Miranda Lambert Wrote ‘Bluebird’ Three Days After Getting Married
Miranda Lambert had a secret the day she wrote "Bluebird," and her songwriting partners knew it. So after working out some lyrics, a little time, and maybe some wine, she spilled (the secret, not the vino).
Natalie Hemby and the "Bluebird" writing team (including Luke Dick) talked to Billboard about the song and the moment it took flight. Lambert previously revealed the song was inspired by a poem called "The Bluebird" that Dick brought to the room, but didn't dish on her part in the sorcery.
"She poured a glass of wine and held up her hand,” Hemby says in a new Makin' Tracks piece. "She goes, 'I got married three days ago.’ And Luke and I started laughing; like, we just couldn’t believe it."
Lambert married NYPD officer Brendan McLoughlin on Jan. 26, meaning "Bluebird" was written on Jan. 29, 2019. The country star wouldn't share the news with the rest of world until two weeks later, choosing instead to keep it between them for as long as possible.
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It's not totally fair to say the rest of the lyrics to "Bluebird" came without effort. Dick describes having most of the chorus, and a little bit of the verses, ahead of time. The group collectively came up with much of the rest, with Lambert herself adding gems like, "I can turn 20 cents into a 10" and "If love keeps givin' me lemons / I just mix 'em in my drink." They worked into the night, with Dick finishing up and cutting a demo that the hitmaker would eventually hand to producer Jay Joyce. Hemby ultimately added her backing vocals to the finished track.
"And if the whole wide world stops singing / And all the stars go dark / I'll keep a light on in my soul / Keep a bluebird in my heart," Lambert sings at the chorus.
"Bluebird" is the second single from Lambert's Wildcard album, released last November. She told Taste of Country she's gotten positive feedback from every song in pockets, but there seems to be universal appreciation for the message and tone of "Bluebird."
"There hasn’t been like one, besides 'Bluebird,' that has been common," Lambert said of which songs stuck out to fans. "Everybody is all over the map, which I love because that’s the kind of record it is."
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