Andrew Bird -- "The Trees Were Mistaken"

review by Joanna Clay



Finding meaning in an Andrew Bird song is sort of what it is like when I try to analyze In Rainbows. He’s one of those artists that really uses instruments and vocals in true harmony to create pieces that are uniquely beautiful and poetic. However, many contend that it is simply that- words artfully thrown together without much thought for an actual story.

Rumor has it that Andrew was commissioned by Molly Shanahan to write the piece for an interpretive dance routine. Each artist was given an inanimate object to use as inspiration thus producing some of the ambiguous lyrics.

Nonetheless, “The Trees were Mistaken” is my favorite Bird song and I would love to steal his journal and see the evolution of his writing process and how he comes up with lines like “feathers are warm in molasses.” Similar to stream of consciousness writers, his lyrics roll off the tongue in rhythmical fashion as if each song is improvisation, performed on the spot as a result of his present emotions.

If you’re interested in checking out his writing process, Bird frequently contributes to the New York Times blog Measure by Measure detailing the development of songs such as “Oh No” and “Natural Disasters.”


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Andrew Bird - The Trees Were Mistaken (mp3)