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Snowbird (Song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “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 | Folk-pop soft rock |
| Length | 2:10 |
| Label | Capitol |
| Songwriter(s) | Gene MacLellan |
| Producer(s) | Brian Ahern |
| Anne Murray singles chronology | |
| “Bidin’ My Time” (1970)”Snowbird“ (1970)”Put Your Hand in the Hand“ (1971) | |
“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. 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.
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.”
“Snowbird” sold well over a million copies 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
Weekly singles charts
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia | 77 |
| Canada RPM Adult Contemporary | 10 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 2 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 20 |
| New Zealand (Listener) | 3 |
| UK | 23 |
| US Billboard Easy Listening | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 8 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | 6 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard) | 10 |
Snowbird Covers
- Chet Atkins
- Crystal Gayle
- Dave Monk
- Lynn Anderson
- The French Family Band
- Rumer
- Percy Faith
- Loretta Lynn
- Jerry Vale
- Burl Ives
- Elvis Presley
- Billy Vaughn
- Ballroom Dance Orchestra
- Living Strings
- Bing Crosby
- Boots Randolph
- Hank Snow
- Liv Maessen
- Virginia Lee
Year-end charts
| Chart (1970) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM Top Singles | 20 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 42 |
| U.S. Cash Box | 64 |
Snowbird (Album)
| Snowbird | |
|---|---|
| |
| Greatest hits album by Anne Murray | |
| Released | 1970 |
| Genre | Country |
| Label | Capitol |
| Anne Murray chronology | |
| Honey, Wheat and Laughter (1970)Snowbird (1970)Straight, Clean and Simple (1971) | |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Village Voice | B |
Snowbird is a compilation album by Anne Murray issued in 1970 on Capitol Records. The album was released as the first Anne Murray album available in the United States and consists of songs previously included on This Way Is My Way and Honey, Wheat and Laughter. The photo and graphic design of the album cover are a reworking of the artwork on Honey, Wheat and Laughter. The album peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and number 41 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.
Track listing
1. “Snowbird“
2. “Fire and Rain“
3. “Rain”
4. “Break My Mind”
5. “Bidin’ My Time”
6. “Put Your Hand in the Hand“
7. “Running”
8. “Musical Friends”
9. “Get Together“
10. “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight”
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