording produced by David Crosby
David Crosby
David Van Cortlandt Crosby is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash , and CPR...
, entitled "Like a Bird", was added to the 2007 remaster
Remaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ed CD. Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
was the first to release the song on her 1968 album Who Knows Where the Time Goes
Who Knows Where the Time Goes (Judy Collins album)
Who Knows Where the Time Goes is a 1968 album by Judy Collins. It peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts.Produced by David Anderle with numerous well-known musicians including Stephen Stills, the album had a rock-country-arthouse feel, typically eclectic for Collins, and included...
.
In the 1960s, Cohen lived on the Greek island Hydra
Hydra, Saronic Islands
Hydra is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece, located in the Aegean Sea between the Saronic Gulf and the Argolic Gulf. It is separated from the Peloponnese by narrow strip of water...
with his girlfriend Marianne (the woman depicted on Songs from a Rooms back cover). She has related how she helped him out of a depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
by handing him his guitar, whereupon he began composing "Bird on the Wire" – inspired by a bird sitting on one of Hydra's recently installed phone wires, followed by memories of wet island nights. He finished it in a Hollywood motel.
Cohen has described "Bird on the Wire" as a simple country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
song, and the first recording, by Judy Collins, was indeed done in a country setting. He later made various minor changes, such as the modifications present on Cohen Live
Cohen Live
Cohen Live is a live album by Leonard Cohen released in 1994.The songs were recorded live in 1988 and 1993. Several of the songs have altered lyrics, which are given as sung in the booklet.-Track listing:...
. Different renditions are included on all of his live albums. On occasion he also performed Serge Lama
Serge Lama
Serge Lama is a French singer. He was born in Bordeaux.His most famous song is Je suis malade. In 1971 he represented France in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Un jardin sur la terre, which was placed tenth.-Discography:...
's French version, "Vivre tout seul", in concert.
In the sleevenotes to a 2007 release of Songs From A Room the song was described as "simultaneously a prayer and an anthem, a kind of bohemian
Bohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
My Way
My Way (song)
"My Way" is a song popularized by Frank Sinatra. Its lyrics were written by Paul Anka and set to music based on the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed in 1967 by Claude François and Jacques Revaux, with lyrics by Claude François and Gilles Thibault. Anka's English lyrics are unrelated to the...
. Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
once told Cohen that he wanted the song's opening lines (Like a bird on the wire/like a drunk in a midnight choir/I have tried in my way to be free) to serve as his epitaph."
Cover versions
Several artists have covered the song, often as "Bird on a Wire" (indeed, this variation appears in the compilation The Essential Leonard CohenThe Essential Leonard Cohen
The Essential Leonard Cohen is a career-spanning collection of Leonard Cohen songs released in 2002. It is part of Sony BMG's The Essential series....
), including:
- Joe CockerJoe CockerJohn Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
on Joe Cocker!Joe Cocker!Joe Cocker! is a 1969 album by Joe Cocker, his second.-Track listing:# "Dear Landlord" – 3:23# "Bird on the Wire" – 4:30# "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" – 2:15...
(1969) and the live album Mad Dogs & EnglishmenMad Dogs and Englishmen (album)Mad Dogs and Englishmen is Joe Cocker's 1970 live album, featuring a fusion of rock and soul. The album title is drawn from the 1931 Noël Coward song of the same name. Mostly Cocker's album is made up of covers, drawing equally from rock and soul...
(1970) - Jackie DeShannonJackie DeShannonJackie DeShannon is an American singer-songwriter with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards. She was one of the first female singer-songwriters of the rock 'n' roll period.- Life and early career :...
on the album To Be Free (1970) - Dave Van RonkDave Van RonkDave Van Ronk was an American folk singer, born in Brooklyn, New York, who settled in Greenwich Village, New York, and was eventually nicknamed the "Mayor of MacDougal Street" ....
on Van RonkVan Ronk-History:Van Ronk features some of his most elaborate recordings with many backing musicians. It includes English language versions of songs by non-English speaking composers ....
