Songbird is a compilation album of songs by American singer Eva Cassidy. It was released through Blix Street on May 19, 1998, two years after her death in 1996.
Five tracks ("Wade in the Water", "Wayfaring Stranger", "Songbird", "Time is a Healer" and "I Know You by Heart") are from Cassidy's album Eva by Heart. Four tracks ("Fields of Gold", "Autumn Leaves", "People Get Ready" and "Oh Had I a Golden Thread") are from her album Live at Blues Alley. The remaining track, "Over the Rainbow", is from the album The Other Side. The compilation album was certified Gold by the CRIA (50,000 units) in 2003.[3] It was certified Gold by the RIAA in 2001 and Platinum in 2008 for shipments in excess of one million copies.[4]
In 2018, a twentieth anniversary edition of the album was released, titled Songbird 20.[5][6]
In May 1996, Eva Cassidy released the live album Live at Blues Alley, which would be the last album released before her death six months later, at the age of 33. Near the end of Cassidy's life, local folk singer Grace Griffith sent a copy of the album to Bill Straw, the head of her label, Blix Street Records.[7]
"It didn't take a genius to figure it out," Straw told The New York Times. "The moment I listened to that tape, I knew this was one of the best singers I'd ever heard."[7]
Straw approached the Cassidy family to put together a new album. In 1998, a compilation of tracks from Cassidy's three released recordings was assembled into what would become Songbird. This CD lingered in relative obscurity for two years until it was given airplay by Terry Wogan on his wide-reaching BBC Radio 2 show Wake Up to Wogan, following recommendation by his producer Paul Walters. The album sold more an additional 100,000 copies in the following months. The New York Times spoke of her "silken soprano voice with a wide and seemingly effortless range, unerring pitch and a gift for phrasing that at times was heart-stoppingly eloquent."[7]
Chart performanceEdit
The album was originally released in 1998, eighteen months on from Cassidy's death. At this point, she was virtually unknown in the United Kingdom, and Songbird only charted in the nether-regions of the UK Albums Chart. Two years after the album's release, however, Cassidy's music was brought to the attention of British audiences when her versions of "Fields of Gold" and "Over the Rainbow" were played by Mike Harding and Terry Wogan on BBC Radio 2.[8] Following an overwhelming response, a camcorder recording of "Over the Rainbow", taken at Blues Alley in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. by her friend Bryan McCulley, was shown on BBC Two's Top of the Pops 2.[9] Shortly afterwards, Songbird climbed to the top of the UK Albums Chart.[10] It ended up being the eighth-biggest-selling album of 2001, and it has subsequently been certified 6× Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and has worldwide sales in excess of 5 million copies.[11]
^. RIAA. Archived from the original on 2013-02-25. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
^Yanow, Scott. "Eva Cassidy Songbird 20". Jazz Monthly. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
^"Songbird 20". Spotify. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
^ abcWard, Alex (12 August 2002). "In Death, A Shy Singer Finally Grabs The Spotlight; CD's Carry Eva Cassidy's Voice a Wider Audience". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
^Chu, Jeff (23 April 2001). "Over the Rainbow Fans are finally discovering Eva Cassidy's legacy of soulful song". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
^Keller, Julia (24 June 2001). "Eva Cassidy died at 33, and you can't hear her recording of 'Over the Rainbow' without thinking about her death. You just can't. She's the latest artist to exemplify our emotional tie to tragic endings". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
^"Eva Cassidy: A Musical Soul". BBC World Service. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
^ abCopsey, Rob (18 March 2021). "The impact of Eva Cassidy's Songbird album 20 years after its surprise Number 1 success". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
^"Australiancharts.com – Eva Cassidy – Songbird". Hung Medien.
^"Danishcharts.dk – Eva Cassidy – Songbird". Hung Medien.
^"Dutchcharts.nl – Eva Cassidy – Songbird" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
^"Charts.nz – Eva Cassidy – Songbird". Hung Medien.
