Snowbird (song)

"Snowbird" is a song by the Canadian lyricist 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. It 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] The song 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]

"Snowbird"
Single by Anne Murray
from the album This Way Is My Way
B-side"Just Bidin' My Time"
ReleasedJune 1970
Recorded1969
Genre
[2]
Length2:10
LabelCapitol
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)

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

Notable versions
  • Murray performed the song on episode 4.15 of The Muppet Show, in which she kept getting interrupted by a badly punning dodo.
  • In the Family Guy episode "Chris Cross", Brian and Stewie spend the third act arguing about the meaning of the song. When they travel to Canada to meet Murray in an attempt to ascertain its true meaning, Stewie becomes upset when he learns she did not write the song and holds Murray hostage.
  • D-TV set the song to the Pluto short, "Cold Storage".

References
  1. Burke, Ken (January 1, 1998). "Anne Murray". In Knopper, Steve (ed.). MusicHound Lounge: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 351.
  2. "Soft Rock Music Songs". AllMusic.
  3. "RIAA - Recording Industry Association of America". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 2012-07-20.
  4. "Snowbird by Anne Murray Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  5. "Bio". Gene MacLellan. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  6. Marten, Suzanne (28 August 1986). "Murray Thrills 5,000 at Fair". The Post-Standard | Syracuse Post Standard. p. 27. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  7. "RPM Country Tracks for August 22, 1970". RPM. Archived from the original on 2012-10-19. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  8. "RPM Top Singles for September 26, 1970". RPM. Archived from the original on 2012-10-19. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  9. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1970-11-07. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  10. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Snowbird". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  11. "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  12. "Anne Murray Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  13. "Anne Murray Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  14. "Cash Box Top 100 10/10/70".
  15. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. 17 July 2013.
  16. "Top 100 Hits of 1970/Top 100 Songs of 1970". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  17. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1970". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
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