American Music (Violent Femmes song)

☆ Save On Wikipedia ↗
Why Do Birds Sing?
Studio album by
Violent Femmes
ReleasedApril 30, 1991 (1991-04-30)
Recorded1990
GenreFolk rock[1]
Length42:20
LabelReprise
ProducerViolent Femmes, Michael Beinhorn
Violent Femmes chronology
Debacle: The First Decade
(1990)		 Why Do Birds Sing?
(1991)		 Add It Up (1981-1993)
(1993)
Singles from Why Do Birds Sing?
  1. "American Music"
    Released: 1991
  2. "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me"
    Released: 1991
  3. "Used to Be"
    Released: 1991
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[2]
New Noise MagazineStarStarStarStar[3]
Pitchfork7.9/10[4]

Why Do Birds Sing? is the fifth studio album by Violent Femmes, released on April 30, 1991. It was the band's 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 Red Hot Chili Peppers on Mother's Milk and The Uplift Mofo Party Plan.

The album featured the single "American Music," which rose to number 2 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart during the week of May 18, 1991,[5] and became a staple of the band's live shows.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Gordon Gano, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(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, Gano4:50
5."Hey Nonny Nonny"Shepard Tonie, Gano4:34
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
Vinyl version (side one)
No.TitleWriter(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?"O'Dowd, Craig, Hay, Moss, Gano4:50
5."Hey Nonny Nonny"Tonie, Gano4:34
6."Used to Be" 3:38
Vinyl version (side two)
No.TitleLength
1."Girl Trouble"2:57
2."He Likes Me"3:07
3."Life is a Scream"1:54
4."Flamingo Baby"2:37
5."Lack of Knowledge"1:54
6."More Money Tonight"3:58
Deluxe edition bonus tracks (disc 1)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."Me and You" 3:06
15."Color Me Once" (Early version)Gano, Brian Ritchie4:46
16."4 Seasons" (Early version) 3:06
17."Breaking Up" (Early version) 4:23
18."American Made" (Alternate version) 3:41
19."Dance, Motherfucker, Dance!"Voot Warnings, Glenn Rehse, John Frankovic3:16
Deluxe edition bonus tracks (disc 2) – Live at The Boat House 1991
No.TitleLength
1."Look Like That"2:47
2."Out the Window"3:09
3."Fat"1:56
4."Blister in the Sun"2:27
5."Prove My Love"2:45
6."Country Death Song"4:40
7."Old Mother Reagan"0:38
8."Confessions"8:46
9."Girl Trouble"3:33
10."Add It Up"5:56
11."Kiss It Off"4:16
12."Good Feeling"4:00
13."More Money Tonight"4:07
Deluxe edition bonus tracks (digital)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."Me and You" 3:06
15."Color Me Once" (Early version)Gano, Ritchie4:46
16."4 Seasons" (Early version) 3:06
17."Breaking Up" (Early version) 4:23
18."American Made" (Alternate version) 3:41
19."Dance, Motherfucker, Dance!"Warnings, Rehse, Frankovic3:16
20."Look Like That" (Live at The Boat House) 2:47
21."Out the Window" (Live at The Boat House) 3:09
22."Fat" (Live at The Boat House) 1:56
23."Blister in the Sun" (Live at The Boat House) 2:27
24."Prove My Love" (Live at The Boat House) 2:45
25."Country Death Song" (Live at The Boat House) 4:40
26."Old Mother Reagan" (Live at The Boat House) 0:38
27."Confessions" (Live at The Boat House) 8:46
28."Girl Trouble" (Live at The Boat House) 3:33
29."Add It Up" (Live at The Boat House) 5:56
30."Kiss It Off" (Live at The Boat House) 4:16
31."Good Feeling" (Live at The Boat House) 4:00
32."More Money Tonight" (Live at The Boat House) 4:07

Personnel

Violent Femmes

Additional musicians

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

Chart performance for Why Do Birds Sing?
Chart (1991) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[6]26
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7]67
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[8]31
US Billboard 200[9] 141

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[10] Gold 35,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. Ankeny, Jason. "Violent Femmes Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  2. Thomas, Fred. "Why Do Birds Sing? - Violent Femmes | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  3. Moore, John (October 7, 2021). "Album Review: Violent Femmes – Why Do Birds Sing? [Vinyl Reissue]". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  4. Deusner, Stephen M. (October 18, 2021). "Violent Femmes: Why Do Birds Sing? (Deluxe Edition)". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  5. "Violent Femmes - Alternative Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  6. "Australiancharts.com – Violent Femmes – Why Do Birds Sing?". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  7. "Offiziellecharts.de – Violent Femmes – Why Do Birds Sing?" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  8. "Charts.nz – Violent Femmes – Why Do Birds Sing?". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  9. Whitburn, Joel; Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums, 1955–1996; p. 819. ISBN 0898201179
  10. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1995 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 28, 2021.