^"Norwegiancharts.com – Eva Cassidy – Songbird". Hung Medien.
^"Swedishcharts.com – Eva Cassidy – Songbird". Hung Medien.
^"Swisscharts.com – Eva Cassidy – Songbird". Hung Medien.
^"Canadian album certifications – Eva Cassidy – Songbird". Music Canada. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
^"Listen – Danmarks Officielle Hitliste – Udarbejdet af AIM Nielsen for IFPI Danmark – Uge 10" (in Danish). Ekstra Bladet. 20 March 1999. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
^ (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
^Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor–SGAE. ISBN84-8048-639-2.
^"Veckolista Album, vecka 11, 2003 | Sverigetopplistan" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 17 February 2022. Scroll to position 12 to view certification.
^"The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Eva Cassidy; 'Songbird')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
^"Songbird - Eva Cassidy". Apple Music. May 19, 1998. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
^"Songbird 20 - Eva Cassidy". Apple Music. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
October 09, 2023
songbird, cassidy, album, songbird, compilation, album, songs, american, singer, cassidy, released, through, blix, street, 1998, years, after, death, 1996, songbirdcompilation, album, cassidyreleasedmay, 1998length42, 51labelblix, streetproducereva, cassidychr. Songbird is a compilation album of songs by American singer Eva Cassidy It was released through Blix Street on May 19 1998 two years after her death in 1996 SongbirdCompilation album by Eva CassidyReleasedMay 19 1998Length42 51LabelBlix StreetProducerEva CassidyChris BiondoEva Cassidy chronologyEva by Heart 1997 Songbird 1998 Time After Time 2000 Professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic 1 Rolling Stone 2 Five tracks Wade in the Water Wayfaring Stranger Songbird Time is a Healer and I Know You by Heart are from Cassidy s album Eva by Heart Four tracks Fields of Gold Autumn Leaves People Get Ready and Oh Had I a Golden Thread are from her album Live at Blues Alley The remaining track Over the Rainbow is from the album The Other Side The compilation album was certified Gold by the CRIA 50 000 units in 2003 3 It was certified Gold by the RIAA in 2001 and Platinum in 2008 for shipments in excess of one million copies 4 In 2018 a twentieth anniversary edition of the album was released titled Songbird 20 5 6 Contents 1 Background 2 Chart performance 3 Track listing 3 1 Original version 3 2 Songbird 20 version 4 Personnel 5 Charts 5 1 Weekly charts 5 2 Year end charts 5 3 Decade end charts 6 Certifications 7 Release history 8 ReferencesBackground EditIn May 1996 Eva Cassidy released the live album Live at Blues Alley which would be the last album released before her death six months later at the age of 33 Near the end of Cassidy s life local folk singer Grace Griffith sent a copy of the album to Bill Straw the head of her label Blix Street Records 7 It didn t take a genius to figure it out Straw told The New York Times The moment I listened to that tape I knew this was one of the best singers I d ever heard 7 Straw approached the Cassidy family to put together a new album In 1998 a compilation of tracks from Cassidy s three released recordings was assembled into what would become Songbird This CD lingered in relative obscurity for two years until it was given airplay by Terry Wogan on his wide reaching BBC Radio 2 show Wake Up to Wogan following recommendation by his producer Paul Walters The album sold more an additional 100 000 copies in the following months The New York Times spoke of her silken soprano voice with a wide and seemingly effortless range unerring pitch and a gift for phrasing that at times was heart stoppingly