[3][clarification needed] The lyric, which is narrated from the perspective of a blue nightlight shaped like a canary, is hyper-associative, rapidly connecting disparate topics such as Jason and the Argonauts and The Longines Symphonette.

As part of the appearance, Linnell and Flansburgh performed "Birdhouse in Your Soul" with Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show Band.

[7] The music video for "Birdhouse in Your Soul" was directed by Adam Bernstein and filmed in New York County's Surrogate's Courthouse building in Manhattan in 1989.

[8] The video features Linnell and Flansburgh moving and performing erratically amidst a group of dancers dressed in red plaid shirts.

In the video, the dancers wear masks made from sunglasses affixed with an image of the eyes of William Allen White, whose face is used frequently in the band's visual material.

[11] Reviewing the single alone, Stewart Mason elaborates that, compared to previous releases, the high production value highlights Linnell's and Flansburgh's "knack for dynamics and arrangement."

Mason also speculates that the song's popularity stems from the modest depth of its lyric, which is somewhat oblique on the surface but ultimately "easy to figure out", giving the listener a sense of pride in their understanding.

This version was arranged and performed by series composer Jim Dooley with vocals from actors Kristin Chenoweth and Ellen Greene.

[21] In a 2015 Decider article revisiting the episode, Joe Reid wrote that the selection of "Birdhouse in Your Soul" contributed to "a moment that must have felt tailor-made for the audience members who responded to it".

[22] The song was also covered by Neil Cicierega as Lemon Demon on his second album, Live From the Haunted Candle Shop, which was released on July 23, 2003.