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 the 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 edit
All tracks are written by Gordon Gano , except where noted
Title
Writer(s)
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 edit
Violent Femmes edit
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 edit
Production edit
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
Certifications edit
References edit
^ Ankeny, Jason. "Violent Femmes Biography, Songs, & Albums" . AllMusic . Retrieved October 18, 2021 .
^
Thomas, Fred. "Why Do Birds Sing? - Violent Femmes | Songs, Reviews, Credits" . AllMusic . Retrieved October 18, 2021 .
^
Moore, John (October 7, 2021). "Album Review: Violent Femmes – Why Do Birds Sing? [Vinyl Reissue]" . New Noise Magazine . Retrieved October 18, 2021 .
^
Deusner, Stephen M. (October 18, 2021). "Violent Femmes: Why Do Birds Sing? (Deluxe Edition)" . Pitchfork . Retrieved October 18, 2021 .
^
"Violent Femmes - Alternative Airplay" . Billboard . Retrieved October 18, 2021 .
^ "Australiancharts.com – Violent Femmes – Why Do Birds Sing?" . Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Violent Femmes – Why Do Birds Sing?" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts . Retrieved October 27, 2022.
^ "Charts.nz – Violent Femmes – Why Do Birds Sing?" . Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
^ Whitburn, Joel; Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums , 1955–1996; p. 819.
ISBN 0898201179
^
"ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1995 Albums" (PDF) . Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 28 November 2021 .