The song Carrie Fisher wrote with Sean Ono Lennon
Carrie Fisher was many things. To most, she was the iconic princess-turned-general Leia Organa in Star Wars, but she was also a writer of screenplays and novels and an open and ardent mental health advocate. Perhaps an even lesser-known facet of her creative work was music.
Fisher’s penchant for writing was not limited to lengthy, sprawling screenplays and autobiographies. She also penned lyrics, once even contributing her words to a collaboration with Sean Ono Lennon. As the son of John Lennon, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Sean has followed in his father’s footsteps and pursued a career in music.
Somewhere in between his work with the Plastic Ono Band and his solo career, Lennon once penned a song with the space princess herself a few years before Fisher’s death. Upon her passing, Lennon was moved to record the track with Willow Smith and share it on SoundCloud, accompanied by some words about the song.
“Carrie and I wrote this song years ago,” he recalled, “When she died I just felt I had to record it. This is only a demo unmixed, we only had a few hours to record it. But the lyrics she wrote with me I think are marvelous.” The song was titled ‘Bird Song’.
Over gorgeous keys, Lennon and Smith’s demo of the track delivers Fisher’s words in perfect harmony, bringing their beauty to life. “Love comes on cat’s feet, it circles the corners, it sits by the window and whispers… ‘Mine! You’re mine All mine!” they sing together. Beautifully metaphorical and considered but playful at the same time, they’re steeped in Fisher’s personality and talent.
Lennon remembered his time with Fisher fondly, recalling how their late-night chats inspired them to pen the song. “Carrie and I used to stay up til dawn chatting and pontificating about life. They were my best moments. Anyway… we wrote a song about staying up too late and hearing the birds sing,” he explained.
Brought to life by the “golden voice” of “prodigal angel” Smith, the demo is a gorgeous tribute to Fisher’s talent and to their friendship. It’s characteristically Carrie, an essential listen for fans of the Hollywood icon, but it’s also instantly recognisable as a Lennon track. As he sings alongside Smith, Sean sounds impossibly like his father on the track.
A demo of the touching tribute is still available to stream on Lennon’s SoundCloud account. Listen to ‘Bird Song’, the song Carrie Fisher wrote with Sean Ono Lennon, below.
