her phrasing and control is unbelievable . just when you think she has missed her timing and if she comes in at that moment she won't be able to hit the note , but does and takes the listener on an internal journey .
There is only one Eva Cassidy. A true original. Her voice, musical prowess, genius, and emotion will live on forever. Thank you for keeping her alive for future generations. Thank you for sharing and commenting.
Sam and Phil, I only come to you for reactions. I love the chemistry you guys have. Phil this is one of my favorite reactions of you. Your vulnerability and your sincere reaction is one of my very favorite aside from the Karen Carpenter reactions . Beautiful reaction, Yes heaven sounds about right.I saw the discreet look you gave each other during this Amazing song. I appreciate you both. A big fan here. ..Essence ❤❤❤❤
Every time I see Eva's stunningly beautiful performance of this song and hear her angelic voice, she brings tears to my eyes. Such a tragic loss and the world is worse off without her in it.
I have cried to this countless times as I am now. It’s extra sad knowing that she passed away Her song Songbird is another tear jerker and oh so beautiful, just like her sweet soul. RIP Eva ❤️
Eva is one of my favorites. You will also enjoy Autumn Leaves, Fields of Gold, Time After Time, Songbird, and Oh Danny Boy. She does not disappoint - her covers are so awesome.
One of the best voices of the 20th Century that nobody knew of. The song was written as a Show Tune and Judy Garland sung it as a Show Tune in the movie but Eva Cassidy sung it as almost a haunting Lullaby and for me it's the best version ever as I get emotional every time I listen to it and I've listened to it hundreds of times over the years. Thanks for the reaction video.
Part of the reason Eva Cassidy got so well known here in UK was due to a DJ called Terry Wogan. I am led to believe this is an actual live recording, done purely by chance by a friend Bryan McCulley.
The video was not planned but the recording was, The band scraped up enough of their own money to hire a friend with a mobile recording studio for two nights , the first night was unusable due to technical issues so everything depended on the second night and Eva nailed it!
No, this was the live version, as performed that night. The couple of imperfections, such as the break at the end, give it away. She never actually got famous until after she was gone, and refused record deals because they wanted to change her style to be more commercial. A generational talent.
As far as I am aware, the whole concert was filmed and may be here to view on yt. There is a documentary interview of it with a commentary by the musicians who played with her that night. Sorry I can't give more info.
Eva recorded this song Live at Blues Alley in 1996 ! She pasted away a few months later from cancer . Over The Rainbow hit number one in England and was also on the "Songbird " Album ! I wanted to go see her at Blues Alley that night but i was very sick ! Her recording of Stings ( from The Police ) " Fields Of Gold " is breathtaking and on the Songbird album too. Thanks Nice Reaction =)
As a 70 year old woman, the Wizard of Oz was a yearly t.v. treat when I was a child and I have always loved Judy Garland. But even after listening to this song so often,I never TRULY heard the words until Eva’s version was released and still can’t listen to it without tears…it’s just so beautiful! This video was filmed in January and she died in November. She wasn’t feeling well (cold like symptoms)when she performed this and according to the family/friends that contributed to a book about her,she was so disappointed in how this turned out that she was in tears! Imagine that! A few of her notes dropped off and she felt her performance was not up to par. But knowing that her original melanoma diagnosis and surgery was in 1993,and that she passed just 11 months after this performance in 1996,I assume when she was singing this,she was already full of cancer,though it wouldn’t be until several months later that it was rediscovered. R.I.P. beautiful Eva. And thank you!You have touched many lives! Great reactions,Phil and Sam! So glad you found Eva!❤
Isn't it terribly sad to know that only 10 months after Eva sang this incredible cover of Judy Garland's song, she was dead from skin cancer at the age of only 33. I bet if Judy had watched this beautiful video herself, she'd have been absolutely blown away as we all are, all over the world. God bless Eva & Judy. 💔 💔
A beautiful soul, singing a beautiful song, with her beautiful voice, making me cry again! Such a moving arrangement and her guitar skills are incredible.
