“Silver Bird” by Mark Lindsay

The titular “silver bird” reads like a metaphor for an airplane, but this song is not actually about air travel per se. Rather, the addressee would apparently be a romantic interest of the vocalist. And the way an aircraft plays into the situation at hand is that, by the looks of things, she is on the verge of leaving him. 

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Mark Lindsay's Mark Lindsay at Lyrics.org.

It is not established whether they have a formal romance going on. But the logical implication would perhaps be that they are, considering how much in his feelings Mark Lindsay appears to be.

Yet and still, he’s taking the matter like a champ. That is to say that the vocalist is not spazzing, nor is he an emotional wreck nor trying to limit the freedoms of the addressee. To the contrary, Mark is basically telling her to go and do her thing, though obviously he’s not happy about her departure. However, he does anticipate the addressee eventually returning . And since he perceives their friendship as a lasting one, he also intends be there to receive her when she does come back.

Lyrics to Mark Lindsay's "Silver Bird"

Mark Lindsay

Mark Lindsay is a singer from the Pacific Northwest (of the United States). He made a name for himself as the vocalist of an act called Paul Reverse & the Raiders, that experienced their collective heyday during the 1960s. Later in the band’s history he also began dropping his own tracks.

“Silver Bird”

“Silver Bird”, which Columbia Records released on 13 June 1970, is the title song from Lindsay’s second solo album. 

This tune more recently made headlines due to being prominently featured on the extremely-expensive Netflix film The Gray Man (2022) starring Ryan Gosling.

“Silver Bird” was written by Artie Butler and the late Kenny Young (1941-2020), and its producer is Jerry Fuller. 

This track made it onto the top 10 of Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.

Silver Bird

20 Responses

  1. Marcy Smith says:

    Love the song, sell it to an airline. Perfect

  2. Anonymous says:

    In the age of the #metoo movement I am surprised that that they chose any Mark Lindsay song let alone gave it to an under age girl to play on a record player. He is the guy who wrote a song called ‘Just Seventeen” when he was pushing 30 about his experience in Montana when he knowingly invited a 17 year old girl into his hotel room. He sings about the police showing up and how it was a crime while at the same time moaning “help me baby.” Then there was the song where he sang how he longs to hold the “Little Girl in the 4th Row” in his arms. Beyond creepy! Stay away fron my kids! It also makes no sense in the scene to even use that song. It gave me the willies!

    • Anonymous says:

      Any proof to what you’re accusing him of?

    • Anonymous says:

      Me too movement died when progressives started getting accused of sexual abuse. They were like whoa! That’s not what we meant! That’s not the right guys! So two sided it was pathetic they all looked foolish… “well it happened to me too!” Umm not by that guy you must be misremembering ! It was like a 3 stooges marathon

    • Anonymous says:

      Lol

    • Anonymous says:

      Boy, you have a great imagination! Little Girl in the fourth Row was written in the 1960s. You sure had to read into something that is not there. I never heard anything about him being in trouble for being with an underage girl .

    • Anonymous says:

      Before you shut the jail door, you’d better hold it open for Gary Puckett and The Union Gap, Ringo Starr, Aerosmith, Benny Mardones, Simon and Garfunkel, Cold Chisel, Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, Bobby Goldsboro (and his first wife!), Neil Sedaka, the late Jerry Lee Lewis of course, Van Halen, Styx, the late Michael Jackson and his Pretty Young Things (no surprises there), Foreigner, the late George Michael, Cher, Neil Diamond, Mondo Rock, KISS, Donald Fagen, The Rolling Stones, ironically The Police, and finally Bill Wyman (who actually dated a 13-year-old).

      It’s gonna start getting pretty crowded in there! LOLOLOL

  3. Sheryl says:

    Isn’t anyone else tracking that to a young girl who is basically dying, lost all her family except her unlce the song is about death? To Six who also only has her uncle as “the closest thing to family”, and considers her “almost family” the song is about death taking her away? Is it only me that sees the song about the ultimate final trip…flying away…to learn what’s on the other side?

  4. Anonymous says:

    Sorry but my immediate thought was Art Kelly.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Typo R. Kelly

  6. Gordo says:

    Sheryl maybe overthinking it a bit ? Idk I think it’s simply about a guy letting loose of his girl she gets in a jet plane and flys off to see the world . He will be waiting when she decides to come back home. This was written in the sixties music was much more simple then I think.

  7. Anonymous says:

    For f–k sake…….what is wrong with you people…lighten up

  8. Anonymous says:

    I know my baby’s no baby no more . . .

  9. Movie Lover says:

    I took the song Silver Bird to mean that number 6 will wait for her until she is an adult; and romantic relationship will start then. Haven’t you heard of that situation before? Didn’t Celine Dion’s late husband managed her career from the time she was an adolescent, then married her when she was an adult? Was that strange? On the flip side, Silver Bird song was great marketing to stir peoples interested for a sequel. About the movie; Ryan Gosling would make a great American James Bond.

  10. Joe Miller says:

    Watched the movie. The song just captures you. Everything comes together.

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