Why Do Birds Sing?
Why Do Birds Sing? is the fifth studio album by Violent Femmes, released on April 30, 1991. It was their 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 | ||||
| Released | April 30, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1990 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 42:20 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Producer | Violent Femmes, Michael Beinhorn | |||
| Violent Femmes chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Rolling Stone | |
It featured the single "American Music," which rose to number 2 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart during the week of May 18, 1991,[3] and became a staple of the band's live shows.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Gordon Gano, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(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, Gano | 4:50 |
| 5. | "Hey Nonny Nonny" | Shepard Tonie, Gano | 4:34 |
| 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
- Gordon Gano – vocals, guitar
- Brian Ritchie – bass, guitar, bouzouki, banjo, ukulele, mouth harp, didgeridoo, xylophone, glockenspiel, vocals
- Victor DeLorenzo – drums, percussion, tranceaphone, vocals
Additional musicians
- Michael Beinhorn – Hammond organ on "American Music", Mellotron on "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" and "Used To Be", piano on "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" and "I'm Free", harmonium on "Used To Be"
- Sid Page, Suzie Katayama, Ilene Novog, Larry Corbett – strings on "Used To Be"
- Tommy Mandel – keyboards on "American Music"
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
Album
| Chart | Entry date |
Peak position |
Weeks charted |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Billboard 200[4] | May 18, 1991 | 141 | 5 |
| ARIA Charts[5] | June 24, 1991 | 27 | 22 |
Singles – Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | "American Music" | Modern Rock Tracks | 2 |
References
- Why Do Birds Sing? at AllMusic
- Rolling Stone
- https://www.billboard.com/charts/alternative-songs/1991-05-18
- Whitburn, Joel; Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums, 1955–1996; p. 819. ISBN 0898201179
- Kent, David (compiler); Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 Years of Hit Singles and Albums from the Top 100 Charts; p. 330 ISBN 9780646119175
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