Eva's audience was silent while she sang. She sang on a very personal level - it was as if her song was sung just for you. She reached inside herself and poured her heart out while she sang and played. While it is a horrible tragedy she left us so soon, her music has left an indelible mark on her following. No other person occupies the space where Eva sang. It is hers, alone. Eva performed several acoustic songs. As I feel and hear this - her Over The Rainbow - she stands so high above every other person who has tried to cover the song by making it her journey. She takes us, her audience, on her journey as individual confidants. She goes to a place inside that I imagine not many are allowed to view. It took a few times of listening to discover this is a duet. After I got to the acceptance of how pure and heartfelt her singing is, I realized her guitar was her singing partner, singing warmly, in euphonious chorus with her. Her Guild and her touch on its strings are, indeed, her duet partner. No accompanist could have done the same. Nobody will ever be able to reach the depths of my soul such as Eva did with her journey Over The Rainbow. Be sure to react to her rendition of "Autumn Leaves."
Eva even played a Strat.. And "NO", it doesn't "suck" that Eva Cassidy only became "famous" after her untimely passing. She repeatedly refused to sign a contract with a major label. And that's why she mostly performed in Mick Fleetwoods club.. RIP, Eva Cassidy.
As @seanberry 7378 said, Eva had a cold when she sang this. That little, ‘beautiful human accident’ at the end, where she sings ‘I’, and her voice breaks, is due to her cold. But I love it because it made it so much better. No auto tune, no pitch control, NO AI, just pure, God given talent. Blessings, Marianne ❤😊 17:19
I heard this song many years ago when the internet was just a puppy. I'm not sure how I stumbled upon it at the time but was tearful as I listened. I still moves me today when I remember the back story as she suffered through her diagnosis. If I remember correctly, she eventually had to be helped onstage and often had to use crutches and canes in order to perform. I had not seen the video until today nor even knew it existed. And so I am tearful again...
I adore that lil crack in her voice at the end. And her guitar play is so good and soothing. RIP, sweet Eva. 😢 Sting was impressed with her version of his Fields of Gold, my personal fav, Autumn Leaves. 👍🏽 Lost too soon, a true Songbird. Over the Rainbow by IZ (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole), stunning and heartbreaking,is another cover you should watch.
Eva's version of this song is almost always characterized as "heartbreaking". Of course, I don't know what Eva had in mind when she created this guitar and vocal arrangement, but when I hear it, I imagine that it is being told from the perspective of someone who's going through an extraordinarily difficult experience, and is near the end of what they can endure -- yet they maintain a grasp on the hope that things WILL get better one of these days. This, I believe, is why Eva's rendition is so heartbreaking; because the singer is about as low as possible, but clinging to the idea of a brighter future. Brilliant!
“If happy little bluebirds fly above the rainbow, why can’t I,” Such an artful, heart gripping song. After I shared this version from Eva with my mom and brother it was so clear as they stated, we never truly understood the meaning of the lyrics. Eva Cassidy had an amazing gift. RIP sweetheart. I think of the promise of a resurrection to a paradise. No war, disease, corruption or even pain, tears or death. “Death…. The last enemy” Will!! be done away with.
I first heard her on Sirius performing "Early Morning Rain" - I kept it on repeat all the way home so I wouldn't forget her name. Some other great covers: "Fields of Gold", "What a Wonderful World", and "Danny Boy". RIP Eva.
His facial expressions and eyes at the beginning of this video expresses how I felt when hearing this the first time. This is where the performer stops being a singer and becomes an emotive instrument where the voice and the musical instrument become one in telling a story in multi dimensions. She does have an ethereal quality about her performances and your comment on "heaven" is what I have also felt. This version is so much like a life story where she takes us on the journey as she leaves the living and starts to float above herself and then the song quickens as she heads for the lights and to the clouds with bluebirds in heaven.
So very glad you reacted to this. Eva is and was such a treasure. She has superb renditions of "Fields of Gold", "Autumn Leaves" - "Stormy Monday", "Danny Boy", and so many more! You won't be sorry to do a deep dive into her stuff!!
No Phil, ,this was the live acoustic performance audio that goes with this video. There is also a studio version that she recorded for an album which has a full band. But what you are watching and listening to here is the second night of a two night performance she did at Blues Alley that they recorded audio of. (Only this audio from second night was usable because the first nights performance had a lot of static) Then surprisingly, 4 or 5 years after her death, it was discovered that a friend of hers had shot this VHS video during the performance. So, the were able to sync the audio to the video and this video is what you have. By the way she died several months later after this performance (10 months or so I believe.)
