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Bird On A Wire

from The Way Down by Van Plating

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about

Bird On A Wire is a nostalgic, 80s infused homage to love over the long haul. It was also the first co-write of three that ended up on this record which I created with Bryan Elijah Smith. The lyric leans into that sensation of being bone tired, wandering and disoriented. You’re far past the end of yourself, with nothing left to give, and your loved one is also there-- hanging onto you for dear life. And your’e so exhausted, feeling so small, yet so full of love for that person. But you can’t carry them. You can barely hold on, yourself. Carrying your lover on your back would end you both. So, the most you can do is hold fast to their hand while you wander together, through the desert, clinging to one another's fingertips in the dark. Both tired-- body and soul. And all you want, with all your might, is to shake off the burdens holding you both down so you can find your wings again, holding out hope that light is coming. Production wise we leaned into a War On Drugs sort of mashup, with strings layered in and lots of swooping phrasing which adds to this dreamlike atmosphere created by the vocal and the lyric. Here’s a funny story about how this song came about: “When Bryan and I met up to write a song in January, we didn’t have any expectations or plans for what we’d make. I was scrolling Instagram one morning and came across him performing on a Tampa public radio show I have also performed on. I wasn’t familiar with his work, so I pulled up Spotify and was totally blown away by his songwriting and spellbinding vocals. So I did what millennials do...and followed him on Instagram.”

While she was still listening to his record, she received a direct message from Bryan — he was listening to her music, as she was simultaneously listening to his. He loved her voice and sound and asked if she wanted to meet up to write a song.

“I said ‘sure’ and when we showed up to the first write back in January, we were wearing matching outfits. Same vintage blue t-shirt, same jeans, boots, same sunglasses. It was totally embarrassing but broke the ice quite effectively. No reason to hold onto your dignity when you’re walking around town in a matching outfit with someone you only just met.” Our styles worked really well together and writing was easy. We wrote Bird On A Wire in an afternoon, here in Lakeland by one of my favortie lakes, and made tentative plans to record it (and maybe a couple more songs) laster in the year. Bird On A Wire is what kicked off this whole process and without it, this album never would have come about.

lyrics

Bird On A Wire

Some days i tried to lay it down
One more trip til the sun comes round
Too tired to move too tired to quit
Like a lonesome dove
Heavy on the wind
Oh my love
Oohhhh yeeaahhh
Oh my love
Let it go

Moved for miles across the waste
Underneath it all i could feel you fade
Still holdin’ your hand
Don’t fall my love
Too scared to sink
Too weak to hold you up

Oh my love
Oohhhh yeeaahhh
Oh my love
Let it go

(bridge)


You could open me up'n take a look inside
I’m just a homeless heart
chained to the night
In my dreams i set the world on fire
Then hang from the moon like a bird on a wire

Oh my love
Oohhhh yeeaahhh
Oh my love
Let it go
Oh my love
Oohhhh yeeaahhh
Oh my love
Let it go

I could breathe you in like the breath of a choir
I’m still hangin’ from the moon like a bird on a wire

credits

from The Way Down, track released November 19, 2021

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Van Plating Lakeland, Florida

Critically acclaimed indie americana artist and multi-instrumentalist Van Plating has a rugged vulnerability uniquely hers ─ fermented in the orange groves and hot verdant summers of the sunshine state.

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