Bird Song
by Sean Lennon (featuring Willow Smith)

Album: Single release only (2017)

Songfacts®:

  • Sean Lennon wrote this song with his good friend Carrie Fisher. When the Star Wars actress passed away on December 27, 2016, Lennon felt he needed to record the tune as a tribute to his pal. He wrote in a note accompanying the posting of the recording on Soundcloud:

    "This is only a demo unmixed, we only had a few hours to record it. But the lyrics she wrote with me I think are marvelous. Carrie and I used to stay up til dawn chatting and pontificating about life. They were my best moments. Anyway… we wrote a song about staying up too late and hearing the birds sing."
  • The song features vocals from Willow Smith, who Lennon called "a prodigal angel [who] was generous enough to lend her golden voice to this little tune."

    Although this represents the pair's first collaboration, Willow previously shared a cover of Lennon's song "Parachute" in a December 2016 YouTube video.
  • The daughter of Singin' in the Rain actress Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher has several other connections to the music world.

    She was married to Paul Simon for a time and was the subject of some of the songs on his 1983 Hearts and Bones album, including the title track.

    James Blunt lodged with Carrie Fisher while recording his best-selling Back to Bedlam album. He recorded "Goodbye My Lover" in the actress' bathroom.

    At the end of Stephen Bishop's "Dream Girl", he sings "Carrie baby," inspired by his crush on Carrie Fisher.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Roger McGuinn of The Byrds

Roger McGuinn of The ByrdsSongwriter Interviews

Roger reveals the songwriting formula Clive Davis told him, and if "Eight Miles High" is really about drugs.

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.

Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Wainwright IIISongwriter Interviews

"Dead Skunk" became a stinker for Loudon when he felt pressure to make another hit - his latest songs deal with mortality, his son Rufus, and picking up poop.

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.