She is a gift. She became famous in the UK first when a disc jockey played Somewhere Over The Rainbow and the phones lit up at all the radio stations requesting this song. It made the album Sonbird shoot to #1 in the UK plus several of her other albums were all in the Top 40 at the same time. A special was made about how she was this enormously gifted singer who would not bow down to the suits and record pop music so was never signed to a record label. This special was shown late night in America after her success in the UK and we all got to discover her. Its just sad she didn't get to see she was loved for the kind of music she wanted to sing. I highly recommend, Stormy Monday, Autumn Leaves and Oh I Had A Golden Thread. The last song she gives Janis Joplin a run for her money. She is one of a kind and I am glad her voice touched you both.
This was the actual live performance that was recorded at a night club in Washington DC. Recorded with a camcorder. She was sick at the time of this performance and I believe she passed about a year after this live performance.
For some reason, I missed this on my feed when you first released it. This has always been one of my all-time favorite songs. I played it on the trumpet back in the day. I have heard SO many different versions by so many artists that I lost count. THIS performance is one of my very favorites. There is SO much emotion that I ALWAYS tear up. This may be the very best example of "making a song your own" that I have ever heard. At "way above the chimney tops..." THAT'S where it hits me, and the tear falls down my cheek. Every time. While the song premiered in The Wizard of Oz, no one needs to see the movie to appreciate the beauty of this. The 'meaning' of the song is, I believe, completely up to the performer and the listener. Forget about the 'movie context.' Just hear it as artistry. Great performance, and great reaction. (p.s.... thanks for making me cry!!!)
This live gig at Blues Alley was self funded to get a recording and video over two nights. The first night the recording didn't work so this is the second. There is a whole band there as well but not on this track obviously. Eva was recovering from a cold and was unhappy with the recording... The 'Live at Blues Alley' album had some of the set but we now get the whole set on CD plus a DVD (which this is from) : 'Night Bird ' CD.
I absolutely LOVE this version of Over the Rainbow. When you were feeling goosebumps at that powerful section I was experiencing the tears flowing. I believe this was recorded live at a club.
Yes. This song was released I believe, in 1939 with the bloodiest war in history starting in September of that year. For me this is a song of hope and the best version that I've heard
She has a beautiful voice and gives a unique and captivating interpretation of the song. Also, her guitar play is superb. The talent she exhibits is amazing. Love it! o
Absolutely the best. I listen to this and I can see glimpses of heaven from the clouds. I heard this song from the movie Alpha Dog they played it as the intro of the movie and its innocence, peace, faith. Eva's voice was/IS truly the 8th wonder of the world.
Thank you for watching Eva's incredible version of this song. She wasn't alone on that stage as she was having a conversation with her guitar. It is her song now. Please listen to her version of Autumn Leaves. Phil in Scotland
Loved your reaction. Everything Eva did is amazing, but among other things I recommend listening to her recording of "How can I keep from Singing". Just wonderful!
This is a live recording and it is perfect. She was a wonderful guitar player as well. The BBC radio station started playing this song and helped her become known by the public. People called into the radio station and told the dj they had to pull off the road because they were weeping. I can't listen to this while driving either. Eva Cassidy is up there with Karen Carpenter as far as my favorite vocalists.
Terry Wogan on BBC Radio 2 championed her music after his producer Paul Walters put her on the play-list. Other BBC radio shows had played her too (specialized niche programmes) but Terry had the biggest audience of any DJ in the UK at the time on his breakfast show. The genial Irishman got the job done and put Eva where she belongs albeit posthumously.
I have commented on so many reactions to this performance. It seems to me that our Creator gave this young lady a special talent and a purpose for re-writing this song without changing a word of the lyrics, but giving us a clearer understanding of the lyrics. To me it paints a picture that wether you have passed on or will be alive when the Rapture of God's Church happens, we as believers will, like the happy little bluebirds, will fly above the Rainbow in the Sky that God placed there to give us a Sign that He will not destroy mankind again, but raisethose that believe in Him, the dead and buried first and then those who are still alive to meet Him in the Sky. In my heart, it paints that beautiful picture of the Great Resurrection some call the "Rapture"
My favorite of hers is Who Knows Where the Time Goes. I had a phone meeting with her producer to ask him about producing me. I told him I wanted to work with him because of Eva. He started crying. Her passing was very hard on everyone who knew her.
