Bird Song

Album: AIM (2016)
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Songfacts®:

  • This song is a collaboration between M.I.A and Baltimore-based DJ Blaqstarr. Other songs by the pair include the 2010 single "XXXO" and the AIM track "Go Off."
  • M.I.A.'s signature rap flow features countless references to our feathered friends rhymed over Blaqstarr's bird-call sounding beat – hence the title.
  • Diplo's remix also is included on AIM. It represented the first time the two ex-lovers had made music together since they collaborated on M.I.A.'s Kala album, including her hit single "Paper Planes."
  • According to M.I.A., the Blaqstarr version is meant to be played in a car while the Diplo version is more of a dance track.
  • Both versions of the song samples Ilaiyaraaja's bird-like singing on "Oru Kili Urugudhu" from the 1983 Tamil film Aanandha Kummi.

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