Released on 30 April 1991 "Why Do Birds Sing?" was the 5th., studio album by the US band Violent Femmes. 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. The album spawned three singles, the hit "American Music," which rose to number 2 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart during the week of May 18, 1991, and became a staple of the band's live shows, also the Culture Club's Hit cover "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me", & the college rock classic "Used To Be."
Why Do Birds Sing? was something of a return to form, if only in terms of having song after song of the kind of weirdly fractured folk pop that represented the band at their most accessible. Upbeat and straightforward album-opener "American Music" was placedssomewhere between campfire song and pop masterpiece, with subtle production details like sleighbells and sparingly used organ runs growing along with the song's steady build. The snarling cover of Culture Club's hit "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me," the band chose to record this unlikely cover: We took it as a challenge,” laughs Gordon Gano, who reworked the majority of the lyrics, making the song sound like a Violent Femmes original. Ritchie adds, "It was an experiment that turned out really well…in fact, we bumped into Boy George once in a hotel bar and he told us, 'That is the best cover of any of our songs anyone’s ever done.'" the inverted girl group appropriation of "Look Like That," and the driving college rock of "Used to Be."
The band's penchant for sardonic and juvenile humor remains intact on the faux-blues stomp of "Girl Trouble" and the shadowy clunk of "Make More Money," a bitter revenge story of the tormented high school nerd becoming a rich rock star. When Why Do Birds Sing? was first released, the Violent Femmes were already a decade into their career, enjoying cult success but still living mostly in the shadow of their debut. The album would be one of their most commercially successful up until that point, despite some critics finding it disjointed and a little too all-over-the-place stylistically.
The album felt more solid, with its lesser moments strung together by some of the best songs the band ever penned, and production that makes space for both the Femmes' anxious demeanor and their not-so-secret love of big, dumb pop songs. As the band recorded Why Do Birds Sing?, they found themselves returning to their classic Violent Femmes-era sound, particularly with songs like "Out The Window" and "Look Like That." They also revisited several compositions from their earliest days, including "Girl Trouble," "Life is a Scream," and "Flamingo Baby."
The album pushed the Violent Femmes into their highest level of mainstream success—nearly a decade into their career. Over the next few years, the band became a must-see act at festivals like Lollapalooza and Woodstock '94, while their videos could be seen regularly on MTV. As the group was embraced by a new generation of fans, Violent Femmes entered the Billboard 200 for the first time since its release.