There is a wonderful documentary about her - presented by respected TV journalist Dave Marish - if people want to know more about her life. And it shares about how versatile and respected she was because she had started performing with Chuck Brown - the Godfather of Go-go - DC's home grown Funky music. I feel especially sad that collaboration wasn't able to continue because they had build up a beautiful friendship and performed together despite having very disparate styles of music
Judy garlands version is like a child's wishfull dreaming, whereas Eva's version is an adults wishful dreaming once they've grown up and dealt with life.
In Britain we were introduced to Eva Cassidy singing Over the Rainbow by a BBC radio presenter called Terry Wogan who had a morning show in the 90’s that was followed by thousands. I can’t remember how he originally got to know of her but it became an immediate hit in our charts. Sadly, that was around the time she passed away but her family made a point of thanking him for publicising her talents because they were then able to release more of her recorded music. ❤
Beautiful reaction. Eva's "Nightbird" is my all time favourite song (from the same concert). This was actually a live performance and she was ill with a cold at the time. Please listen to Nightbird and Autumn Leaves, and pretty much everything she recorded.
The best version of 'Over The Rainbow' I have ever heard.
I think by far! Her voice was unmatched, imo.
her phrasing and control is unbelievable . just when you think she has missed her timing and if she comes in at that moment she won't be able to hit the note , but does and takes the listener on an internal journey .
Live from the club......partial logo in background.......Autumn Leaves by her is just as haunting and about a "passing"
If you don’t get choked up listening to Eva, you’re not human. My gosh what a talent.
No studio version here. True live talent
She never got the chance to do studio versions. The recordings of her are all live.
I’m pretty sure this was in a small club in or near Wash DC.
A true songbird who just wanted to sing. Did not care about fame. RIP
I actually loved the song Songbird from Eva Cassidy .
Not only is her voice so very beautiful and seemingly pitch-perfect, but I love the finger-picking!! What a talent she was...RIP Eva!
There is only one Eva Cassidy.
A true original.
Her voice, musical prowess, genius, and emotion will live on forever.
Thank you for keeping her alive for future generations.
Thank you for sharing and commenting.
Sam and Phil, I only come to you for reactions. I love the chemistry you guys have. Phil this is one of my favorite reactions of you. Your vulnerability and your sincere reaction is one of my very favorite aside from the Karen Carpenter reactions . Beautiful reaction, Yes heaven sounds about right.I saw the discreet look you gave each other during this Amazing song. I appreciate you both. A big fan here. ..Essence ❤❤❤❤
without a doubt THE most beautiful rendition of this song
Every time I see Eva's stunningly beautiful performance of this song and hear her angelic voice, she brings tears to my eyes. Such a tragic loss and the world is worse off without her in it.
I feel the same. There is an undefinable purity and honesty to her whole being, not just her singing and playing.
Completely agree.
@@Spo-Dee-O-Dee Even if this was her high-water mark, what she left behind was very pure and undeniably moving.
She completely reinvented the song for modern times.
what do you mean modern? FOR ALL TIME!!
I have cried to this countless times as I am now. It’s extra sad knowing that she passed away
Her song Songbird is another tear jerker and oh so beautiful, just like her sweet soul. RIP Eva ❤️
Eva is one of my favorites. You will also enjoy Autumn Leaves, Fields of Gold, Time After Time, Songbird, and Oh Danny Boy. She does not disappoint - her covers are so awesome.
I really like "A Penny to My Name" also.
Yes fields of gold is beautiful
She wrote her own songs and o e which is here on YT that shows her range and talent is Somewhere.
I'm a gruff old (62) biker from the back streets of Birmingham, UK, and I cry every time I hear this, the most beautiful performance ever, by anyone ❤
I'm a couple years older, and (arguably) gruffer, and I cry at this too. 🥲
🙏You and @AudioVile gave such a concise GRUFF description of yourselves, it made me smile instead of crying over Eva, for a change.😇
You are so right, my friend
I play this, sometimes once a day, to give me a sense of peace!!!
It gets me everytime after the break and I can't stop . I'm only 50 though
One of the best voices of the 20th Century that nobody knew of. The song was written as a Show Tune and Judy Garland sung it as a Show Tune in the movie but Eva Cassidy sung it as almost a haunting Lullaby and for me it's the best version ever as I get emotional every time I listen to it and I've listened to it hundreds of times over the years. Thanks for the reaction video.
This is one of the best performances EVER! Eva was such a talent.
