Harry Styles covers ‘Songbird’ to honour Christine McVie
When Fleetwood Mac singer/keyboardist Christine McVie passed away earlier this week, waves of tributes poured in from all across the music world. Fleetwood Mac were one of those rare bands that feel just as popular today as they were during their commercial heydey – you can hardly find a working musician who wasn’t influenced by the Mac.
During his concert in Chile this week, pop superstar Harry Styles decided to pay tribute to Fleetwood Mac’s most essential member by busting out a cover of McVie’s Rumours-era classic, ‘Songbird’.
Styles is no stranger to a good old Fleetwood Mac cover. His go-to choice has historically been ‘The Chain’, the fraught emotional climax of Rumours. But that wouldn’t have been terribly appropriate for a tribute, so instead, Styles grabs a guitar and strums along with the delicate strains of the ballad that McVie commanded in the studio and on stage.
McVie originally wrote ‘Songbird’ during an all-night burst of inspiration in 1976. It became the Mac’s favourite encore number, often sending audiences out on a warm and fuzzy note. Now, the track is taking on a different tone after McVie’s death, with a palpable sense of sadness surrounding the heartstring-pulling melody at the song’s centre.
Check out Styles’ cover of ‘Songbird’ down below.
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