Snowbird (song)
| "Snowbird" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Anne Murray | ||||
| from the album This Way Is My Way | ||||
| B-side | "Just Bidin' My Time" | |||
| Released | June 1970 | |||
| Recorded | 1969 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:10 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gene MacLellan | |||
| Producer(s) | Brian Ahern | |||
| Anne Murray singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Snowbird" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Gene MacLellan. Though it has been recorded by many performers, it is best known through Anne Murray's 1969 recording, which—after appearing as an album track in mid-1969—was released as a single in mid-1970.
The song was a No. 2 hit on Canada's pop chart and went to No. 1 on both the Canadian adult contemporary and country charts. The song reached No. 8 on the U.S. pop singles chart, spent six weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. adult contemporary chart, and became a surprise Top 10 U.S. country hit as well. It was certified as a gold single by the RIAA, the first American Gold record ever awarded to a Canadian solo female artist.[3] It peaked at No. 23 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2003 it was an inaugural song inductee of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.[4]
Anne Murray and Gene MacLellan had met while both were regulars on the CBC television series Singalong Jubilee and Murray recorded two of MacLellan's compositions, "Snowbird" and "Biding My Time", for her first major label album release, This Way Is My Way, in 1969. Murray would recall: "Gene told me he wrote ["Snowbird"] in twenty minutes while walking on a beach on Prince Edward Island."[5]
"Snowbird" sold well over a million copies[6] and was picked as 19th on the 50 Tracks: The Canadian Version list, a partially populist approach to defining the most influential songs by Canadians.
Chart performance[edit]
Weekly singles charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
Notable versions[edit]
- Gene MacLellan's own recording of "Snowbird" on his 1970 album Street Corner Preacher features an additional verse to the song's standard two verse format.[citation needed]
- 1970: Liv Maessen (No. 13 in Australia).[citation needed]
- 1971: Loretta Lynn recorded a version, which was added to the 1971 album Coal Miner’s Daughter
- 1970-71: Elvis Presley recorded a version in 1970, which was released a year later on the album album Elvis Country.[citation needed]
- 1971: Chet Atkins – album For the Good Times winner of Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance.[citation needed]
- In 2007, Murray remade "Snowbird" for her Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends album; the song being rendered as a duet with Sarah Brightman.[citation needed]
References[edit]
- ^ Burke, Ken (January 1, 1998). "Anne Murray". In Knopper, Steve (ed.). MusicHound Lounge: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 351.
- ^ "Soft Rock Music Songs". AllMusic.
- ^ "RIAA - Recording Industry Association of America". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012.
- ^ "Snowbird by Anne Murray Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ "Bio". Gene MacLellan. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ Marten, Suzanne (August 28, 1986). "Murray Thrills 5,000 at Fair". The Post-Standard | Syracuse Post Standard. p. 27. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
- ^ "RPM Country Tracks for August 22, 1970". RPM. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
- ^ "RPM Top Singles for September 26, 1970". RPM. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. November 7, 1970. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Snowbird". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ "Anne Murray Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Anne Murray Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 10/10/70".
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. July 17, 2013.
- ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1970/Top 100 Songs of 1970". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1970". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
