It was released in 1983 as the first single from the band's 1984 debut eponymous album The Icicle Works, and re-released in March 1984.

The recording was initially released as a single in the UK in June 1983 as "Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)" on the Situation Two label.

The track was remixed slightly in order to remove a brief spoken-word overdub in the opening bars of music (the woman performing this intro was identified only as "Mariella" on the original Situation Two single sleeve).

As well, the song title was reversed, becoming "Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)"[3] and Arista shortened the band's name to Icicle Works.

[5][6] The Canadian version of the single (credited to The Icicle Works) used the original UK mix with the spoken-word intro, but under the revised American title "Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)."