Songfacts®:

• Birds of Tokyo is a five-piece rock band from Perth, Western Australia comprising vocalist Ian Kenny, guitarist Adam Spark, drummer Adam Weston, keyboardist Glenn Sarangapany and bassist Ian Berney. This stadium rock hymnal was their first Top 10 single Down Under, peaking at #3 on the Australian singles chart. It earned the honor of 2013's most-played song on Australian commercial radio receiving 17,400 spins in total.
• Speaking with Focus magazine, Ian Berney described this as "a journey song." He explained: "It's the universal story of man acknowledging the point in his life where he's outgrown the world he lives in. It's about forcing oneself to leave the nest, to find new challenges and to grow as individuals. The story reaches an epiphany that whilst we may feel alone when we choose to leave our comfort zones, these greater souls are unified in the quest for new beginnings. 'On we march 'til we meet the dawn, we will light our way with our lanterns on.'"
• The band took their name from an article they'd read about the absence of birds in Tokyo because of pollution and overcrowding. "We thought that was interesting, no birds in Tokyo - we thought, we'll be the birds of Tokyo," said Spark.