Lo mejor que he escuchado en mi vida❤❤❤❤
Part of the reason Eva Cassidy got so well known here in UK was due to a DJ called Terry Wogan. I am led to believe this is an actual live recording, done purely by chance by a friend Bryan McCulley.
The video was not planned but the recording was,
The band scraped up enough of their own money to hire a friend with a mobile recording studio for two nights , the first night was unusable due to technical issues so everything depended on the second night and Eva nailed it!
Her guitar work is impeccable - her vocal quality, range, execution and sustain makes her the best natural singer I ever heard.
You don't just hear Eva sing you feel it.❤
No, this was the live version, as performed that night. The couple of imperfections, such as the break at the end, give it away. She never actually got famous until after she was gone, and refused record deals because they wanted to change her style to be more commercial. A generational talent.
Eva might be one of the most pure beautiful voices I've ever heard. Glad you're getting to know her.
Thank you to whomever captured this performance on video. RIP Eva.
As far as I am aware, the whole concert was filmed and may be here to view on yt. There is a documentary interview of it with a commentary by the musicians who played with her that night. Sorry I can't give more info.
Eva recorded this song Live at Blues Alley in 1996 ! She pasted away a few months later from cancer . Over The Rainbow hit number one in England and was also on the "Songbird " Album ! I wanted to go see her at Blues Alley that night but i was very sick ! Her recording of Stings ( from The Police ) " Fields Of Gold " is breathtaking and on the Songbird album too. Thanks Nice Reaction =)
Thanks to the late, great, Terry Wogan for championing her on BBC Radio
@@jonathanwetherell3609 Not forgetting Mick Fleetwood who championed her in the music industry.
Eva was a treasure 🪙 we lost way too soon... Thank y'all for checking her out
As a 70 year old woman, the Wizard of Oz was a yearly t.v. treat when I was a child and I have always loved Judy Garland. But even after listening to this song so often,I never TRULY heard the words until Eva’s version was released and still can’t listen to it without tears…it’s just so beautiful! This video was filmed in January and she died in November. She wasn’t feeling well (cold like symptoms)when she performed this and according to the family/friends that contributed to a book about her,she was so disappointed in how this turned out that she was in tears! Imagine that! A few of her notes dropped off and she felt her performance was not up to par. But knowing that her original melanoma diagnosis and surgery was in 1993,and that she passed just 11 months after this performance in 1996,I assume when she was singing this,she was already full of cancer,though it wouldn’t be until several months later that it was rediscovered. R.I.P. beautiful Eva. And thank you!You have touched many lives! Great reactions,Phil and Sam! So glad you found Eva!❤
Isn't it terribly sad to know that only 10 months after Eva sang this incredible cover of Judy Garland's song, she was dead from skin cancer at the age of only 33. I bet if Judy had watched this beautiful video herself, she'd have been absolutely blown away as we all are, all over the world. God bless Eva & Judy. 💔 💔
Eva Cassidy put so much warmth and emotion into Over The Rainbow. The voice of an angel.
A beautiful soul, singing a beautiful song, with her beautiful voice, making me cry again! Such a moving arrangement and her guitar skills are incredible.
Eva's audience was silent while she sang. She sang on a very personal level - it was as if her song was sung just for you. She reached inside herself and poured her heart out while she sang and played.
While it is a horrible tragedy she left us so soon, her music has left an indelible mark on her following. No other person occupies the space where Eva sang. It is hers, alone.
Eva performed several acoustic songs. As I feel and hear this - her Over The Rainbow - she stands so high above every other person who has tried to cover the song by making it her journey. She takes us, her audience, on her journey as individual confidants. She goes to a place inside that I imagine not many are allowed to view.
It took a few times of listening to discover this is a duet. After I got to the acceptance of how pure and heartfelt her singing is, I realized her guitar was her singing partner, singing warmly, in euphonious chorus with her. Her Guild and her touch on its strings are, indeed, her duet partner. No accompanist could have done the same.
Nobody will ever be able to reach the depths of my soul such as Eva did with her journey Over The Rainbow.
Be sure to react to her rendition of "Autumn Leaves."
Eva even played a Strat..
And "NO", it doesn't "suck" that Eva Cassidy only became "famous" after her untimely passing.
She repeatedly refused to sign a contract with a major label.
And that's why she mostly performed in Mick Fleetwoods club..
RIP, Eva Cassidy.
