"The Bird" is a song from The Time's third album, ''

Ice Cream Castle ''Ice Cream Castle'' is a 1984 album by The Time. Their third album, it consists of six tracks in the funk-pop or ballad genre, and it was produced and arranged by Prince as "The Starr ★ Company". The album's two biggest hits, " Jungle Love" ...

''. The song was initially recorded in the studio in 1983 with all instruments by

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

, except guitar, which was performed by Jesse Johnson. This version was replaced by a live recording with the full band at the First Avenue on October 4, 1983. This is the first Time song to be released both live and featuring The Time as a band, rather than primarily Prince with Morris Day on vocals. The song has become a signature number for the band and continues to be played in every Time concert to this day. In addition, two additional live versions have since been released: one on Prince's ''

Rave Un2 the Year 2000 ''Rave Un2 the Year 2000'' is a 1999 Prince concert film. Filmed in December 1999 at Paisley Park Studios, and premiering as a pay-per-view special via In Demand on December 31, 1999, the film was produced as a companion to his recently release ...

'' DVD and one recorded at the

House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at ...

in 1998 for Morris Day's 2004 album '' It's About Time''.

Background

The title of the upbeat number refers to a dance in which the arms are flapped, mimicking a bird's wings.

Morris Day Morris E. Day (born December 13, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time. Music career Morris Day is best known as the lead singer of The Time, a group associated with Prince. Day and Pri ...

also squawks throughout the song. The song suggests that by "doing the bird", one can overcome their troubles. "The Bird" is a funk-rock offering, using both a drum machine and live drumming by

Jellybean Johnson Garry George "Jellybean" Johnson (born November 19, 1956) is an American drummer, guitarist, songwriter, producer and musician based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. A member and drummer of The Time who worked along with famed producers Jimmy Ja ...

. Guitar takes the background for a funk effect, while keyboards play a dominant role in the song. After the main lyrics, there is an extended instrumental section to allow the band to dance. A "Dance Remix" of the song was released as a 12" single. The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to the single was the rocker, "My Drawers".

Chart history

In the media

* Used in the 1984 movie '' Purple Rain''. * Sampled on "The Latest Fashion" for the '' Graffiti Bridge'' album. * Used as the initial WWF entrance theme for

Koko B. Ware James W. Ware, Jr. (born June 20, 1958), better known by his ring name Koko B. Ware is an American retired professional wrestler. He debuted in 1978 and became widely popular in 1986. He later went on to the World Wrestling Federation, where he ...

. *Shaquille O'Neal lip-synched this song on ''

Inside the NBA ''Inside the NBA'', branded for sponsorship purposes as ''Inside the NBA presented by Kia'', is the postgame show for ''NBA on TNT'' broadcasts. The program features host Ernie Johnson with analysts Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O' ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bird, The The Time (band) songs 1984 singles Songs written by Prince (musician) Song recordings produced by Prince (musician) 1983 songs Songs written by Jesse Johnson (musician) Songs written by Morris Day Warner Records singles