eloquent 7 Chart performance EditThe album was originally released in 1998 eighteen months on from Cassidy s death At this point she was virtually unknown in the United Kingdom and Songbird only charted in the nether regions of the UK Albums Chart Two years after the album s release however Cassidy s music was brought to the attention of British audiences when her versions of Fields of Gold and Over the Rainbow were played by Mike Harding and Terry Wogan on BBC Radio 2 8 Following an overwhelming response a camcorder recording of Over the Rainbow taken at Blues Alley in Georgetown Washington D C by her friend Bryan McCulley was shown on BBC Two s Top of the Pops 2 9 Shortly afterwards Songbird climbed to the top of the UK Albums Chart 10 It ended up being the eighth biggest selling album of 2001 and it has subsequently been certified 6 Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry BPI and has worldwide sales in excess of 5 million copies 11 Track listing EditOriginal version Edit Title Written by Length1 Fields of Gold Sting 4 422 Wade in the Water Traditional 4 023 Autumn Leaves Joseph Kosma Johnny Mercer Jacques Prevert 4 414 Wayfaring Stranger Traditional 4 265 Songbird Christine McVie 3 436 Time Is a Healer Diane Scanlon Greg Smith 4 167 I Know You By Heart Eve Nelson Scanlon 3 598 People Get Ready Curtis Mayfield 3 169 Oh Had I a Golden Thread Pete Seeger 4 4910 Over the Rainbow Harold Arlen E Y Harburg 4 57Songbird 20 version Edit Title Length11 Songbird Acoustic 2 5212 Wade in the Water Acoustic 2 3913 People Get Ready Acoustic 3 2714 Autumn Leaves Acoustic 4 00The tracks from Live at Blues Alley sound like studio cuts because Cassidy s stage patter and the audience applause have been removed Personnel EditEva Cassidy guitar keyboards vocals producer arranger Chris Biondo bass rhythm guitar producer drum programming Dan Cassidy violin Hilton Felton organ John Gillespie organ Keith Grimes lead electric guitar Raice McLeod drums Larry Melton upright bass Mike Stein violin Chris Walker trumpet Lenny Williams piano Kent Wood organ producerCharts EditWeekly charts Edit Chart 1998 2001 PeakpositionAustralian Albums ARIA 12 42Danish Albums Hitlisten 13 9Dutch Albums Album Top 100 14 52Irish Albums IRMA 1New Zealand Albums RMNZ 15 25Norwegian Albums VG lista 16 7Swedish Albums Sverigetopplistan 17 2Swiss Albums Schweizer Hitparade 18 2UK Albums OCC 19 1US Top Catalog Albums Billboard 20 1 Year end charts Edit Chart 2001 PositionGerman Albums Offizielle Top 100 21 56Irish Albums IRMA 22 13Swiss Albums Schweizer Hitparade 23 78UK Albums OCC 24 8Chart 2002 PositionUK Albums OCC 25 70Chart 2003 PositionSwedish Albums Sverigetopplistan 26 15UK Albums OCC 27 126Chart 2004 PositionUK Albums OCC 28 168Decade end charts Edit Chart 2000 09 PositionUK Albums OCC 29 44Certifications EditCertifications and sales for Songbird Region Certification Certified units salesAustralia ARIA 30 Platinum 70 000 Canada Music Canada 31 Gold 50 000 Denmark IFPI Danmark 32 2 Platinum 100 000 Norway IFPI Norway 33 Platinum 50 000 Spain PROMUSICAE 34 2 Platinum 200 000 Sweden GLF 35 Gold 40 000 Switzerland IFPI Switzerland 36 Gold 25 000 United Kingdom BPI 37 6 Platinum 1 910 000 11 United States RIAA 38 Platinum 1 000 000 Sales figures based on certification alone Shipments figures based on certification alone Release history EditRelease dates and formats for Songbird Region Date Formats Editions Labels Refs Various May 19 1998 CassetteCDdigital downloadstreaming Standard Blix Street Records Inc 39 2 March 2018 CDdigital downloadstreaming Deluxe 40 References Edit AllMusic review Rolling Stone review Archived from the original on May 5 2009 Retrieved 26 May 2019 Gold amp Platinum Certification September 2003 Canadian Recording Industry Association