Bluebird (Buffalo Springfield song)

"Bluebird"
West German picture sleeve
Single by Buffalo Springfield
B-side	"Mr. Soul"
Released	June 15, 1967 (1967-06-15)
Recorded	April 4, 1967
Studio	Sunset Sound, Hollywood, California[a]
Genre	Folk rock hard rock psychedelic rock
Length	1:59 (single version) 4:28 (album version) 9:00 (extended version)
Label	Atco
Songwriter(s)	Stephen Stills
Producer(s)	Ahmet Ertegun Stephen Stills
Buffalo Springfield singles chronology
"For What It's Worth" (1966) "Bluebird" (1967) "Rock 'n' Roll Woman" (1967)

"Bluebird" is a song recorded by the American rock group Buffalo Springfield. It was written and produced by Stephen Stills, with co-production by Ahmet Ertegun. In June 1967, Atco Records released it as a single to follow-up their hit "For What It's Worth" (1966).

"Bluebird" reflects various influences and musical approaches. Stills conceived of it as a multi-part song, which developed over time. A key feature is the contrasting solos, which alternate between Stills's fingerpicked acoustic and Neil Young's distorted electric guitars. Three different studio versions have been released: a two-minute folk rock single focused on the intro vocal verses; a four and a half minute album version (featured on Buffalo Springfield Again) incorporating hard rock and country elements; and an extended nine-minute jam version, released on the band's self-titled compilation in 1973.

The song was a feature of Buffalo Springfield performances, usually as their closing number. Shortly after its release, they played the song at the Monterey Pop Festival. Improvised live versions of the song could last up to twenty minutes and showed a very different side of the group. After they disbanded, Stills and Young revisited the song several times in studio and live settings.

Although the single reached number 58 on the Billboard chart, some critics see the song as their most accomplished piece. They usually comment on Stills' and Young's guitar interplay and the stylistic shifts undertaken on the different arrangements. The lyrics reveal "a slightly psychedelia-tinged array of emotions and revelations of nature and perception", according to AllMusic critic Matthew Greenwald.

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