| "Bird Set Free" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Promotional single by Sia | |
| from the album This Is Acting | |
| Released | 4 November 2015 |
| Genre | Power pop [1] |
| Length | 4:15 |
| Label | Inertia |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | Greg Kurstin |
| Audio video | |
| Bird Set Free on YouTube | |
"Bird Set Free" is a song recorded by Sia for her seventh studio album This Is Acting (2016). [2] It was released as the first promotional single from the album on 4 November 2015.
In an interview with Rolling Stone , Sia said that the song was written for Pitch Perfect 2 soundtrack, but they rejected it in favour of "Flashlight". Afterwards she pitched it to Rihanna, who rejected it, then to Adele, who initially recorded it for her album 25, but later decided to let Sia keep it. [3] [4]
"Bird Set Free" is a piano-based power ballad [5] [6] written in the key of F minor. [7]
Rolling Stone said the song is "liberating". [8] In a review of the song's parent album This Is Acting , Kathy Iandolf of Idolator wrote "This album is dark, indicated by the lead single 'Alive,' but also by the opener 'Bird Set Free,' where Sia takes a solemn vow to emotional liberation amidst strong piano keys." [9] Alex McCown of The A.V. Club called it the "best female empowerment sing-along Katy Perry never wrote." [10] Calling the song a "ginormo self-empowerment anthem", Hugh Montgomory of The Independent wrote "Sia produces something more complex, battle-cries from a volatile soul." [11]
Sia performed "Bird Set Free" and "Alive" on the 7 November 2015 episode of Saturday Night Live . [12] [13]
"Bird Set Free" was featured over the end credits of the horror film The Shallows . [14] It was also featured in the opening credits of the 2017 film Unforgettable .[ citation needed ]
| Chart (2015–16) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) [15] | 36 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [16] | 98 |
| Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100) [17] | 69 |
| France (SNEP) [18] | 49 |
| New Zealand Heatseekers (Recorded Music NZ) [19] | 9 |
| Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100) [20] | 65 |
| Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan) [21] | 13 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [22] | 69 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [23] | 92 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI) [24] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
| Poland (ZPAV) [25] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) [26] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA) [27] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Sia Kate Isobelle Furler is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. When Crisp disbanded in 1997, she released her debut studio album, OnlySee, in Australia. She moved to London and provided vocals for the British duo Zero 7. Sia released her second studio album, Healing Is Difficult, in 2001, and her third, Colour the Small One, in 2004.
"Chasing Pavements" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her debut studio album, 19 (2008). Written by Adele with her producer Francis "Eg" White, the song was released as the second single from the album on 14 January 2008. Its lyrics describe questioning whether or not to keep chasing something that is not going anywhere. Adele was inspired to write the song after public argument and subsequent break up with an older man.
Gregory Allen Kurstin is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2017 and 2018, and written and produced four songs that hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Rolling in the Deep" is a song by English singer-songwriter Adele from her second studio album, 21 (2011). It is the lead single and opening track on the album. The song was written by Adele and Paul Epworth. The singer herself describes it as a "dark blues-y gospel disco tune". In 2011, it was reportedly the biggest crossover hit in the United States since 1985; "Rolling in the Deep" gained radio airplay from many different radio formats. It was first released on 29 November 2010 as the lead single from 21 in digital download format. The lyrics describe the emotions of a scorned lover.
"Someone like You" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele. She and Dan Wilson wrote and produced the track for her second studio album, 21 (2011). XL Recordings released the song as the second single from the album on 24 January 2011 in the United Kingdom and on 9 August 2011 in the United States. Accompanied only by a piano in the song, Adele sings about the end of the relationship with her ex-partner.
"Set Fire to the Rain" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, 21 (2011). The song was written by Adele and Fraser T. Smith while the production was handled by the latter. It became Adele's third consecutive US number-one single from 21 and reached the top ten in most of other foreign markets. It is a Pop power ballad with lush instrumentation and a swelling string arrangement, in contrast to the understated production of most songs on the album. The song has received acclaim from various critics with many complimenting on Adele's vocals. "Set Fire to the Rain" was voted by readers of Billboard as their favorite number one hit of 2012. Though no official music video was released for the song, a live performance from the DVD Live at the Royal Albert Hall was uploaded to video-sharing website YouTube. This rendition won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.
Australian singer-songwriter Sia has released nine studio albums, six live albums, 68 singles, and 42 music videos. In 1997, she released her debut studio album entitled OnlySee. It was commercially unsuccessful, and none of its songs were released as a single. Sia released her second album, Healing Is Difficult, in 2001. The album yielded three singles: "Taken for Granted", "Little Man" and "Drink to Get Drunk". The lead single, "Taken for Granted", peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
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25 is the third studio album by the English singer-songwriter Adele, released on 20 November 2015 by XL Recordings and Columbia Records. The album is titled as a reflection of her life and frame of mind at 25 years old and is termed a "make-up record". Its lyrical content features themes of Adele "yearning for her old self, her nostalgia", and "melancholia about the passage of time" according to an interview with the singer by Rolling Stone, as well as themes of motherhood, new love, and regret.
This Is Acting is the seventh studio album by Australian singer and songwriter Sia. It was released on 29 January 2016 by Inertia, Monkey Puzzle and RCA Records. The album is mostly composed of songs written by Sia for other pop artists that were not included on their albums. Sia described songwriting for others as "play-acting," hence the title This Is Acting.
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A power-pop battle cry from Sia's 2015 LP, This Is Acting, "Bird Set Free" features themes that often resonate with the queer community...