This was 100% live. I know, it's unbelievable. On top of that, she had a cold and almost didn't do this gig.
As @seanberry 7378 said, Eva had a cold when she sang this. That little, ‘beautiful human accident’ at the end, where she sings ‘I’, and her voice breaks, is due to her cold. But I love it because it made it so much better. No auto tune, no pitch control, NO AI, just pure, God given talent. Blessings, Marianne ❤😊 17:19
So much to say about her , God bless you America for this Angel that is one of your own , sorely missed
That version was recorded live on a camcorder, in fact the entire show was recorded live in a little club in Washington DC
It wasn't recorded on a camcorder, it was recorded on a recording desk, the visuals only were done on a camcorder.
I heard this song many years ago when the internet was just a puppy. I'm not sure how I stumbled upon it at the time but was tearful as I listened. I still moves me today when I remember the back story as she suffered through her diagnosis. If I remember correctly, she eventually had to be helped onstage and often had to use crutches and canes in order to perform. I had not seen the video until today nor even knew it existed. And so I am tearful again...
Ya'll had listened to this before. Not first time you heard this. It's easy to know when someone is actually hearing it for the first time.
Just seeing the title to this video starts the tears flowing , Knowing her story and most beautiful voice . RIP dear Eva !
I like to think that Eva does know from Heaven that her songs have touched so many people ❤
The movie Love Actually and its soundtrack album includes Eva's beautiful song "Songbird" from a romantic scene in the film.
I adore that lil crack in her voice at the end. And her guitar play is so good and soothing. RIP, sweet Eva. 😢
Sting was impressed with her version of his Fields of Gold, my personal fav, Autumn Leaves. 👍🏽
Lost too soon, a true Songbird.
Over the Rainbow by IZ (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole), stunning and heartbreaking,is another cover you should watch.
Eva's version of this song is almost always characterized as "heartbreaking". Of course, I don't know what Eva had in mind when she created this guitar and vocal arrangement, but when I hear it, I imagine that it is being told from the perspective of someone who's going through an extraordinarily difficult experience, and is near the end of what they can endure -- yet they maintain a grasp on the hope that things WILL get better one of these days. This, I believe, is why Eva's rendition is so heartbreaking; because the singer is about as low as possible, but clinging to the idea of a brighter future. Brilliant!
This was the actual live performance of the song, a record was made of this performance, and taken to England and became a massive hit.
You must see her doing :
Take me to the river a.
Stormy Monday .
👍👍👍💕😎🇸🇪
I've listened to Eva sing this tons of times and it always makes my eyes leak.
Need to react to Eva Cassidy - "Autumn Leaves", from this same live 1996 performance at the Blues Alley Club.
Amazing song beautiful voice...we played this at my dad's funeral.
That was not a studio version. Glad you enjoyed it. That performance is something special.
Love this version. Also love Israel (Iz) 's version. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Woderful World"... my personal favorite...
This version gets me every time…perfect
And she sang this with a cold. Truly one of the greatest voices ever recorded.
This song moves me so much so very beautiful, thank you so much for reacting to this, great reaction. Fields of Gold is another beautiful song by her.
“If happy little bluebirds fly above the rainbow, why can’t I,”
Such an artful, heart gripping song. After I shared this version from Eva with my mom and brother it was so clear as they stated, we never truly understood the meaning of the lyrics. Eva Cassidy had an amazing gift. RIP sweetheart. I think of the promise of a resurrection to a paradise. No war, disease, corruption or even pain, tears or death. “Death…. The last enemy” Will!! be done away with.
I first heard her on Sirius performing "Early Morning Rain" - I kept it on repeat all the way home so I wouldn't forget her name. Some other great covers: "Fields of Gold", "What a Wonderful World", and "Danny Boy". RIP Eva.
Eva OWNS this song. The history behind its composition is worth exploring too.
His facial expressions and eyes at the beginning of this video expresses how I felt when hearing this the first time. This is where the performer stops being a singer and becomes an emotive instrument where the voice and the musical instrument become one in telling a story in multi dimensions. She does have an ethereal quality about her performances and your comment on "heaven" is what I have also felt. This version is so much like a life story where she takes us on the journey as she leaves the living and starts to float above herself and then the song quickens as she heads for the lights and to the clouds with bluebirds in heaven.
