Mocking Bird

Album: Once Again (1971)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This John Lees composition first saw the light of day as long ago as 1968. In an interview with this website, Keith Damone (official biographer of the band with his wife Monika) said Lees wrote "Mocking Bird" while he was living with the parents of his future wife, Olwen. The song is based on a musical phrase from "Pools Of Blue," which he wrote around the same time.
  • Lees recorded a demo on a tape recorder borrowed from Olwen, and it rapidly became a live favourite, although it wasn't recorded until 1970, augmented by an orchestral arrangement by Robert Godfrey, which unfortunately would result in litigation lasting years and costing the band a small fortune.

    The single was released in the UK on the Harvest label, March 3, 1971, backed by "Vanessa Simmons." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")Song Writing

Nick made some of the biggest videos on MTV, including "The Final Countdown," "Heaven" and "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)."

Mike Love of The Beach Boys

Mike Love of The Beach BoysSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist of The Beach Boys talks about coming up with the words for "Good Vibrations," "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Kokomo" and other classic songs.

Tim McIlrath of Rise Against

Tim McIlrath of Rise AgainstSongwriter Interviews

Rise Against frontman Tim McIlrath explains the meanings behind some of their biggest songs and names the sci-fi books that have influenced him.

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Randy Newman

Randy NewmanSongwriting Legends

Newman makes it look easy these days, but in this 1974 interview, he reveals the paranoia and pressures that made him yearn for his old 9-5 job.

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."