Archived from the original on 2010 07 29 Retrieved 2010 08 21 Gold amp Platinum Certification RIAA Archived from the original on 2013 02 25 Retrieved 2010 09 04 Yanow Scott Eva Cassidy Songbird 20 Jazz Monthly Retrieved 11 March 2023 Songbird 20 Spotify 2 March 2018 Retrieved 11 March 2023 a b c Ward Alex 12 August 2002 In Death A Shy Singer Finally Grabs The Spotlight CD s Carry Eva Cassidy s Voice a Wider Audience The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 27 May 2019 Chu Jeff 23 April 2001 Over the Rainbow Fans are finally discovering Eva Cassidy s legacy of soulful song Time ISSN 0040 781X Retrieved 27 May 2019 Keller Julia 24 June 2001 Eva Cassidy died at 33 and you can t hear her recording of Over the Rainbow without thinking about her death You just can t She s the latest artist to exemplify our emotional tie to tragic endings Chicago Tribune Retrieved 26 May 2019 Eva Cassidy A Musical Soul BBC World Service Retrieved 26 May 2019 a b Copsey Rob 18 March 2021 The impact of Eva Cassidy s Songbird album 20 years after its surprise Number 1 success Official Charts Company Retrieved 18 March 2021 Australiancharts com Eva Cassidy Songbird Hung Medien Danishcharts dk Eva Cassidy Songbird Hung Medien Dutchcharts nl Eva Cassidy Songbird in Dutch Hung Medien Charts nz Eva Cassidy Songbird Hung Medien Norwegiancharts com Eva Cassidy Songbird Hung Medien Swedishcharts com Eva Cassidy Songbird Hung Medien Swisscharts com Eva Cassidy Songbird Hung Medien Official Albums Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Eva Cassidy Chart History Top Catalog Albums Billboard Top 100 Album Jahrescharts in German GfK Entertainment Retrieved 2 April 2021 Best of Albums 2001 Irish Recorded Music Association Retrieved 26 May 2022 Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2001 hitparade ch Retrieved 2 April 2021 End of Year Album Chart Top 100 2001 Official Charts Company 31 December 2001 Retrieved 18 October 2018 End of Year Album Chart Top 100 2002 Official Charts Company Retrieved 2 April 2021 Arslista Album Ar 2003 in Swedish Sverigetopplistan Retrieved 2 April 2021 The Official UK Albums Chart 2003 PDF UKChartsPlus Retrieved 2 April 2021 The Official UK Albums Chart 2004 PDF Official Charts Company Retrieved 19 November 2021 The Noughties Official UK Albums Chart Top 100 Music Week London England United Business Media 19 30 January 2010 ARIA Charts Accreditations 2002 Albums PDF Australian Recording Industry Association Retrieved July 21 2022 Canadian album certifications Eva Cassidy Songbird Music Canada Retrieved 17 February 2022 Listen Danmarks Officielle Hitliste Udarbejdet af AIM Nielsen for IFPI Danmark Uge 10 in Danish Ekstra Bladet 20 March 1999 Retrieved 17 February 2022 IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993 2011 in Norwegian IFPI Norway Retrieved 17 February 2022 Salaverri Fernando September 2005 Solo exitos ano a ano 1959 2002 1st ed Spain Fundacion Autor SGAE ISBN 84 8048 639 2 Veckolista Album vecka 11 2003 Sverigetopplistan in Swedish Sverigetopplistan Retrieved 17 February 2022 Scroll to position 12 to view certification The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community Awards Eva Cassidy Songbird IFPI Switzerland Hung Medien Retrieved 17 February 2022 British album certifications Eva Cassidy Songbird British Phonographic Industry Retrieved 17 February 2022 American album certifications Eva Cassidy Songbird Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved 17 February 2022 Songbird Eva Cassidy Apple Music May 19 1998 Retrieved 11 March 2023 Songbird 20 Eva Cassidy Apple Music 2 March 2018 Retrieved 11 March 2023 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Songbird Eva Cassidy album amp oldid 1175405691, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