(1971) - Tim HardinTim HardinJames Timothy "Tim" Hardin was an American folk musician and composer. He wrote the Top 40 hits "If I Were a Carpenter", covered by, among others, Joan Baez, Bobby Darin, Johnny Cash, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, and Robert Plant, and "Reason to Believe", covered by many, including Rod Stewart, as well...
on the album Bird on a Wire (1971) - Pearls Before SwinePearls Before Swine (band)Pearls Before Swine was an American psychedelic folk band formed by Tom Rapp in 1965 in Eau Gallie, now part of Melbourne, Florida. They released six albums between 1967 and 1971, before Rapp launched a solo career.-Early years, 1965-68:...
on the album Beautiful Lies You Could Live InBeautiful Lies You Could Live In... Beautiful Lies You Could Live In was the sixth album credited to American psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine, and their fourth on Reprise Records. It was released in 1971....
(1971) - Rita CoolidgeRita CoolidgeRita Coolidge is a multiple Grammy Award-winning American vocalist. During the 1970s and 1980s, she charted hits on Billboard's Pop, Country, Adult Contemporary and Jazz charts.-Career:...
on the album The Lady's Not for Sale (1972) - Fairport ConventionFairport ConventionFairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
on the album Heyday: the BBC Radio Sessions, 1968–1969Heyday (Fairport Convention album)Heyday: the BBC Radio Sessions 1968–69 is an album by English folk rock band Fairport Convention first released in 1987. As its title suggests, it consists of live versions of songs recorded for John Peel's Top Gear radio programmes.-Side one:...
(1987) - Jennifer WarnesJennifer WarnesJennifer Jean Warnes is an American singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer. She is known for her interpretations of compositions written by herself and many others, as well as an extensive playlist as a vocalist on movie soundtracks.Between 1979 and 1987 Warnes surpassed Frank Sinatra as...
on the tribute album Famous Blue RaincoatFamous Blue Raincoat (album)Famous Blue Raincoat is the sixth album by Jennifer Warnes. It debuted on the Billboard 200 on February 14, 1987 and peaked at No. 72. Originally released by Cypress Records, it was reissued by Private Music after Cypress went out of business....
(1987) - Tom Cochrane and Red RiderRed RiderRed Rider are a Canadian rock band popular in the 1980s. While the band achieved great success in Canada, in the US, the band never had a song in the Top 40....
on The Symphony Sessions (1989) - The Neville BrothersThe Neville BrothersThe Neville Brothers, an American R&B and soul group, was formed in 1977 in New Orleans, Louisiana.-History:The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art , Charles , Aaron , and Cyril The Neville Brothers, an American R&B and soul group, was formed in 1977 in...
on the album Brother's Keeper (1990), also included in the movie by the same name - The Lilac TimeThe Lilac TimeThe Lilac Time is a British alternative rock band that was originally formed in Herefordshire, England by Stephen Duffy, his brother Nick Duffy and their friend Michael Weston in 1986. The band's name was taken from a line in the Nick Drake song "River Man."...
on the tribute album I'm Your FanI'm Your FanI'm Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen is a tribute album to Leonard Cohen, released in 1991, produced by the French music magazine Les Inrockuptibles. The album features Cohen's songs interpreted by some of the most respected rock acts of the time...
(1991) - The BobsThe BobsThe Bobs were dubbed the first new wave a cappella group in history when they were founded in San Francisco, California in the early 1980s. Now based in Seattle, Washington, this genre-bending, eccentric vocal group has maintained a healthy cult following in the U.S...
on the album Cover the Songs of … (1994), in a skate-punk style - Johnny CashJohnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
on the album American RecordingsAmerican Recordings (album)American Recordings is a Grammy Award-winning album by the country singer Johnny Cash. It was released in April 1994 , the first album issued by American Recordings after its name change from Def American...
(1994), and also live with orchestra (released on the 2003 compilation Unearthed) - Willie NelsonWillie NelsonWillie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
on the tribute album Tower of SongTower of SongTower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen is a tribute album to Leonard Cohen, released in 1995 on A&M Records. It takes its name of a song by Cohen, that has been covered by Marianne Faithfull, Robert Forster, Peter Gabriel, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Martha Wainwright...
(1995) - Stina NordenstamStina NordenstamStina Nordenstam is a singer, songwriter and musician.-Career:Nordenstam's voice led to early comparisons with artists such as Rickie Lee Jones and Björk. Her early albums, Memories of a Colour and And She Closed Her Eyes were jazz-influenced with elements of alternative rock...
on the album People Are StrangePeople Are Strange (album)People Are Strange is an album by Swedish singer-songwriter Stina Nordenstam. A collection of covers, the album was released in 1998.The album includes two Leonard Cohen songs and two songs recorded by Rod Stewart...
