Classic Pop Icons

Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird” is Song of the Week on Classic Pop Icons. “Songbird” closed side one of Fleetwood Mac’s monster hit album “Rumours.” It was also the B-side of the hit single “Dreams”.

Fleetwood Mac were in the midst of their greatest commercial success to date in 1976, but behind the scenes there was a real danger that the band might fall apart. When it came to recording the follow-up to their self-titled 1975 album, Christine and John McVie were barely on speaking terms following the collapse of their marriage, and the relationship between singer Stevie Nicks and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham was undergoing similar difficulties. Lindsey Buckingham recalled this period when interviewed for the “Classic Albums: Fleetwood Mac – Rumours” documentary:

Whatever was going on in the band, specifically between the two couples, very much informed the material and I think that was a very great appeal of the album. If you look at the success that Rumours enjoyed I think that it goes a little bit beyond the music itself. I think a resonance kicks in that has to do with the interaction of the people; the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. And i think a tangible element of that is the fact that you had these dialogues shooting back and forth between members of the band about things that were happening to all of us while we were recording these songs.

The “dialogues” to which Buckingham refered manifested in the form of songs such as his own “You Can Go Your Own Way,” Stevie Nick’s “Dreams,” and Christine McVie’s “Don’t Stop,” “You Make Loving Fun” and “Songbird”.

“Songbird” appears to tell the story of a love affair between two people, which the singer is so consumed by that even the happy sound of birds singing seems to be a celebration of that love – “And the songbirds are singing/Like they know the score/And I love you, I love you, I love you/Like never before”. In an interview for the Classic Albums documentary, Christine McVie claimed that despite the one-to-one nature of the lyric, the song was not intended to be about one specific relationship:

I think it was about nobody and everybody in retrospect. It seemed to be more like a little anthem than anything else. It was for everybody and it was like a little prayer almost.

The song’s soothing tone and hopeful, comforting lyrics (“For you, there’ll be no more crying/For you, the sun will be shining) were perhaps designed to convey a message to the group that, despite current difficulties, love will win the day.

(Left to right) – Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks

Critic, Cameron Crowe, said in 1977 that “Rumours” completed the band’s “long hard drive from British Blues to California Gold” (Rolling Stone, March 24, 1977). If you listen to “Songbird,” you’ll know what he meant.

“Songbird” – Fleetwood Mac

Authorship

The words and music for “Songbird” were written by Christine McVie.

Recording date/location

“Songbird” was recorded in the spring of 1976 at Zellerbach Auditorium in Berkeley, San Francisco. Producer Ken Caillet had previously recorded Joni Mitchell at the Berkeley Community Theatre and wanted to capture a similar ambience for “Songbird”. He opted for the nearby Zellerback Auditorium when his first choice venue was not available.

Christine McVie remembers the session as follows:

They set up the hall with just me on the stage, with a piano and some roses and champagne. That’s how it started and continued to go on until about 7 O’clock the following morning. It took a long time because I had to do it in one take.

The overdubs were probably made a couple of months later in Los Angeles.

Musicians

“Songbird” is dominated by Christine McVie’s lead vocal and Steinway piano, but there are also subtle supporting contributions from Mick Fleetwood on percussion and Lindsey Buckingham on guitar.

Chart performance

“Songbird” was the B-side of “Dreams” which was Fleetwood Mac’s only single to hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It also topped the charts in Canada.

The single peaked at number 24 on the UK singles chart.

The album on which “Songbird” appeared, “Rumours,” topped the album chart in the US and would become one of the best selling albums of all time.

Notable covers

“Songbird” – Eva Cassidy

Eva Cassidy featured “Songbird” on her debut solo studio album, “Eva By Heart,” which was released posthumously in 1997. It was also the title track of a compilation that would reach number one on the UK album chart in 1998 and become a modern classic.

This is a stunning performance from a very gifted vocalist. The sheer quality of Eva’s voice and the sensitivity of her interpretatation make this a highly involving listening experience. There are few singers who can so effectively draw a listener in and command their attention.

Eva actually played some gigs with Mick Fleetwood at his club called Fleetwood’s in Alexandria, VA. In 2000, Fleetwood told Mojo:

She immediately captivated me. She did a lot of covers, yet it was like hearing a song for the first time… I often listen to her music, me and my wife. It brings back a lot of memories… She was an interpreter of the highest calibre.

In reference to Eva’s version of “Songbird,” he said “Christine’s heard it. She loves it.”

“Songbird” – Rosie Thomas

Singer-songwriter Rosie Thomas performed a strong cover of “Songbird” on her 2006 album “These Friends Of Mine“. The appealing vocals are backed by a simple arrangement, with a well-crafted acoustic guitar part and atmospheric strings.

“Songbird” is available on the single and double disc remastered versions of “Rumours” released in 2004.

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