Christine McVie: Losing Fleetwood Mac's Songbird

Christine McVie, the singer, songwriter and keyboardist who became the biggest hitmaker for Fleetwood Mac, died on Wednesday, November 30th, 2022. She was 79. In just half an hour, she wrote one of the band’s most beloved songs, “Songbird,” a sensitive ballad that for years served as the band’s closing encore in concert. In 2019, the band’s leader, Mick Fleetwood, said that “Songbird” is the piece he wanted played at his funeral, “to send me off fluttering.”

[shspurs]

The first time she played this song. It made grown men cry and weep like they were babies again.

[kingstumble]

I used to know Chris when she was in Chicken Shack and I was playing in another band in the Black Country (UK.) We shared an old Ford Transit to a gig once. She was the sweetest, nicest person you could ever wish to meet.

[wnldnyi]

It feels so wrong to me to be living a life without Christine McVie in it. Long time admirer here 😒

[gfhfolktrio]

Thank you Rick, Christine was always my favorite.

[stevew]

If a woman said to you, I love you, I love you, I love you, like never before, you'd be a fool not to take her as your wife. Thank you Christine for the love.

[leeroggenburg]

Maybe the most underappreciated musician of the Rock era

[paulwalsh]

A lovely tribute. You may or may not know that Christine's father, Cyril, was a music teacher here in Birmingham UK. We were briefly taught by him back in '73/'74. He was incredibly proud of Christine. She had a beautiful voice and will be sadly missed

[Podgey]

This was my Wedding Song. I love how gentle the piano is and how simple, yet sincere the Words are. ❤ All my guests had tears

[kbtube]

. ."sweet, wonderful you" . . . . .best opening line for a song ever. i can't even listen to it these days. tears me right up.

[nigelbarker]

I saw Christine with Chicken Shack at the Bluesville 68 club in Bradford in 1969, and again at the Nelson Imperial in the post Peter Green, pre Buckingham Nicks Fleetwood Mac. What a talent!

[paulg]

Soft, smokey and seductive. Her voice was like your morning coffee. A warm blanket on a cold night. A soft kiss from your loved one. Watching a gentle snowfall from your porch, drinking hot chocolate. Her talent goes beyond her voice, beyond her keyboard playing. I always thought of her as the quiet one, playing on the side of the stage while the others, with their drama and strong presence, diverting the audience's attention to them. She will be greatly missed. I'm sure she is resting and singing in peace to an audience as gentle as her. ❤

[CMPProductions]

There was just something different about Christine. She seemed to always exude class and beauty in her performance and presence. She will be sorely missed.

[richardrobinson]

in 1984 I drove about 2000 miles and I listened to this album over and over and over again. I never tired of it. It always drew me in for one more time.

[beccawecca]

Tears are streaming down my face. I'm 37, I was 19 when my mother died. My mother was born in 1951, went to Woodstock in 1969, marched with Dr. King, even traveled in a hippie bus from Carolina to San Francisco... She was a true gypsy soul, wild and free, yet on some level ironically desperate for stability and roots... But love defined her. Love for every woman and man. She taught me everything I know about acceptance and loyalty to a fault. She had so much pain in her life, from its very beginnings all the way through to the end. My fate has followed in those footsteps unfortunately. Fortunately, I have the teachings of having seen it played out before my eyes to learn from, my fate not yet so soon to be written. Somehow, I've mever heard this song until it came on a radio station just a bit ago. It touched me, I had to come to google to see what was the story behind the lyrics. Your video came up, and I am struck by all the comments similar to mine, talking about personal stories of love and loss, joy and pain. So I decided to share mine as well... May we all be blessed to know in our hearts, the peace to be found in the ultimate nature of life and love 💙

[judgegixxer]

This teared me up. I was born in 71' and she's one of the 1st voices I was ever conscious of. I remember laying in bed at night as a little kid listening to this from my parents having it cranked up on the house stereo in the livingroom. RIP Christine, you were great.

[imranp]

Played this at my wife's funeral last year, she was only 45 we were together for 3 decades. First and only song that came to my mind when I had to decide!

[kpcallahan]

She was a magnificent talent - a calm center in a band that was constantly in some form of turmoil; she grounded them and she helped bring out the best in her bandmates. She will be missed but her music will outlive us all.

[karlmann]

These artist we grew up with, you never think of them growing old. 💔

[stevehartsell]

Rick I'm 57...this is actually my favorite song from those yrs. . RIP Christine

[davidoran]

Christine was, well, Perfect. Her voice, her piano and her songwriting . Amazing