Why Do Birds Sing? Explained

Why Do Birds Sing?
Type:	studio
Artist:	Violent Femmes
Cover:	The Violent Femmes-Why Do Birds Sing.jpg
Recorded:	1990
Genre:	Folk rock^[1]
Length:	42:20
Label:	Reprise
Producer:	Violent Femmes, Michael Beinhorn
Prev Year:	1990
Next Title:	Add It Up (1981-1993)
Next Year:	1993

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 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 Billboards Modern Rock chart during the week of May 18, 1991,^[2] and became a staple of the band's live shows.

Personnel

Violent Femmes

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

Michael Beinhorn – Hammond organ on "American Music", Mellotron on "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" and "Used To Be", piano on "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" and "I'm Free", harmonium on "Used To Be"
Sid Page, Suzie Katayama, Ilene Novog, Larry Corbett – strings on "Used To Be"
Tommy Mandel – keyboards on "American Music"

Production

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

Charts

Chart (1991)!scope="col"
Peak position
US Billboard 200^[3]	141

Notes and References

Web site: Ankeny. Jason. Violent Femmes Biography, Songs, & Albums. October 18, 2021. AllMusic.
Violent Femmes - Alternative Airplay. October 18, 2021. Billboard.
Whitburn, Joel; Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums, 1955–1996; p. 819.