Up with the Birds

"Up with the Birds"
General information
Genre	Post-Britpop Alternative rock
Length	3:45
Labels
Producer(s)	Rik Simpson Daniel Green Markus Dravs
Album	Mylo Xyloto
Mylo Xyloto track listing
"Don't Let It Break Your Heart"
"Up with the Birds"

"Up with the Birds" is a song by Coldplay from their fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto. It is the fourteenth and final track on the album, and was released on April 12, 2012, as a limited edition 7" promotional single for Record Store Day, serving as the overall fifth release from Mylo Xyloto.

The song charted at number 43 on the South Korea Gaon International Chart following the release of the album.

Background and composition

In an interview, Chris Martin told Music Week that the song was made "when we were sort of thinking about a story that seemed like the end of a movie type thing."

The track's first section is built around organ, strings by Davide Rossi and piano, creating a downbeat, quiet mood, while the track's second section is dominated by guitars and drums, featuring a faster tempo. "Up with the Birds" also features samples from "Driven by You" by English musician Brian May and a lyrical interpolation of "Anthem" by Canadian musician Leonard Cohen in its opening. Backing vocals were held by Australian musician Juanita Stein and a cowbell was played by Andrew Thurston.

Release

"Up with the Birds" is included on Mylo Xyloto, which was released on October 19, 2011. In celebration of Record Store Day, the song was released as a limited edition 7" vinyl promotional single on April 21, 2012, backed by "U.F.O." as its B-Side. A total of 2,000 copies of the vinyl were pressed; 300 copies were released in France, 500 copies were released in the United Kingdom and 1,000 copies were released in the United States.

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
The birds they sang
The break of day
Start again, I hear them say
It's so hard to just walk away
The birds they sang
All a choir
Start again, a little higher
It's a spark in a sea of grey

[Chorus 1]
The sky is blue
Dreamed that lie 'til it's true
Then taking back the punch I threw
My arms turn wings
Oh, those clumsy things
Send me up to that wonderful world
And then, I'm up with the birds

[Verse 2]
Might have to go, where they don't know my name
Float all over the world just to see her again
But I won't show or feel any pain
Even though all my armor might rust in the rain

[Chorus 2]
A simple plot
But I know, one day
Good things are coming our way
A simple plot
But I know, one day
Good things are coming our way

[Outro]
Oh, yeah

Official audio

Up with the Birds

Critical reception

"Up with the Birds" received generally positive reviews from critics. Martin Aston of BBC, in his review of Mylo Xyloto, called the song "a serene finale that shows Coldplay understand the change of dynamics more than the dynamics of change." Helen Clarke of MusicOMH described the song as a "lyrical pick-n-mix cover" of Leonard Cohen's "Anthem", writing: "It's an interesting choice to wrap up [the album] with; the sedate, poetic lullaby perhaps signalling the end of Martin's 'concept' [of the album]." Jillian Mapes of Billboard wrote: "Going out with a bang is not necessary when you started with three of them. Instead, Coldplay borrows lines from Leonard Cohen's 'Anthem' and channels Radiohead, again."