"Songbird" is the second single from

Bernard Fanning Bernard Joseph Fanning (born 15 August 1969) is an Australian musician and singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist of Queensland alternative rock band Powderfinger from its formation in 1989. Born and raised in Toowong, Brisbane, Fanning ...

's solo debut album '' Tea & Sympathy'', released in

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

. It reached #11 on National Airplay Charts in January 2006, and was #14 on

Triple J Hottest 100 The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music poll presented by the publicly-funded Australian youth radio station Triple J. Members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite Music of Australia, Australian and alternative music of th ...

in 2005. At the Q Song Awards of 2006, the song won Published song of the Year.

Production

The song was recorded in the first set of sessions for ''Tea & Sympathy'' in

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

studio

Real World Studios Real World Studios is a residential recording studio complex founded by Peter Gabriel and situated in the old Box Mill building in the village of Box, Wiltshire, England, near to the city of Bath. It is closely associated with the Real World R ...

in mid-2005. The song features multi-instrumentalist John Bedggood on violin.

Music video

The music video for "Songbird" was filmed by Head Pictures who previously worked with Fanning on his prior single " Wish You Well" . Set in a grand Queensland house, the music clip features Fanning playing an acoustic guitar and singing the song facing the camera. Fanning spins on the spot while the camera films the song, however there are several cuts of him doing this in differently coloured rooms with Fanning wearing different clothing in each cut, however assuming the same position from the prior shot, blending each shot seamlessly. Each shot usually lasts about 1–5 seconds, though there are some faster transitions providing a speedy shutter effect.

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2005 singles APRA Award winners Bernard Fanning songs Song recordings produced by Tchad Blake 2005 songs