Songfacts®:

• Conventional wisdom held that saxophone instrumentals had little appeal. Kenny G proved that wisdom wrong with "Songbird" in 1986, the track that convinced his label boss at Arista Records, Clive Davis, that there was a market for this stuff.
  
  Early on, Arista tried to land hits for Kenny G with songs penned by outside writers embellished with vocals added by R&B singers. But after "Songbird," the label wanted more like it, and he delivered the stylistically similar "Silhouette" as the lead single and title track to his next album. Proving he was no flash in the pan, "Silhouette," which he wrote himself, was also a hit, much to the dismay of jazz purists.
• Like "Songbird," Kenny G plays a soprano saxophone on this track. He can play alto and tenor and did on some of his earlier singles, but the soprano gives him his signature sound. It's a relatively unusual instrument and difficult to play - you'll rarely see one in high school bands.
• When he plays this live, Kenny G sometimes holds a note in the middle of the song for about two minutes, a feat accomplished through circular breathing - taking air in through his nose while he blows the horn. This bit is always a crowd pleaser, eliciting oohs and aahs from the audience.
• Around this time, a new radio format was emerging: Smooth Jazz. Kenny G pretty much defined the genre, which radio stations loved because it drew huge ratings in the daytime hours and played in many offices and retail stores. So if you went to the pharmacy, the eye doctor, the bank, there was a good chance you'd hear Kenny G, whether you wanted to or not. To those with adventurous tastes, his music was watered-down schlock, but there was no arguing with his success, or that of the Smooth Jazz format. Many listeners found it relaxing and a big help in getting through the work day.
• Kenny G had the good fortune of rising to fame soon after VH1, the adult-oriented sister station of MTV, went on the air. His "Songbird" video was huge on the network, and so was "Silhouette," which shows him performing in an empty concert hall.