(1998) - k.d. langK.D. LangKathryn Dawn Lang, OC , known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress...
on the album Hymns of the 49th ParallelHymns of the 49th ParallelHymns of the 49th Parallel is the ninth studio album by Canadian singer and songwriter k.d. lang, released in 2004. It is an album of songs by Lang's favourite Canadian songwriters, and includes remake version of her original composition initially appeared on 2000 album Invincible Summer.-Title:The...
(2004) - autorickshaw on the album So the Journey Goes (2007)
- Perla BatallaPerla BatallaPerla Batalla is a Mexican-American singer-songwriter.Grammy nominated vocalist, composer, and arranger Perla Batalla was born in Los Angeles, CA. Her father was a musician and record store owner. She first gained international attention as a backup singer for Leonard Cohen who later encouraged...
on the album Bird on the Wire: the Songs of Leonard Cohen (2005) - Eva DahlgrenEva DahlgrenEva Dahlgren is a Swedish pop musician, born 9 June 1960 in Umeå, Sweden.Dahlgren was discovered by musician/producer Bruno Glenmark in 1978 after appearing on the TV show "Sveriges magasin" and her debut album Finns det nån som bryr sej om was released the same year...
on the tribute album Cohen – the Scandinavian Report (2009) - Joe BonamassaJoe BonamassaJoe Bonamassa is an American blues rock guitarist and singer.-Early life:Bonamassa was born and raised in New Hartford, United States. His parents owned and ran a guitar shop. He is a fourth-generation musician...
on the album Black Rock (2010) - Kiko VenenoKiko VenenoJosé María López Sanfeliu born in Figueres, Girona is a Spanish musician better known by his stage name Kiko Veneno-Biography:...
on the album Dice la Gente (2010), adapted to spanish - Katey SagalKatey SagalCatherine Louise "Katey" Sagal is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first achieved widespread fame as Peggy Bundy on the long-running Fox comedy series Married.....
on the television program Sons of AnarchySons of AnarchySons of Anarchy is an American television drama series created by Kurt Sutter about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in Northern California...
in Season 3 Episode 4 (2011)
In popular culture
- The Norwegian band Midnight ChoirMidnight ChoirMidnight Choir was a Norwegian indie/alternative rock band active from 1992 to 2004. Its members were Al DeLoner , Paal Flaata, and Ron Olsen...
had its name from the song's opening lines, "Like a bird on the wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir, I have tried in my way to be free." - Kris KristoffersonKris KristoffersonKristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
has stated that those opening lines will be his epitaphEpitaphAn epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial...
. - It was featured in a promo for an episode of the TV series LostLost (TV series)Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
. - A cover version of the song sung by Katey SagalKatey SagalCatherine Louise "Katey" Sagal is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first achieved widespread fame as Peggy Bundy on the long-running Fox comedy series Married.....
was featured in a closing segment of an episode, during the third season, of the TV series Sons of AnarchySons of AnarchySons of Anarchy is an American television drama series created by Kurt Sutter about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in Northern California...
. - It was also featured in the TV Series ParenthoodParenthood (2010 TV series)Parenthood is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Jason Katims and produced by Imagine Television and Universal Media Studios. The first season premiered on March 2, 2010 on NBC...
. - Nigel Blackwell of the UK band Half Man Half BiscuitHalf Man Half BiscuitHalf Man Half Biscuit, often "HMHB", are an English rock band from Birkenhead, Merseyside, active since the mid-1980s, known for satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs. The group comprises Nigel Blackwell , Neil Crossley , Ken Hancock , and Carl Henry...
occasionally sings the opening lines of the song during live versions of his band's song '24 Hour Garage People', after mentioning being able to hear the songs playing on Graeme the shop assistant's iPod. - A cover is featured in the concluding scenes of director Robert Altman's 1978 film A WeddingA WeddingA Wedding is a 1978 black comedy film directed by Robert Altman, starring Carol Burnett, Lillian Gish, Geraldine Chaplin, Vittorio Gassman, Mia Farrow, Lauren Hutton, Craig Richard Nelson, Pam Dawber, Desi Arnaz, Jr., Paul Dooley, Dennis Christopher, and Howard Duff...
.