Bootleg Betty
Video: Bette Midler Sings Birds By Neil Young
By Mister D
Jan 31, 2026
Yes, Bette Midler famously performed a cover of “Birds” by Neil Young. It’s a live rendition featured on her 1977 album Live at Last, recorded during her “The Depression Tour” in 1976.
The song is a gentle, melancholic folk-rock ballad originally from Neil Young’s 1970 album After the Gold Rush, about love, loss, and moving on (with lyrics like “Lover, there will be another one / Who’ll hover over you beneath the sun”).
Bette’s version is a standout for its emotional delivery and her signature flair—she transforms the mellow original into something with a driving R&B edge while keeping its heartfelt core. What makes it especially memorable is her hilarious spoken introduction, where she pokes fun at Neil Young’s laid-back, “heavy” vibe and her own attempts to be chill:
“Oh, that’s so heavy. We’re gonna do a, a Neil Young song. Neil is so heavy, Neil is so mellow and laid back. I’m trying my best to be mellow and laid back. You know, I have even gone organic. Last week I ate an Earth Shoe. Oh, did I sing the ballad yet!? Was it wonderful?”
This banter captures her comedic genius and stage personality perfectly. The performance has been praised as brilliant (some fans say it even introduced them to Neil Young’s work), and clips of it circulate online, including on YouTube from the 1976 tour and the album recording.
