"The Birds of St. Marks" is a song by Jackson Browne. The song was originally recorded on April 6, 1970[1] as a demo for Criterion Music, but was not officially recorded until his 2005 album Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1. The song was originally written for guitar, as recorded in the Criterion Demos, but the live version featured on Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 is performed by Jackson Browne on piano. The song depicts a queen behind castle walls, imprisoned in sadness and loneliness by her royal position.
The song was inspired by singer Nico. During a stint in New York City before his own solo career, Jackson Browne served as backing guitarist for Nico both on record and in live performance. They were also lovers for a short time. One interpretation of the song is that Nico is the queen, trapped within the manipulations of her "manager", Andy Warhol, and unable to be free to follow her own muse.
In addition to the Solo Acoustic performance, Jackson plays the song on his 1994 concert video "Going Home"[2][3]. The song is also featured in the 2007 movie Reign Over Me starring Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle.
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