"Songbird" is a song by

Kenny G Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956) is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, and record producer. His 1986 album ''Duotones'' brought him commercial success. Kenny G is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selli ...

, played on a

soprano saxophone The soprano saxophone is a small, high-pitched member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented in the 1840s by Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax. Built in B♭ an octave above the tenor saxophone (or rarely, slightly small ...

, and the third single from his 1986 album ''

Duotones ''Duotones'' is the fourth studio album by American saxophonist Kenny G, released on September 29, 1986 by Arista Records. It features one of Kenny G's best-known songs, "Songbird", which reached number four on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. ...

''. It reached No. 3 on the ''Billboard''

Adult Contemporary chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stati ...

, No. 4 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

chart, No. 4 on Cashbox and No. 23 on the

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

. In the UK the song peaked at no. 22. When released in 1987, the song became the first instrumental to reach the top 5 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 since the "

Miami Vice Theme "''Miami Vice'' Theme" is a musical piece composed and performed by Jan Hammer as the theme to the television series ''Miami Vice''. It was first presented as part of the television broadcast of the show in September 1984, was released as a sin ...

" by

Jan Hammer Jan Hammer () (born 17 April 1948) is a Czech-American musician, composer, and record producer. He rose to prominence while playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra during the early 1970s, as well as with his film scores for television an ...

(a No. 1 hit) in 1985.

Charts

Certifications

References

1986 songs 1987 singles 1980s instrumentals Kenny G songs Pop instrumentals Arista Records singles {{1980s-single-stub