“White Bird” by It’s a Beautiful Day
As it sorta standard with musical acts, It’s a Beautiful Day (IABD) went through some hardships before firmly getting their foot in the door. And their growing pains were exacerbated due to initially being managed by one Matthew Katz.
Or put more plainly, he exploited IABD. Part of the exploitation included once instance where, under Katz’s direction (and in his house even), the band lodged under cramped, poverty-like conditions in Seattle.
“White Bird”
It was while staying in the attic of David Katz’s mansion that David and Linda LaFlamme put together what proved to be the group’s signature tune, “White Bird”. The titular animal is a symbolic construct, meant to symbolize, according to David’s own words, the band feeling like they “were… caged birds in that attic”.
But some of the other lyrics, i.e. the observations of the weather and environment around them, are literal. So basically, this song is based on the singer’s desire for freedom within the context of being stuck in what reads like the middle of nowhere under less-than-ideal weather conditions.
But despite the wording, to some being, being quite specific, the whole “white bird” imagery is pretty ambiguous. And such has a general applicability, i.e. listeners being able to interpret, under their own respective understandings, who the “white bird” may be. For instance, we see on the cover art a woman seemingly enjoying a sense of freedom.
So letting the “white bird… fly”, lest “she will die” for instance sounds like a statement that would apply to a repressed woman. And there is other symbolism, such as her being trapped “in a golden cage”, that can also be interpreted in various ways, though to note said animal is genderized as a female.
Takeaway
All in all, this is a relatively creative piece. It’s a Beautiful Day was able to take a specific experience and flip how they were feeling into a song that is generally relatable. So putting all of the above together, what is being spoken to is the concept of desiring freedom under circumstances in which one may not be literally trapped but is feeling as so.
When was “White Bird” released?
It’s a Beautiful Day is a 1960s’ era band from California that went defunct throughout the last couple of decades of the 20th century but has since reengaged in musical activities. “White Bird”, which Columbia Records issued in June of 1969, remains the act’s signature song.
This track is from It’s a Beautiful Day’s first studio album, which was a self-titled effort. This album didn’t chart too highly on the Billboard 200. However, it did manage to stay on the list for 70 weeks total.
Who wrote “White Bird”?
This piece was written by IABD’s frontman David LaFlamme. He composed it alongside Linda LaFlamme. David and Linda were actually married to each other at the time of the song’s composition.
David also produced “White Bird”.
Success
“White Bird” didn’t fare too impressively chart wise. This had something to do with the length of the song (which, in terms of the album version, is over six minutes). Furthermore, the conventional music radio stations of the day were reluctant to play the track due to its unconventional sound. However, it was a radio hit, i.e. actually being popular amongst the people.
Since then the song has enjoyed a pop media presence. For instance, it actually managed to be featured on multiple episodes of David Hasselhoff’s Knight Rider. One of these outings itself was entitled “White Bird”. Also, this classic appears in the 2015 American crime film titled “Focus“, starring the likes of Margot Robbie and Will Smith.
Furthermore, the tune has been featured on movies here and there and covered by a number of artists, including David LaFlamme himself in 1976 (with LaFlamme’s version, unlike the original, making it onto the Billboard Hot 100.
Music Genre
This classic belongs to the psychedelic rock genre. It can also be said to be a folk rock song.
NOTE
By the looks of things, there were actually two musicians by the name of Linda LaFlamme that were, at separate times, members of It’s a Beautiful Day. In other words, David LaFlamme had actually married two different women by the name of Linda.
The first, who has already been noted as a co-writer of this song, is simply known as Linda LaFlamme. Linda and David broke up sometime around 1970 (i.e. right after the release of “White Bird”). And the second, whom he got acquainted with during the mid-1970s, is Linda Baker LaFlamme. Both Linda Baker and David as of 2022 are members of IABD.
