The Bird and the Bee
The Bird and the Bee | |
|---|---|
 The Bird and the Bee performing at The Bell House in Brooklyn, New York City on March 6, 2009. From left: Greg Kurstin, Alex Lilly, Juliette Commagere, Inara George | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Indie pop, synthpop, dream pop |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | Inara George (The Bird) Greg Kurstin (The Bee) |
| Website | thebirdandthebee |
The Bird and the Bee (stylized in all lowercase) is an American indie pop musical duo from Los Angeles, consisting of Inara George ("the bird") and Greg Kurstin ("the bee"). Kurstin is a nine-time Grammy Award–winning producer and multi-instrumentalist who has worked with artists including Sia, Adele, Beck, Kendrick Lamar, and the Foo Fighters.[1] George and Kurstin met while the two were working on her debut album and they decided to collaborate on a jazz-influenced electropop project. Their debut EP, Again and Again and Again and Again, was released on October 31, 2006, followed by their self-titled debut album on January 23, 2007.
History
[edit]2006–07: Formation and The Bird and the Bee
[edit]According to their Myspace page, Greg and Inara were introduced in 2004 by mutual friend Mike Andrews, whom George had enlisted to produce her solo debut, All Rise. George and Kurstin soon found themselves spending hours together in the studio, where a shared interest in jazz-based music helped lay the foundation for the Bird and the Bee. [They] began to explore new sounds and textures, eventually composing enough material for their debut EP."[2] That EP was the four-track Again and Again and Again and Again, released on October 31, 2006, by Blue Note Records.[3] The EP includes the single "Fucking Boyfriend", which topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart on the issue dated December 2, 2006.[4]
The duo's self-titled debut studio album, The Bird and the Bee was released on January 23, 2007[3] to positive reviews; AllMusic described it as "irresistible" and "charming and delightful at every turn".[5]
Mid-2007 saw the band touring as the opening act for English singer Lily Allen,[6] while their music was heard twice that year in the ABC drama series Grey's Anatomy, with "Again & Again" featured in the April 26 episode titled "Desire", and "Polite Dance Song" featured in the October 25 episode "Haunt You Every Day";[7] the former was also included on the third volume of the show's soundtrack.[8] With the holiday season came additional exposure for the group, when Apple Inc.'s iTunes Store chose "Carol of the Bells" to be the featured "Free Single of the Week" for the week of November 27.
2008–10: Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future and Interpreting the Masters Volume 1
[edit]In 2008 the duo's third EP One Too Many Hearts was released exclusively in digital format on February 12, 2008, to coincide with Valentine's Day. The four-song collection featured a rendition of the 1920s standard "Tonight You Belong to Me".[9]
The Bird and the Bee appeared repeatedly on TV and in films during 2008, with "Fucking Boyfriend" appearing in the film Forgetting Sarah Marshall and "How Deep Is Your Love" included in the film adaptation of Sex and the City and VH1 promos for their reality show lineup.[10] On July 8 a performance recorded at Pearl Concert Theater in Las Vegas was released as a digital EP titled Live from Las Vegas at the Palms, including live versions of "Again & Again" (Bossa Nova Version), "Fucking Boyfriend", "Autumn Leaves", "Man", and "Preparedness".[3]
In 2009 the Bird and the Bee marked the release of their second studio album, Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future, with two national television appearances: January 26 on NBC's The Tonight Show and February 4 on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[11] Following its January 27 release, the album debuted atop Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart on sales of 5,000 copies.[12] In support of the album, the duo embarked on a ten-date US tour, which kicked off at The Casbah in San Diego on February 5, 2009, and ended at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 7.[11] On March 14, The Bird and the Bee performed at the Tricot Showroom in Los Angeles as part of a FMLY show.[13]
On March 23, 2010, the band released Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates, an album of Hall & Oates cover songs.[14]
"What's in the Middle" was featured in the thirteenth episode of the fifth season of Bones. "4th of July" was featured in the Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! episode titled "Larry". Their song "Diamond Dave" appeared in Judd Apatow's 2009 film Funny People.
