I'm Like a Bird

2000 single by Nelly Furtado

"I'm Like a Bird" is a song by Canadian singer songwriter Nelly Furtado. It was written by Furtado and produced by Gerald Eaton and Brian West for her debut studio album, Whoa, Nelly! (2000). Released as the album's first single on September 25, 2000, it became a worldwide hit the following year, peaking at number one in Portugal, number two in Australia and New Zealand, number five in the United Kingdom, and number nine in the United States. It was the eighth most played song on Canadian radio in 2001. In 2002, "I'm Like a Bird" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year and won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. It also won the Juno Award for Single of the Year in 2001.

"I'm Like a Bird" is composed common time in the key of B♭ major. The song moves at 90 beats per minute, and Furtado's voice spans around two octaves, from F3 to F5.

The music video for "I'm Like a Bird" was directed by Francis Lawrence, and features heavy use of CGI. The video begins in the sky where the camera slowly pans down onto Furtado, who is lying in the grass. It then shows her singing on a tree trunk in mid air. In the chorus she gets up and starts singing to the camera while birds are flying around her. The second verse shows her sitting in mid air in a forest, while singing to the camera. The chorus consists of flashes of Furtado singing in mid air, again, while leaning on the tree trunk. During the bridge she is singing to a bug while her eyes change colour, which changes the bug's color accordingly. The conclusion of the video shows her falling backwards from a branch into a crowd as she sings the final chorus of the song. The last shot pans out to reveal a crowd of tens of thousands. There was an edited version of the music video for European VH1, where some scenes were changed.

+ Release dates and formats for "I'm Like a Bird" Region Date Format(s) Label Ref(s). (Reference(s)) United States September 25, 2000 Hot adult contemporary, modern adult contemporary radio DreamWorks September 26, 2000 Contemporary hit radio Australia February 19, 2001 CD single United Kingdom February 26, 2001 Polydor Germany March 5, 2001 Universal