A day after the death of Christine McVie, Harry Styles paid his respects to the longtime Fleetwood Mac member by performing “Songbird” during a Dec. 1 show in Santiago, Chile.
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Written by McVie for the band’s 1977 album, Rumours, Styles fit an acoustic version of the ballad into his Love On Tour setlist. Playing guitar while singing, Styles was backed on “Songbird” by singers and piano.
Following the performance, Styles said, “Thank you, Christine” and blew a kiss to the sky. When Mcvie died on Nov. 30 at the age of 79, Styles also shared a black-and-white photo of the artist on his Instagram stories with the caption, “RIP Christine McVie.”
McVie passed away at a London hospital following a “short illness,” according to a statement made on behalf of her family. She became a member of Fleetwood Mac in 1970, joining her then-husband bassist John McVie, and would go on to write some of the band’s biggest hits, including “Little Lies,” “Over My Head,” and “You Make Lovin’ Fun,” along with her classic “Songbird.”
She said writing “Songbird” was somewhat of a “spiritual” experience after the song popped into her head waking her from her sleep at 3:30 a.m. “I woke up in the middle of the night and the song just came into my head,” said McVie. “I can’t tell you quite how I felt. It was as if I’d been visited. It was a very spiritual thing.”
A lifelong Fleetwood Mac fan, Styles has always been open about his admiration for the band. He even said the band inspired his 2017 self-titled debut, and he covered Fleetwood Mac’s other Rumours hit “The Chain” for BBC Radio 1 that same year.
The “As It Was” singer has also performed with Stevie Nicks on numerous occasions, including a duet of Fleetwood’s “Landslide.” He inducted Nicks into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, where the two also performed her 1981 solo hit, the Tom Petty and Mike Campbell-penned, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” off her debut Bella Donna.
Admitting that one of the first songs he learned how to play was “Dreams,” when Styles first met one of his heroes, drummer Mick Fleetwood, he was awestruck. “He’s a magical man,” said Styles, “someone who brings me, and countless others, great joy.”
Styles is currently playing the South American leg of his worldwide Love On Tour, which has been extended through July 2023 with dates in Australia, the U.K., and Europe.
Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