2011–present: Recreational Love
[edit]The Bird and the Bee announced on their official Facebook page on September 26, 2011, that they were no longer signed to Blue Note Records. They also stated, "We don't have an exact release date for the album yet, but it'll most likely be early 2012."[15] On November 18, 2011, the duo released a digital-only Christmas single titled "Wishes" through their website.[16]
The Bird and the Bee contributed "All Our Endless Love" to the soundtrack for the 2014 film Endless Love. This was a collaboration with Matt Berninger, and was released on the soundtrack album on 11 February 2014.[17] They produced a new track named "Undone" for the soundtrack of Sex Tape in July of the same year.[18]
In April 2015, George announced that a new album would be released in July of that same year.[19] The album, released on 17 July, was titled Recreational Love.[20][21] The album's debut single, "Will You Dance?" was released on 5 May 2015.[22]
In September 2017, both George and Kurstin were featured on the Foo Fighters song "Dirty Water", from the Kurstin-produced album Concrete and Gold. George contributed the background vocals to the track, while Kurstin played the synth.[23]
In August 2019, "Interpreting The Masters Volume 2: A Tribute to Van Halen" was released.
On October 23, 2020, they released a Christmas album Put Up The Lights through No Expectations/Release Me Records.[24] It features Dave Grohl on drums on the track "Little Drummer Boy".
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [25] | US Indie [26] | US Heat [27] | US Digital [28] | GRE [29] | JPN [30] | ||
| The Bird and the Bee |
| — | 39 | 17 | — | — | 108 |
| Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future |
| 78 | — | — | 10 | — | 236 |
| Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates |
| 75 | — | — | — | 25 | 145 |
| Recreational Love | — | 38 | — | — | — | — | |
| Interpreting the Masters Volume 2: A Tribute to Van Halen |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Put Up the Lights |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||
Extended plays
[edit]| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Again and Again and Again and Again |
|
| I Hate Camera |
|
| Please Clap Your Hands |
|
| One Too Many Hearts |
|
| Live from Las Vegas at the Palms |
|
| Spotify Sessions (Live from Spotify NYC) |
|
| Recreational Remixes |
|
Singles
[edit]| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance [4] | CAN [32] | JPN [33] | ||||
| "Fucking Boyfriend" | 2006 | 1 | — | — | Again and Again and Again and Again | |
| "Again & Again" | 2007 | — | — | — | The Bird and the Bee | |
| "La La La" | — | — | — | |||
| "Carol of the Bells" | — | 67 | — | Stockings by the Fire | ||
| "Love Letter to Japan" | 2009 | — | — | 82 | Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future | |
| "Diamond Dave" | — | — | — | |||
| "I'm into Something Good" | 2010 | — | — | — | Valentine's Day | |
| "Wishes" | 2011 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Undone" | 2014 | — | — | — | ||
| "Will You Dance?" | 2015 | — | — | — | Recreational Love | |
| "Recreational Love" | — | — | — | |||
| "Los Angeles" | — | — | — | |||
| "Panama" | 2019 | — | — | — | Interpreting the Masters Volume 2: A Tribute to Van Halen | |
| "Ain't Talking 'Bout Love" | — | — | — | |||
| "Witch (Mija Remix)" | 2021 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Lifetimes" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||
Other charted songs
[edit]| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN [34] | |||
| "Private Eyes" | 2010 | 18 | Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates |
Other appearances
[edit]| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Again & Again" | 2007 | Grey's Anatomy: Original Soundtrack 3[8] |
| "Fucking Boyfriend" | 2008 | Forgetting Sarah Marshall[35] |
| "How Deep Is Your Love" | Sex and the City: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack[36] | |
| "The Races" | The Women[37] | |
| "What Happened to It" | 2009 | Post Grad[38] |
| "A Christmas Compromise" | Safety Harbor Kids Holiday Collection[39] | |
| "Cover Your Mouth" | Yo Gabba Gabba: Fantastic Voyages[40] | |
| "All Our Endless Love" | 2014 | Endless Love (2014 American film) Soundtrack |
| "Runaway" | 2015 | Trainwreck Soundtrack |
| "My Love" | 2017 | The Big Sick: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Imposters: Season 1, Episode 6 |
| "Again & Again" | 2018 | Love Season 2, Episode 11, at end |
References
[edit]- ^ Coscarelli, Joe (February 14, 2017). "Greg Kurstin, Adele's No. 2, on the Grammys, Beyoncé and Getting Cut Off". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- ^ "the bird and the bee (thebirdandthebee) on Myspace". Myspace. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Bird and the Bee, The Discography". Blue Note Records. Archived from the original on November 17, 2008. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
