Remembering Christine McVie: Hear Mick Fleetwood & Jake Shimabukuro’s Touching ‘Songbird’ Cover

Fleetwood Mac co-founder Mick Fleetwood teamed with ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro for a tribute to Christine McVie. On what would have been the singer-songwriter’s 80th birthday, the pair released a version of the McVie-composed Fleetwood Mac classic “Songbird.”

Hawaiian residents Fleetwood and Shimabukuro convened at Mick’s Maui studio earlier this year to collaborate where it was Jake who suggested they record a version of “Songbird.”

“We cut it in April, and it turned out beautifully, but there was no plan yet to release it,” Fleetwood said of the session. “But when I heard about Christine’s upcoming birthday, it felt like the right time to share this as a tribute to all the lovely music she created, both on her own and with Fleetwood Mac.”

“Songbird” appears on Fleetwood Mac’s landmark 1977 album, Rumours. The mostly solo piano number was also a showcase staple for McVie during live Fleetwood Mac concerts throughout the decades and often came at the end of the legendary rockers’ concerts. Christine McVie sadly died on November 30, 2022.

For Fleetwood and Shimabukuro’s “Songbird” tribute, Mick added spoken word and a drum part to the tune that impressed Jake. “His haunting drum groove transported me to a place filled with love and peace. It was a very special moment in the studio that I will never forget.”

Fleetwood added on Shimabukuro: “He has certain echoes he uses that make it sound like different melody parts all being played at the same time. He’s really astute in the way he put it together. And all that was done in one take with no overdubs.”

Listen to Mick Fleetwood and Jake Shimabukuro’s “Songbird” below: