Bird in Flight


"Bird in Flight"/"Tribal Look" is the third single by Toyah, released on February 1, 1980, by Safari Records. Neither track was featured on an album at the time, though both were added to the 2002 reissue of Sheep Farming in Barnet//The Blue Meaning, and also on the 2005 compilation album The Safari Singles Collection Part 1: 1979-1981.
In February New Musical Express wrote of "Bird in Flight": "Surprisingly gentle song by the banshee from Birmingham. It has an insidious quality that slowly gets under your skin and is a good pop song. The effective keyboards give it a desirable spacy atmosphere. Also more than a nod in Patti Smith's direction".
In 2011, of "Bird in Flight", Toyah said: "I find the lyric excruciatingly wrong. But that might be because I'm older and wiser and prefer what I write today. That said, the Toyah band play it beautifully and they have given it a light, optimistic feel that really lifts the whole set. It dances into the venue and tickles your ears. I just need to ignore the lyric... it's so bloody wrong."

Track listing

7" Vinyl

Catalogue Number: SAFE 22
Produced by Matt Dangerfield.
Published by Sweet 'n' Sour Songs Ltd.
Both sides ran at 45RPM.

Personnel