Nelly Furtado – I’m Like a Bird (2000) (Video) (Lyrics)

(Written February 11, 2024)

Late to the party, I discovered Nelly Furtado’s incredible album “Whoa, Nelly!” nearly a year after it dropped.  It became a huge part of the soundtrack to my semester in Quito, Ecuador during the fall of 2001.  If I was traveling across Ecuador, I had “Whoa, Nelly!” with me.  “I’m Like a Bird” happens to be the breakout single and the most well-known song on the album, but the entire album is incredible.  “Trynna Find a Way” and “Turn Off the Lights” stand out as well, but it remains one of the rare albums I can still listen to in its entirety.

Why did I like it so much?  Wanderlust, probably.  The entire album is about making your way in the world, figuring out what you want out of life, and every other 90s inspirational/motivational cliche one can imagine.  Nelly just did it a bit better than others.  What always struck me about this album, the song themselves, the music videos, and Nelly herself is the originality of it all.  “Whoa, Nelly!” as a whole definitely fit the late 1990s/early 2000s aesthetic perfectly.  Yet, something unique about Nelly herself stands out and shines.  And then there is the uniqueness of her voice.  There is no mistaking it.

Originality always resonates with me, and I think that is why I love this song and the entire album so much.  I can’t help but think of all of the adventures I had across Ecuador, including the bio research station Tiputini (in the Amazon), Otovalo, the Galapagos Islands, and more each time I listen to Nelly.  There is nothing quite like being 20 and having the entire world before you.  “Whoa, Nelly!” captures it well.