Talk:Are You Serious (Andrew Bird album)

Left Handed Kisses
Left Handed Kisses previously had an article, but it has been deleted. Nevertheless, I think some of this info is useful -- we might be able to work some of it into the album article. See below. Ackatsis (talk) 10:58, 28 July 2016 (UTC) "Left Handed Kisses" is a song by American singer and songwriter Andrew Bird, featuring vocals by Bird and Fiona Apple. It was released as the second single on the album Are You Serious on February 25, 2016. It is the sixth song on the album, and the starting song on the B-side on vinyl.

Production
"Left Handed Kisses" is a "meta-love song duet" about Bird's inability to write a simple love song. Not believing in romantic fate, he challenged himself to write a love song from the perspective of a sceptic. Bird considers the song a "short play" in which he portrays a former version of himself.

Bird has stated, "The song began as an internal dialogue. At first it was just my voice. Then another voice came creeping in and I thought 'this should be a duet if I can find the right person.'" Fiona Apple was Bird's first choice to appear on the song, and he contacted her through mutual friends. The recording session itself was "a long whiskey-fueled night."

The music video for "Left Handed Kisses", directed by Phil Andelman, was released on March 14, 2016, and features Bird and Apple sitting by a window and singing to each other.

Reception
Stacey Anderson, writing for Pitchfork Media, described "Left Handed Kisses" as the album's most curious track, which "posits Bird as the jaded bard and Apple the sentimental muse, albeit one sapped by his cynicism." Joe Lynch for Billboard called the song "an immaculately produced piece of chamber pop with meditative, meta lyrics." Anna Alger, writing for Exclaim!, considered the song a highlight of the album, "tender yet full of attitude." Philip Cosores of The AV Club was more critical, calling it "too loose of a collaboration to pan out beyond an intriguing concept."