- published: 22 Dec 2014
- views: 2358915
Eva Marie Cassidy (February 2, 1963 – November 2, 1996) was an American vocalist known for her interpretations of jazz, blues, folk, gospel, country and pop classics. In 1992 she released her first album, The Other Side, a set of duets with go-go musician Chuck Brown, followed by a live solo album, Live at Blues Alley in 1996. Although she had been honored by the Washington Area Music Association, she was virtually unknown outside her native Washington, D.C., when she died of melanoma (skin cancer) in 1996.
Four years later, Cassidy's music was brought to the attention of British audiences when her version of "Over the Rainbow" was played by Terry Wogan on BBC Radio 2. Following the overwhelming response, a camcorder recording of "Over the Rainbow", taken at Blues Alley in Washington, was shown on BBC Two's Top of the Pops 2. Shortly afterwards, the compilation album Songbird climbed to the top of the UK Albums Charts, almost three years after its initial release. The chart success in the United Kingdom and Ireland led to increased recognition worldwide; her posthumously released recordings, including three UK number 1s, have sold more than ten million copies. Her music has also charted top 10 positions in Australia, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland.
I came upon a child of god
he was walking along the road
and i asked him tell me where are you going
this he told me said
i'm going down to yasgur's farm
gonna join in a rock'n'roll band
got to get back to the land
and get my soul free
we are stardust
we're golden
and we got to get ourselves
back to the garden
Can i walk along beside you
i have come here to lose the smog
and i feel like i'm a part of something
turning round and round
and maybe it's the time of year
maybe it's the time of man
and i don't know who i am
but life is for learning
we are stardust
we're golden
and we've got to get ourselves
back to the garden
By the time we got to woodstock
we were half a million strong
and everywhere was the song
and the celebration
and i dreamed i saw
the bomber jet planes fly
fire a shot into the sky
turning into butterflies
above our nation
we are stardust
we're golden
and we've got to get ourselves