The idea came about after waking up in the middle of the night, but it made the author stay up all night for fear of forgetting before recording a demo.
THE Fleetwood Mac He became notable, over the years, for his time-consuming creative process — to the point of taking months in the studio looking for perfection. This, however, was not the rule. A popular song by the band, curiously responsible for keeping the group together in times of fights, emerged very quickly.
In a 2017 interview with Peoplethe longing Christine McVie counted as the inspiration for “Songbird”from the album Rumors (1977), came almost out of nowhere. It got to the point where the singer saw her work as almost supernatural.
Christine he said:
For some peculiar reason, I wrote ‘Songbird’ in half an hour. I have never been able to determine how I managed to do this. I woke up in the middle of the night and the song was there in my brain: chords, lyrics, melody, everything.”
There was just one problem. The vocalist and keyboardist of Fleetwood Mac He explained that he had to work hard to record the composition. In the 1970s, there was not the same technological ease today. She explained:
I played the song in my room, but there was no way to record it there. So I had to stay up all night to not forget. I got to the studio the next morning and did Ken Caillat [produtor de Rumours] record the demo.”
Special climate
When it came time to officially register for Rumorsthe Fleetwood Mac decided to create a special atmosphere. The band rented the Zellerbach Auditorium, located on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, and McVie She played the song alone on stage, accompanied only by her piano. The idea was to sound like she was playing after a show.
The song became one of the most emotional moments of the group’s shows. Especially for John McViefrom who Christine had separated before recording the album. He told the Rolling Stone USA:
When Christine played ‘Songbird’, grown men cried. I cried every night.”
Fleetwood Mac and the success of Rumors
Although it was never released as a single, “Songbird” It was still very successful. This is because the album on which it came out, Rumorsis one of the best sellers in the history of the music industry.
Launched in February 1977, the work of Fleetwood Mac It was the biggest seller of that year in the United States. The commercial impact was so great that it occupied sixth place on the list of most sold albums of all time in the country, with 21 million copies. Internationally, there were more than 40 million units.
Collaborated: Pedro Hollanda.
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
