I'm Like a Bird

"I'm Like a Bird" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado. It was written by Furtado and produced by Gerald Eaton and Brian West for her debut studio album, Whoa, Nelly! (2000). Released as the album's first single on September 25, 2000, it became a worldwide hit the following year, peaking at number one in Portugal, number two in Australia and New Zealand, number five in the United Kingdom, and number nine in the United States. It was the eighth-most-played song on Canadian radio in 2001.

"I'm Like a Bird"
One variant of the standard artwork
Single by Nelly Furtado
from the album Whoa, Nelly!
ReleasedSeptember 25, 2000 (2000-09-25)
Studio
GenreFolk-pop[1]
Length4:03
LabelDreamWorks
Songwriter(s)Nelly Furtado
Producer(s)
Nelly Furtado singles chronology
"I'm Like a Bird"
(2000)		 "Turn Off the Light"
(2001)
Music video
"I'm Like a Bird" on YouTube

In 2002, "I'm Like a Bird" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year[2] and won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.[3] It also won the Juno Award for Single of the Year in 2001.[4]

Composition

"I'm Like a Bird" is composed common time in the key of B♭ major.[5] The song moves at 90 beats per minute, and Furtado's voice spans around two octaves, from F3 to F5.[5] It is written in verse-chorus form, with a bridge before the third chorus.[5]

Furtado's response

In 2006, Furtado said of the song, "I've heard it sung at karaoke or by cover bands and it was awesome — I was like, wow, I've got one of those songs. Somebody once called it a 'hairbrush song', one that girls and guys sing in front of the mirror with their hairbrush. I just think I'm lucky I have it — it's paying the bills!".[6]

Music video

The music video for "I'm Like a Bird" was directed by Francis Lawrence, and features heavy use of CGI.[7] The video begins in the sky where the camera slowly pans down onto Furtado, who is lying in the grass. It then shows her singing on a tree trunk in mid-air. In the chorus she gets up and starts singing to the camera while birds are flying around her. The second verse shows her sitting in mid-air in a forest, while singing to the camera. The chorus consists of flashes of Furtado singing in mid-air, again, while leaning on the tree trunk. During the bridge she is singing to a bug while her eyes change colour, which changes the bug's color accordingly. The conclusion of the video shows her falling backwards from a branch into a crowd as she sings the final chorus of the song. The last shot pans out to reveal a crowd of tens of thousands.

There was an edited version of the music video for European VH1, where some scenes were changed.

Track listings
Canadian and European CD single, UK cassette single[8][9]
No.TitleLength
1."I'm Like a Bird" (LP version)4:03
2."Party (Reprise)" (non-LP version)4:55
UK CD single[10]
No.TitleLength
1."I'm Like a Bird" (LP version)4:02
2."Party (Reprise)" (non-LP version)4:53
3."My Love Grows Deeper" (non-LP version)4:54
4."I'm Like a Bird" (CD-ROM video) 
European maxi-CD single and Australasian CD single[11]
No.TitleLength
1."I'm Like a Bird" (LP version) 
2."Party (Reprise)" (non-LP version) 
3."I Feel You" (featuring Esthero) 
4."My Love Grows Deeper" (non-LP version) 

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the Whoa, Nelly! album booklet.[12]

Studios

  • Recorded and engineered at The Gymnasium (Toronto, Canada) and Can-Am Recorders (Tarzana, Los Angeles)
  • Mixed at Can-Am Recorders (Tarzana, Los Angeles)
  • Mastered at Classic Sound (New York City)

Personnel

Charts

Certifications
Sales and certifications for "I'm Like a Bird"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[56] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[57] Platinum 80,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[58] Gold 45,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[59] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[60] Platinum 1,000,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Release dates and formats for "I'm Like a Bird"
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref(s).
United States September 25, 2000
DreamWorks [61]
September 26, 2000 Contemporary hit radio [61][62]
Australia February 19, 2001 CD single [63]
United Kingdom February 26, 2001 Polydor [64]
Germany March 5, 2001 Universal [65]

Notes
  1. "I'm Like a Bird" reached number 19 when RPM ceased publication in November 2000.
  2. "I'm Like a Bird" reached number 65 when RPM ceased publication in November 2000.

References
  1. "Nelly Furtado: 'It was overwhelming trying to keep it all together'". April 21, 2017.
  2. Staff (January 4, 2002). "44th Annual Grammy Award Nominations". Variety. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  3. "Grammy Awards Winners & Nominees for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance". Grammy Awards. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  4. "Winners + Nominees". The JUNO Awards. Retrieved May 7, 2020. Select 2001 from the drop-down list near the top of the page.
  5. Sheet music for "I'm Like a Bird". Nelstar Publishing. 2001.
  6. de Silverio, Victoria. "Nelly Furtado: Free As A Bird" Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Blender. July 2006. Retrieved September 18, 2006.
  7. Method Studios - Nelly Furtado "I'm Like a Bird" Archived October 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  8. I'm Like a Bird (Canadian & European CD single liner notes). Nelly Furtado. DreamWorks Records. 2000. 450 933-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. I'm Like a Bird (UK cassette single sleeve). Nelly Furtado. DreamWorks Records. 2001. 450 919 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. I'm Like a Bird (UK CD single liner notes). Nelly Furtado. DreamWorks Records. 2001. 450 933-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. I'm Like a Bird (European maxi-CD single & Australasian CD single liner notes). Nelly Furtado. DreamWorks Records. 2000. 450 934-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. Whoa, Nelly! (Canadian CD album booklet). Nelly Furtado. DreamWorks Records. 2000. 0044-50285-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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