So very glad you reacted to this. Eva is and was such a treasure. She has superb renditions of "Fields of Gold", "Autumn Leaves" - "Stormy Monday", "Danny Boy", and so many more! You won't be sorry to do a deep dive into her stuff!!
I love Eva, discovered her some years ago. 😍 I recommend her version of PEOPLE GET READY
So beautiful, so sad, her talent was accepted until she was gone and never saw her success. She always brings a tear to my eyes, I love her voice.
And passed only 10 months after this was recorded. So very sad and such a big loss. One of the best voices lucky enough to hear.
There are not many songs/performances that can reduce me to tears, but...this is one.
No Phil, ,this was the live acoustic performance audio that goes with this video. There is also a studio version that she recorded for an album which has a full band. But what you are watching and listening to here is the second night of a two night performance she did at Blues Alley that they recorded audio of. (Only this audio from second night was usable because the first nights performance had a lot of static) Then surprisingly, 4 or 5 years after her death, it was discovered that a friend of hers had shot this VHS video during the performance. So, the were able to sync the audio to the video and this video is what you have. By the way she died several months later after this performance (10 months or so I believe.)
She had a cold and was unhappy with this performance.
Best version ever. Eva was special and RIP for sharing her voice to the world
Eva Cassidy's story is one of the saddest ever told. RIP Eva.
Another song of hers that wrecked me was Fields of Gold. It also takes on additional meaning after her passing that adds to the emotion of the song.
She is a gift. She became famous in the UK first when a disc jockey played Somewhere Over The Rainbow and the phones lit up at all the radio stations requesting this song. It made the album Sonbird shoot to #1 in the UK plus several of her other albums were all in the Top 40 at the same time. A special was made about how she was this enormously gifted singer who would not bow down to the suits and record pop music so was never signed to a record label. This special was shown late night in America after her success in the UK and we all got to discover her. Its just sad she didn't get to see she was loved for the kind of music she wanted to sing. I highly recommend, Stormy Monday, Autumn Leaves and Oh I Had A Golden Thread. The last song she gives Janis Joplin a run for her money. She is one of a kind and I am glad her voice touched you both.
This was the actual live performance that was recorded at a night club in Washington DC. Recorded with a camcorder. She was sick at the time of this performance and I believe she passed about a year after this live performance.
The most gifted cover artist of all time! "I know you by heart" is gorgeous. Autumn leaves may be my favorite. Live at Blues Ally is the answer.
Autumn leaves is so beautiful.
For some reason, I missed this on my feed when you first released it. This has always been one of my all-time favorite songs. I played it on the trumpet back in the day. I have heard SO many different versions by so many artists that I lost count. THIS performance is one of my very favorites. There is SO much emotion that I ALWAYS tear up. This may be the very best example of "making a song your own" that I have ever heard. At "way above the chimney tops..." THAT'S where it hits me, and the tear falls down my cheek. Every time. While the song premiered in The Wizard of Oz, no one needs to see the movie to appreciate the beauty of this. The 'meaning' of the song is, I believe, completely up to the performer and the listener. Forget about the 'movie context.' Just hear it as artistry. Great performance, and great reaction. (p.s.... thanks for making me cry!!!)
Beautiful voice and song. She was so talented. So sad. Fields of Gold, Songbird or Autumn Leaves are great songs to check out.
Agree 100%
I totally concur with your selections. Although all of her selections from Blues Alley are epic and impactful.
@@alnorwood134 All Masterpieces
I get chills when I listen to this song. Gorgeous!
She does an amazing cover of What a Wonderful World... magnificent ❤❤❤
14:05 I truly enjoy the way you both communicate your Impressions and feelings with each other. So easy to listen to..
Thank you for reacting to this…so soulful and beautiful. I echo the comments for her cover of Fields of Gold. Keep’em coming!!
This live gig at Blues Alley was self funded to get a recording and video over two nights. The first night the recording didn't work so this is the second. There is a whole band there as well but not on this track obviously. Eva was recovering from a cold and was unhappy with the recording... The 'Live at Blues Alley' album had some of the set but we now get the whole set on CD plus a DVD (which this is from) : 'Night Bird ' CD.
I remember when this was played for the first time on radio 2 in the uk and it literally stopped traffic
I absolutely LOVE this version of Over the Rainbow. When you were feeling goosebumps at that powerful section I was experiencing the tears flowing. I believe this was recorded live at a club.
What a wonderful world live at the same club.
