Another song with the same name, written by Graham Lyle and Benny Gallagher, was recorded by McGuinness Flint

McGuinness Flint

McGuinness Flint was a rock band formed in 1970 by Tom McGuinness, former bassist and guitarist with Manfred Mann, and Hughie Flint, former drummer with John Mayall; plus vocalist and keyboard player Dennis Coulson, and multi-instrumentalists and songwriters Benny Gallagher and Graham Lyle...

 and Mary Hopkin

Mary Hopkin

Mary Hopkin , credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti, is a Welsh folk singer best known for her 1968 UK number one single "Those Were The Days". She was one of the first musicians to sign to The Beatles' Apple label....

 in the early 1970s.

"Sparrow" is a 1977 jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 song recorded by singer Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye

Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....

 issued on the singer's 1978 album, Here, My Dear

Here, My Dear

Here, My Dear is a studio double album by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released December 15, 1978 on Tamla Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at Marvin's Room in Hollywood, California from 1976 to 1977. A deeply personal and controversial album, Here, My Dear is notable for...

album. The lyrics basically have a poetic and religious tone to them as Marvin calls a sparrow "to sing (his) beautiful song" to let him make sure that things are all right even when they aren't. In the song's climactic bridge, Gaye coos to the bird to sing to him personally before the bird flies away in hopes he can find inspiration.

Personnel

• All vocals, keyboards and synthesizers by Marvin Gaye
• Drums by Bugsy Wilcox
• Percussion by Elmira Collins
• Bass by Frank Blair
• Guitar by Wali Ali
• Trumpet by Nolan Smith
• Tenor saxophone by Charles Owens and Fernando Harkness
• Alto saxophone (solo) by Ernie Fields