Birds Flew Backwards

Album: Kingdom of Rust (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The Doves explained to the NME April 11, 2009: "There's a lot of intensity on this album so we wanted this to be a breather. It's just a snapshot of walking through a forest."
  • For this song, the band bought in Baluji Shrivastav to play the delruba. This is an Indian string instrument that is a cross between a sitar and a cello. Frontman Jimi Goodwin explained to The Line Of Best Fit: "I wanted an esraj which proved quite hard to sort out but the delruba is a close relative. Andy (Williams, drums) heard the demo of the song which was quite crude, quite simple and it reminded him of 'Nobody's Fault But My Own' by Beck which is off the album Mutations, which we both love. That's got that that swirling Indian string feel to it. And that got us thinking." Andy Williams added: "It seemed appropriate y'know. For a start it's got an Eastern melody and with the background vocals and that it seemed to lend itself to that instrument."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Which Songs are About Drugs?

Which Songs are About Drugs?Fact or Fiction

"25 or 6 to 4" to "Semi-Charmed Life" - see if you can spot the songs that are really about drugs.

Dwight Twilley

Dwight TwilleySongwriter Interviews

Since his debut single "I'm On Fire" in 1975, Dwight has been providing Spinal-Tap moments and misadventure.

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

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.

John Lee Hooker

John Lee HookerSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for Bruce Pollock's 1984 conversation with the esteemed bluesman. Hooker talks about transforming a Tony Bennett classic and why you don't have to be sad and lonely to write the blues.

Song Cities

Song CitiesMusic Quiz

Nirvana, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen are among those who wrote songs with cities that show up in this quiz.