Songbird is the third Eva Cassidy song to appear here after her previous entry Over the Rainbow. Her version of the Christine McVie-penned track from Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours was added to her posthumous albums. It was released on her first solo studio album Eva By Heart in 1997 one year after her death and then released again as the title track of a compilation album (see image above) in 1998. The compilation album was certified Platinum in 2008 for shipments in excess of one million copies.
I always considered Eva Cassidy’s voice one of the most angelic and purest I have heard in contemporary modern music yet she tragically passed away without finding commercial success in her lifetime. She died of melanoma in 1996 at the age of 33 and was virtually unknown outside of her native Washington D.C. Fortunately we are blessed to have many live and studio recordings of her songs.
[Verse 1]
For you, there’ll be no crying
For you, the sun will be shining
‘Cause I feel that when I’m with you
It’s alright
I know it’s right
[Chorus]
And the songbirds keep singing like they know the score
And I love you, I love you, I love you
Like never before
[Verse 2]
To you, I would give the world
To you, I’d never be cold
‘Cause I feel that when I’m with you
It’s alright
I know it’s right
[Chorus]
And the songbirds keep singing like they know the score
And I love you, I love you, I love you
Like never before
Like never before
Like never before
The following information was extracted from the second reference below:
The original song appeared on Fleetwood Mac‘s 1977 album Rumours and was released as the B-side of the single Dreams. It is one of four songs written solely by the English musician and singer-songwriter Christine McVie on the album. She was the keyboardist and one of the vocalists and songwriters of the band.
McVie wrote Songbird in half an hour around midnight, but didn’t have anyone around to record it. To ensure she did not forget the chord structure and melody, McVie remained awake the entire night. The next day, McVie played the song and producer Ken Caillat loved the track and suggested she record it alone in a concert style approach.
McVie frequently sang the song at the end of Fleetwood Mac concerts. Her former husband, John McVie, recalled that “When Christine played “Songbird”, grown men would weep.”
References:
1. Songbird (Eva Cassidy album) – Wikipedia
2. Songbird (Fleetwood Mac song) – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
She did have a pure voice…it’s a shame it took this long for people to really like her.
I have another name for you Matt…a folk singer who vanished…if you are interested…Connie Converse.
It’s hard not to overstate how big Eva Cassidy might have been if she hadn’t passed away so young. All of her live show recordings I believe in a small Washington tavern are something else. I’ll check out Connie Converse. What an unusual name!
Cassidy was great…it’s such a shame.
Please check her out…
I’m currently listening to her. Like her name, the melodies are certainly unusual. Connie even goes out of tune often. I’m not sure what to make of it. Total mind F(/k for want of better words. Great wordsmith. Even weirder is how she disappeared without trace. It reminds me of Virginia Woolf’s story kinda.
Yes…that is why I wanted you to listen to her…how she just vanished without a trace…but they think she wasn’t kidnapped…she did it on her own…very strange story Matt
Cassidy did great justice to this beautiful song.
It is magic to the ears. Thanks Jeff.
I have to agree with you, Matt, Eva Cassidy had such an incredibly beautiful voice and the thought she passed away at age 33 is just heart-breaking. Her rendition of “Songbird” nicely showcases her voice. I also love her rendition of Sting’s “Fields of Gold.”
‘Fields of Gold’ was always my favourite song by Sting and although I like Cassidy’s version, I can’t get his version outta my head.