Little Bird (Annie Lennox song)

"Little Bird" is a song composed and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Annie Lennox. Taken from her debut solo album, Diva (1992), it was produced by Stephen Lipson and released in February 1993 by RCA and BMG as a double A-side with "Love Song for a Vampire" (which appeared on the soundtrack for the Francis Ford Coppola film Bram Stoker's Dracula) in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and various other European countries. In other territories, "Little Bird" was released alone.

Lennox performed "Little Bird" during the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in London on 12 August 2012. A live version was played in the end credits to The Sopranos episode "Eloise". The song was also featured in the film Striptease, where Demi Moore dances to it. The music video for "Little Bird", directed by Sophie Muller, does not appear on the video album for Diva, but is heard instrumentally over the end credits.

Chart performance
"Little Bird" / "Love Song for a Vampire" was successful on the charts on several continents, peaking at number one on both the RPM Dance/Urban chart in Canada and the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in the US. In Europe, it entered the top 10 in Italy (8), Ireland (3), Portugal (6), Spain and the United Kingdom, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it reached number five in March 1993. In the UK, the single peaked at number three in its first week at the UK Singles Chart, on 7 February 1993, behind Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" and 2 Unlimited's "No Limit". It stayed for four weeks at that position and spent a total of 12 consecutive weeks within the UK Top 100. On the Music Week Dance Singles chart, the song peaked at number two. Additionally, "Little Bird" was a top-30 hit in Germany (29) and Iceland (27), and a top-40 hit in Switzerland (34). In North America, it also peaked at numbers 49 and 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 in the US, as well as number seven on the RPM Top Singles chart in Canada.

"Little Bird" earned a silver record in the UK, after 200,000 singles were sold. In 2012, after Lennox performed the song during the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, it charted as a solo single for the first time, reaching number 96 on the UK Singles Chart.

Critical reception
Swedish Aftonbladet wrote that "Little Bird" is based on "a vibrant sight loop not quite unlike many old Eurythmics songs". Larry Flick from Billboard described it as "a synth-driven thumper that harks back to her early Eurythmics tenure. Icy cool instrumentation is contrasted by a passionate vocal and an elastic bass line". He also complimented the song as "adventurous". Randy Clark from Cash Box viewed it as a "beat-laden pop/rock ditty", adding, "although slightly less artsy musically than the first two singles, "Little Bird" has wings of its own." Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report found that Lennox' "hit streak is about to carryover into 1993 on the wings of a sensitively written and brilliantly produced song that expresses what many people feel from time to time. All that, and it's uptempo!"

Matthew Cole from Music Week's RM Dance Update called it a "luscious tune". Another RM editor, James Hamilton, described it as a "perky strutter". Alec Foege from Spin named it the album's "finest track", saying "Its call-and-response woo-woos exude genuine confidence, cleverness, and craft." Richard Riccio from St. Petersburg Times declared it as "an obvious hit with a menacing beat and infectious vocal hook. Although quite similar rhythmically to the early Eurythmics' hit "Love Is a Stranger", there's more soul than detachment here, and Lennox hoots and hollers during the chorus, pulling you into the fun." Craig S. Semon from Telegram & Gazette described it as "punchy" and "bittersweet", adding that "Lennox's vocals soar as she fantasizes about being a free-flying, cheerful bird. The song's pain comes from Lennox realizing that such freedom and happiness are unattainable for her."

Retrospective response
In an 2009 review, Mike Ragogna from HuffPost wrote that in the song, "Lennox observes the creature's freedom as it glides across the sky. Though the song starts out with self-doubt, she concludes, ...this little bird's fallen out of that nest now...so I've just got to put these wings to test, and both she and the collection soar from that point on." In an 2015 review, Pop Rescue noted that it "has a wonderful electro-pop feel to it – the beat and swirling synth helps the song grow wonderfully as Annie sings over the top."

Music video
The accompanying music video for "Little Bird" was directed by British director Sophie Muller and features eight Lennox lookalikes dressed as the many different personas that Lennox has used in her videos (both solo and as part of Eurythmics) over the past decade, with Lennox herself in a Cabaret-esque setting acting as ringmaster. Gradually, the personas begin to squabble for the spotlight, pushing aside one another and Lennox herself as she fights to maintain control.

The music videos referenced by the personas include:
 * "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
 * "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)"
 * "Thorn in My Side"
 * "Beethoven (I Love to Listen To)"
 * "I Need a Man"
 * "Why"
 * "Walking on Broken Glass"
 * The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert

Lennox was in late stages of pregnancy with her second daughter Tali during the filming of the video. The "ringmaster" persona, played by Lennox, wears a black dress designed to give the illusion of being close-fitting, with a fully sequinned front and a flowing matte back panel that together partially conceal her baby bump. The music video was later made available by VEVO on YouTube in 2009, having generated almost 13 million views as of early 2024 on the platform.

Track listings
All tracks were written by Annie Lennox unless otherwise noted.

CD – Arista (US)


 * The final three tracks were recorded live for MTV Unplugged at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland, 3 July 1992.

CD – BMG (UK)

12-inch – Arista (US)


 * House of Gypsies mixes by Todd Terry