"Yellow Bird" is a song that derives from a Haitian song from the 19th century entitled "Choucoune". The song "Choucoune" contained words taken from a poem by Oswald Durand the famous Haitian poet, and put to music by American born pianist Michel Mauleart Monton. It was first performed in Port-au-Prince in 1893.
"Yellow Bird" is a version of "Choucoune" using English lyrics written by Grammy Award winning songwriters Marilyn and Alan Bergman. These lyrics bear no resemblance to the original words.
"Yellow Bird" was first recorded by the Norman Luboff Choir in 1957 and arranged in calypso style. Since then it has been recorded by many artists including: Arthur Lyman, Chris Isaak, Roger Whitaker, Roger Williams, and Paul Clayton. The song continues to be linked with the Caribbean and is often performed as calypso by steel bands.