Why Do Birds Sing?

Why Do Birds Sing? is the fifth studio album by Violent Femmes, released on April 30, 1991. It was the band's last album with original drummer Victor DeLorenzo, who left two years later to devote his time to acting, and was produced by Michael Beinhorn, best-known then for his work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Mother's Milk and The Uplift Mofo Party Plan.

Why Do Birds Sing?
Studio album by
Violent Femmes
ReleasedApril 30, 1991 (1991-04-30)
Recorded1990
GenreFolk rock[1]
Length42:20
LabelReprise
ProducerViolent Femmes, Michael Beinhorn
Violent Femmes chronology
Debacle: The First Decade
(1990)		 Why Do Birds Sing?
(1991)		 Add It Up (1981-1993)
(1993)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
New Noise Magazine[3]
Pitchfork[4]

The album featured the single "American Music," which rose to number 2 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart during the week of May 18, 1991,[5] and became a staple of the band's live shows.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Gordon Gano, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."American Music" 3:49
2."Out the Window" 2:52
3."Look Like That" 2:45
4."Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?"George O'Dowd, Mikey Craig, Roy Hay, Jon Moss, Gano4:50
5."Hey Nonny Nonny"Shepard Tonie, Gano4:34
6."Used to Be" 3:38
7."Girl Trouble" 2:57
8."He Likes Me" 3:07
9."Life is a Scream" 1:54
10."Flamingo Baby" 2:37
11."Lack of Knowledge" 1:54
12."More Money Tonight" 3:58
13."I'm Free" 3:25

Personnel

Violent Femmes

Additional musicians

Production
  • Violent Femmes – Producer
  • Eric "ET" Thorngren – Engineer, mixing
  • David Vartanian – Mixing
  • Susan Rogers – Engineer
  • Tom Fritze – Assistant engineer
  • Lori Fumar – Assistant engineer
  • Mike Kloster – Assistant engineer
  • Howie Weinberg – Mastering
  • Mary Jones – Photography

Charts
Chart performance for Why Do Birds Sing?
Chart (1991) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[6] 26
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7] 67
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[8] 31
US Billboard 200[9] 141

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[10] Gold 35,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Ankeny, Jason. "Violent Femmes Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  2. Thomas, Fred. "Why Do Birds Sing? - Violent Femmes | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  3. Moore, John (October 7, 2021). "Album Review: Violent Femmes – Why Do Birds Sing? [Vinyl Reissue]". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  4. Deusner, Stephen M. (October 18, 2021). "Violent Femmes: Why Do Birds Sing? (Deluxe Edition)". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  5. "Violent Femmes - Alternative Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  6. "Australiancharts.com – Violent Femmes – Why Do Birds Sing?". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  7. "Offiziellecharts.de – Violent Femmes – Why Do Birds Sing?" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  8. "Charts.nz – Violent Femmes – Why Do Birds Sing?". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  9. Whitburn, Joel; Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums, 1955–1996; p. 819. ISBN 0898201179
  10. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1995 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
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