Such a tragic loss to the music world. She had a wonderful voice.
This song was written during the Great Depression. The whole country was hoping for better times.
Yes. This song was released I believe, in 1939 with the bloodiest war in history starting in September of that year. For me this is a song of hope and the best version that I've heard
She has a beautiful voice and gives a unique and captivating interpretation of the song. Also, her guitar play is superb. The talent she exhibits is amazing. Love it! o
One of the great voices of the 20th century, try listening to "Autumn Leaves", that one will leave you in tears as well.
Absolutely the best. I listen to this and I can see glimpses of heaven from the clouds. I heard this song from the movie Alpha Dog they played it as the intro of the movie and its innocence, peace, faith. Eva's voice was/IS truly the 8th wonder of the world.
Thank you for watching Eva's incredible version of this song. She wasn't alone on that stage as she was having a conversation with her guitar. It is her song now. Please listen to her version of Autumn Leaves. Phil in Scotland
Loved your reaction. Everything Eva did is amazing, but among other things I recommend listening to her recording of "How can I keep from Singing". Just wonderful!
Autumn leaves is a favourite cover by Eva also Time after Time... Songbird is 💔🔥. ✌️♥️🏴
This is a live recording and it is perfect. She was a wonderful guitar player as well. The BBC radio station started playing this song and helped her become known by the public. People called into the radio station and told the dj they had to pull off the road because they were weeping. I can't listen to this while driving either. Eva Cassidy is up there with Karen Carpenter as far as my favorite vocalists.
Terry Wogan on BBC Radio 2 championed her music after his producer Paul Walters put her on the play-list. Other BBC radio shows had played her too (specialized niche programmes) but Terry had the biggest audience of any DJ in the UK at the time on his breakfast show. The genial Irishman got the job done and put Eva where she belongs albeit posthumously.
@@peteannells4218this was also the most requested video on TOTP2
When you got goosebumps, I got tears. It happens every time I hear this and I have her CD.
Sam, I now live in ks, our airport has so much memorabilia ❤
Fields of gold will stop you in your tracks. 😊
Love her!!! Try Fields of Gold next please!!!
I have commented on so many reactions to this performance.
It seems to me that our Creator gave this young lady a special talent and a purpose for re-writing this song without changing a word of the lyrics, but giving us a clearer understanding of the lyrics.
To me it paints a picture that wether you have passed on or will be alive when the Rapture of God's Church happens, we as believers will, like the happy little bluebirds, will fly above the Rainbow in the Sky that God placed there to give us a Sign that He will not destroy mankind again, but raisethose that believe in Him, the dead and buried first and then those who are still alive to meet Him in the Sky.
In my heart, it paints that beautiful picture of the Great Resurrection some call the "Rapture"
My favorite of hers is Who Knows Where the Time Goes.
I had a phone meeting with her producer to ask him about producing me. I told him I wanted to work with him because of Eva. He started crying. Her passing was very hard on everyone who knew her.
Now listen to this amazing lady singing FIELDS OF GOLD ❤
There is a wonderful documentary about her - presented by respected TV journalist Dave Marish - if people want to know more about her life. And it shares about how versatile and respected she was because she had started performing with Chuck Brown - the Godfather of Go-go - DC's home grown Funky music. I feel especially sad that collaboration wasn't able to continue because they had build up a beautiful friendship and performed together despite having very disparate styles of music
Judy garlands version is like a child's wishfull dreaming, whereas Eva's version is an adults wishful dreaming once they've grown up and dealt with life.
Yeah, well said
A nice observation. It's not that one version is better than the other; each is perfect for its context.
you should do her What a Wonderful World...I think it was the last song she did before she died.
it is stunning
In Britain we were introduced to Eva Cassidy singing Over the Rainbow by a BBC radio presenter called Terry Wogan who had a morning show in the 90’s that was followed by thousands. I can’t remember how he originally got to know of her but it became an immediate hit in our charts. Sadly, that was around the time she passed away but her family made a point of thanking him for publicising her talents because they were then able to release more of her recorded music. ❤
There is no one like Eva, my favorite is "Songbird & Night Bird"
Stormy Monday is also awesome.
Beautiful reaction. Eva's "Nightbird" is my all time favourite song (from the same concert). This was actually a live performance and she was ill with a cold at the time. Please listen to Nightbird and Autumn Leaves, and pretty much everything she recorded.