Fly Away (Lenny Kravitz song)

"Fly Away" is a song by American singer Lenny Kravitz. It was released as the fourth single from his fifth studio album, 5 (1998). Released on November 9, 1998, "Fly Away" peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Fly Away" topped the charts in Iceland and the United Kingdom and peaked within the top ten of the charts in several countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Republic of Ireland. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Performance in 1999.

For other uses, see Fly Away (disambiguation).

"Fly Away"
Standard non-US artwork
Single by Lenny Kravitz
from the album 5
ReleasedNovember 9, 1998 (1998-11-09)[1]
Genre
Length
  • 3:41 (album version)
  • 3:06 (radio edit)
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)Lenny Kravitz
Producer(s)Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz singles chronology
"I Belong to You"
(1998)		 "Fly Away"
(1998)		 "American Woman"
(1999)
Music video
"Fly Away" on YouTube

Background

"Fly Away" emerged from Kravitz testing an amp that was brought to the studio. After plugging in the available guitar, Kravitz started playing the song, stating, "I was listening to the way different chords were ringing, just moving between A, C, G and D, and the next thing I knew I was telling the engineer to hook up the mics and record."[2]

By the time he wrote "Fly Away", Kravitz had already turned in the completed album to Virgin Records, and he considered releasing the song as a b-side. However, after playing the song for a friend, they responded, "If you don’t put it on the album, I’m gonna be so pissed off at you." After Kravitz contacted his label about the inclusion of the song, they were reluctant, but he sent them the song anyway. Upon hearing the track, they added it to the album.[3]

Critical reception

Birmingham Evening Mail commented, "If you watch TV you'll already be familiar with this - it's the song from the Peugeot TV ad which seems to have rarely been off the screen during the past few weeks. It's about time Kravitz returned to the big time - remember when he sold out the NEC in `91? - and this could see him back in the chart big time."[4]

Chart performance

"Fly Away" reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped both the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock Tracks charts.[5][6][7] On Canada's RPM Top Singles chart, "Fly Away" reached number three and stayed in the top 20 for six weeks.[8] Outside North America, it went to number one in Iceland and on the UK Singles Chart,[9][10] while in Australia and New Zealand, it peaked at number eight in both countries and was certified Gold in both countries.[1][11][12][13] The song helped to expand the success of his fifth studio album, 5, in Europe and earned Kravitz a Grammy Award in 1999 for Best Male Rock Performance, his first of four consecutive wins in this category.[14]

Music video

The music video for the single was directed by American director Paul Hunter. It features Kravitz and his band playing in a club, surrounded by a crowd dancing to the song, with some of them having fun and others making out. Special effects were added to the video to make it look beat up and grainy. A girl in the crowd is briefly shown topless several times during the video. The video is featured on the DVD for Kravitz's Greatest Hits album tour edition.

Kravitz also appears in a 2010 video in which he joined the Voice of Praise Choir from the First Baptist Church of Lewisville, Texas, as they performed "Fly Away" on a street in New Orleans.[15]

Track listings

Charts and certifications

"Fly Away" was featured in the film Coyote Ugly and is the theme song for the Canadian reality television series Ice Pilots NWT.

In 2018, it is used in the Comic Con Trailer for Star Trek: Discovery Season 2.

After the 1999 NBA Finals, NBC used "Fly Away" for their montage.

Internet personality Neil Cicierega made a lyric video of the song with the vocal tracks heavily altered,[44] which received coverage from several websites.[45][46][47]

References
  1. "Australian-charts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  2. Aledort, Albert (September 22, 2008). "Lenny Kravitz: Revolution of the Mind". Guitar World. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  3. Grow, Kory (October 9, 2018). "Lenny Kravitz: My Life in 15 Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  4. "Single of the Week". Birmingham Evening Mail. February 9, 1999. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  5. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  6. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  7. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  8. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6987." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  9. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (NR. 315 Vikuna 26.3. – 2.4. 1999)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). March 26, 1999. p. 10. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  11. "Charts.nz – Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  12. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  13. "New Zealand single certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  14. "Grammy Awards Winners & Nominees for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance". Grammy Awards. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  15. Lenny Kravitz crashes the VOP Choir in New Orleans for "Fly Away" YouTube.com. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
  16. Fly Away (US promo CD cover). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records America. 1998. DPRO-13195.CS1 maint: others (link)
  17. Fly Away (UK CD single liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1999. VUSCD 141, 7243 8 95645 2 5.CS1 maint: others (link)
  18. Fly Away (European maxi-single liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1998. VUSCDF 141, 7243 8 95549 2 2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  19. Fly Away (European promo CD liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records America. 1998. VUSCDJ 141.CS1 maint: others (link)
  20. Fly Away (French CD single liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1998. 8 95772 2, 7243 8 95772 2 8.CS1 maint: others (link)
  21. "Austriancharts.at – Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  22. "Ultratop.be – Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  23. "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16 no. 9. February 27, 1999. p. 16. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  24. "Lescharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  25. "Offiziellecharts.de – Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  26. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Fly Away". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  27. "Dutchcharts.nl – Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  28. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  29. "Swedishcharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  30. "Swisscharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  31. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  32. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  33. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  34. "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  35. "1999 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  36. "RPM 1999 Top 100 Hit Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  37. "Year in Focus – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1999" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17 no. 1. January 1, 2000. p. 11. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  38. "Top 100 Single – Jahrescharts 1999" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  39. "Best Sellers of 1999: Singles Top 100". Music Week. London, England: United Business Media. January 22, 2000. p. 27.
  40. "Billboard Top 100 – 1999". Archived from the original on July 9, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  41. "1999 – The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 111 no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-100. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  42. "1999 – The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 111 no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-90. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  43. "British single certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  44. Lenny Kravitz - Fly Away (lyrics), retrieved January 12, 2020
  45. "Neil Cicierega's Lenny Kravitz cover has successfully gamed Google's algorithms". News. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  46. Pearl, Mike (November 19, 2014). "Why Can't I Stop Laughing at This Lenny Kravitz Parody Video?". Vice. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  47. Dessem, Matthew (July 2, 2017). "Googling "Lenny Kravitz Fly Away Lyrics" Yields Something Better Than the Lyrics to "Fly Away"". Slate Magazine. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
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