- ^ a b "The Bird and the Bee – Chart history: Dance/Club Play Songs". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
- ^ Jurek, Thom. "The Bird and the Bee – The Bird and the Bee". AllMusic. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
- ^ "The Bird and the Bee Got Buzz A-Plenty". Spin. Buzz Media. April 12, 2007. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
- ^ "The Bird and the Bee". IMDb. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
- ^ a b "Grey's Anatomy, Vol. 3 – Original Soundtrack". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
- ^ Rosenbloom, Etan (February 14, 2008). "Album Review: The Bird and The Bee – One Too Many Hearts EP". Prefix. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
- ^ Li, Danica (February 4, 2009). "The Bird and the Bee". San Francisco Bay Guardian. Vol. 43, no. 19. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
- ^ a b "The Bird and the Bee Announce Leno, Kimmel Appearances, Offer First Glimpse of New Album". LA Weekly. January 13, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
- ^ Jenison, David (February 4, 2009). "Bruce Springsteen Shows Taylor Swift, Ticketmaster Who's Boss". E! Online. NBCUniversal. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
- ^ Cameron (March 13, 2009). "The Bird and The Bee Tomorrow Night". FMLY. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
- ^ "Bird and the Bee, The Discography – Interpreting the Masters Vol.1". Blue Note Records. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
- ^ "Hi everyone! We..." Facebook. September 26, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
- ^ "The Bird And The Bee – Discography". thebirdandthebee.com. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ^ Martins, Chris. "The National's Matt Berninger Meets the Bird and Bee on 'All Our Endless Love'". spin.com. SpinMedia. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
- ^ Schranck, Rachel (July 18, 2014). "The Bird and The Bee Release New Song "Undone"". mxdwn.com. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
- ^ "inara george on Twitter – @agent_spooky the world will get one this July!! X". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ "inara george on Twitter – .@2shedds July 17th!!!". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ "inara george on Twitter – New song comes out tomorrow! off our new record "Recreational Love" I'm excited! Are you?? follow us on @Spotify". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ "the bird and the bee: Will You Dance". KCRW.com. KCRW. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ Grow, Kory (July 27, 2017). "Dave Grohl on How Foo Fighters Made New LP With Pop Producer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- ^ Allmusic entry
- ^ "The Bird and the Bee – Chart history: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
- ^ "The Bird and the Bee Album & Song Chart History – Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- ^ "The Bird and the Bee Album & Song Chart History – Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- ^ "The Bird and the Bee Album & Song Chart History – Digital Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- ^ "The Bird And The Bee – Interpreting The Masters Volume 1: A Tribute To Daryl Hall And John Oates – austriancharts.at". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ ザ・バード＆ザ・ビーのアルバム売り上げランキング [The Bird and the Bee album sales ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
- ^ "THe Bird and the Bees entry at Allmusic". allmusic.com. October 23, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ "The Bird and the Bee – Chart history: Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Hanshin Contents Link. December 8, 2008. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Hanshin Contents Link. March 29, 2010. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ^ "Forgetting Sarah Marshall – Original Soundtrack". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ^ "Sex and the City – Original Soundtrack". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ^ "The Women [Original Soundtrack] – Original Soundtrack". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ^ "Post Grad – Original Soundtrack". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ^ "Safety Harbor Kids Holiday Collection: Various Artists". Amazon MP3. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ^ "Yo Gabba Gabba: Fantastic Voyages: Various Artists". Spotify. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
External links
[edit]| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
