I'm Like a Bird

"I'm Like a Bird" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado. It was written by Furtado and produced by Gerald Eaton and Brian West for her debut studio album, Whoa, Nelly! (2000). Released as the album's first single on September 25, 2000, it became a worldwide hit the following year, peaking at number one in Portugal, number two in Australia and New Zealand, number five in the United Kingdom, and number nine in the United States. It was the eighth-most-played song on Canadian radio in 2001.

"I'm Like a Bird"
One variant of the standard artwork
Single by Nelly Furtado
from the album Whoa, Nelly!
Released	September 25, 2000 (2000-09-25)
Studio	The Gymnasium (Toronto, Canada) Can-Am Recorders (Tarzana, Los Angeles)
Genre	Folk-pop[1]
Length	4:03
Label	DreamWorks
Songwriter(s)	Nelly Furtado
Producer(s)	Gerald Eaton Brian West Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado singles chronology
"Party's Just Begun (Again)" (1999) "I'm Like a Bird" (2000) "Turn Off the Light" (2001)
Music video
"I'm Like a Bird" on YouTube

In 2002, "I'm Like a Bird" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year^[2] and won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.^[3] It also won the Juno Award for Single of the Year in 2001.^[4]

Composition

"I'm Like a Bird" is composed common time in the key of B♭ major.^[5] The song moves at 90 beats per minute, and Furtado's voice spans around two octaves, from F₃ to F₅.^[5] It is written in verse-chorus form, with a bridge before the third chorus.^[5]

Furtado's response

In 2006, Furtado said of the song, "I've heard it sung at karaoke or by cover bands and it was awesome — I was like, wow, I've got one of those songs. Somebody once called it a 'hairbrush song', one that girls and guys sing in front of the mirror with their hairbrush. I just think I'm lucky I have it — it's paying the bills!".^[6]

Music video

The music video for "I'm Like a Bird" was directed by Francis Lawrence, and features heavy use of CGI.^[7] The video begins in the sky where the camera slowly pans down onto Furtado, who is lying in the grass. It then shows her singing on a tree trunk in mid-air. In the chorus she gets up and starts singing to the camera while birds are flying around her. The second verse shows her sitting in mid-air in a forest, while singing to the camera. The chorus consists of flashes of Furtado singing in mid-air, again, while leaning on the tree trunk. During the bridge she is singing to a bug while her eyes change colour, which changes the bug's color accordingly. The conclusion of the video shows her falling backwards from a branch into a crowd as she sings the final chorus of the song. The last shot pans out to reveal a crowd of tens of thousands.

There was an edited version of the music video for European VH1, where some scenes were changed.

Track listings

Canadian and European 2-track CD single; UK cassette single^[8][9]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"I'm Like a Bird" (LP version)	4:03
2.	"Party (Reprise)" (non-LP version)	4:55

UK CD maxi-single^[10]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"I'm Like a Bird" (LP version)	4:02
2.	"Party (Reprise)" (non-LP version)	4:53
3.	"My Love Grows Deeper" (non-LP version)	4:54
4.	"I'm Like a Bird" (video)

Australasian and European CD maxi-single^[11]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"I'm Like a Bird" (LP version)
2.	"Party (Reprise)" (non-LP version)
3.	"I Feel You" (featuring Esthero)
4.	"My Love Grows Deeper" (non-LP version)

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the Whoa, Nelly! album booklet.^[12]

Studios

• Recorded and engineered at The Gymnasium (Toronto, Canada) and Can-Am Recorders (Tarzana, Los Angeles)
• Mixed at Can-Am Recorders (Tarzana, Los Angeles)
• Mastered at Classic Sound (New York City)

Personnel

• Nelly Furtado – writing, lead vocals, background vocals, production
• Gerald Eaton – micro-synth guitar, programming, production
• Mike Elizondo – bass guitar
• Russ Miller – drums
• Allan Molnar – vibraphone
• Brian West – production, programming, recording, engineering
• Brad Haehnel – pepper shaker, mixing, recording, engineering
• John Knupp – second engineering
• Scott Hull – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "I'm Like a Bird" Chart (2000–2001) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[13] 2 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[14] 41 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[15] 16 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[16] 19 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[17] 19[a] Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[18] 65[b] Canada CHR (Nielsen BDS)[19] 3 Denmark (Tracklisten)[20] 13 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[21] 15 France (SNEP)[22] 33 Germany (GfK)[23] 41 Ireland (IRMA)[24] 4 Italy (FIMI)[25] 16 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[26] 4 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[27] 8 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[28] 2 Norway (VG-lista)[29] 17 Poland (Music & Media)[30] 8 Portugal (AFP)[31] 1 Romania (Romanian Top 100)[32] 24 Scotland (OCC)[33] 3 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[34] 16 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] 17 UK Singles (OCC)[36] 5 US Billboard Hot 100[37] 9 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[38] 26 US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[39] 5 US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[40] 6

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "I'm Like a Bird" Chart (2001) Position Australia (ARIA)[41] 7 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[42] 88 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[43] 77 Brazil (Crowley)[44] 9 Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[45] 147 Canada Radio (Nielsen BDS)[46] 8 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[47] 57 France (SNEP)[48] 92 Ireland (IRMA)[49] 29 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[50] 25 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[51] 49 New Zealand (RIANZ)[52] 8 Romania (Romanian Top 100)[32] 61 Sweden (Hitlistan)[53] 72 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[54] 86 UK Singles (OCC)[55] 31 US Billboard Hot 100[56] 43 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[57] 11 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[58] 23 Chart (2002) Position Canada Radio (Nielsen BDS)[59] 97

Certifications

Sales and certifications for "I'm Like a Bird"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[60]	2× Platinum	140,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[61]	2× Platinum	160,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[62]	Gold	45,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[63]	2× Platinum	60,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[64]	Platinum	600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[65]	Platinum	1,000,000‡
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "I'm Like a Bird"

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label	Ref(s).
United States	September 25, 2000	Hot adult contemporary modern adult contemporary radio	DreamWorks	[66]
	September 26, 2000	Contemporary hit radio		[66][67]
Australia	February 19, 2001	CD single		[68]
United Kingdom	February 26, 2001		Polydor	[69]
Germany	March 5, 2001		Universal	[70]

Notes

1. "I'm Like a Bird" reached number 19 when RPM ceased publication in November 2000.
2. "I'm Like a Bird" reached number 65 when RPM ceased publication in November 2000.