"Fly Away"
Standard non-US artwork
Single by Lenny Kravitz
from the album 5
B-side"Believe" (live acoustic)
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

"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.

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."[5]

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.[6]

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."[7]

Chart performance

"Fly Away" reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped both the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock Tracks charts.[8][9][10] On Canada's RPM Top Singles chart, "Fly Away" reached number three and stayed in the top 20 for six weeks.[11] Outside North America, the song reached number one in Iceland and on the UK Singles Chart;[12][13] its success in the UK is attributed to its appearance in a television advertisement for the Peugeot 206 Supermini car.[14] In Australia and New Zealand, "Fly Away" peaked at number eight and was certified Gold in both countries.[1][15][16][17] 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.[18]

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.[19]

Track listings

International CD and cassette single[20][21][22]

  1. "Fly Away" – 3:41
  2. "Fly Away" (live acoustic) – 4:03
  3. "Believe" (live acoustic) – 5:14

European CD single[23]

  1. "Fly Away"
  2. "Believe" (live acoustic)

French CD single[24]

  1. "Fly Away" – 3:41
  2. "Fly Away" (live acoustic) – 4:03

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[16] Gold 35,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[51] Platinum 60,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[17] Gold 5,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[53] Platinum 556,000[52]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States May 11, 1998 Active rock radio Virgin [54]
October 20, 1998 Contemporary hit radio [55]
November 9, 1998 CD [1]
United Kingdom February 8, 1999
  • CD
  • cassette
 [56]

In popular culture

Internet personality Neil Cicierega made a lyric video of the song with the vocal tracks heavily altered,[57] which received coverage from several websites.[58][59][60] The song has also been used in a tourism campaign for The Bahamas, featuring Kravitz who is of Bahamian descent.[61]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  2. ^ Tannenbaum, Rob (September 23, 2020). "How Lenny Kravitz Keeps His Cool". The New York Times. Retrieved July 5, 2021. He's sold more than 40 million records worldwide, and despite playing throwback music, has released four Top 40 hits, including the gorgeous Philly soul tribute "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" and the funk-rock stomper "Fly Away."
  3. ^ "The 88 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1998". SPIN. October 25, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  4. ^ Molanphy, Chris (July 15, 2023). "Lenny on Mars Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  5. ^ Aledort, Albert (September 22, 2008). "Lenny Kravitz: Revolution of the Mind". Guitar World. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  6. ^ Grow, Kory (October 9, 2018). "Lenny Kravitz: My Life in 15 Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  7. ^ "Single of the Week". Birmingham Evening Mail. February 9, 1999. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6987." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  12. ^ a b "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.
  13. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  14. ^ Masterton, James (February 14, 1999). "Week Ending February 20th 1999". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  15. ^ a b "Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  16. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  17. ^ a b "New Zealand single certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  18. ^ "Grammy Awards Winners & Nominees for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance". Grammy Awards. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  19. ^ Lenny Kravitz crashes the VOP Choir in New Orleans for "Fly Away" YouTube.com. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  20. ^ Fly Away (UK CD single liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1999. VUSCD 141, 7243 8 95645 2 5.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ Fly Away (UK cassette single sleeve). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1999. VUSC 141, 7243 8 95549 4 6.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ^ Fly Away (Australian CD single liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1998. 8955492.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ^ Fly Away (European CD single liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1998. VUSCDE 141, 7243 8 95548 2 3.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ^ Fly Away (French CD single liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1998. 7243 8 95772 2 8.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  25. ^ "Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  26. ^ "Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  27. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 9. February 27, 1999. p. 16. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  28. ^ "Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  29. ^ "Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  30. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Fly Away". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  31. ^ "Tipparade-lijst van week 5, 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  32. ^ "Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  33. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  34. ^ "Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  35. ^ "Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  36. ^ "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  37. ^ "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  38. ^ "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  39. ^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  40. ^ a b "The Year in Music 1998". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 52. December 26, 1998. p. YE-84.
  41. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1999". ARIA. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  42. ^ "RPM 1999 Top 100 Hit Tracks". RPM. Retrieved June 3, 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  43. ^ "Year in Focus – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1999" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 1. January 1, 2000. p. 11. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  44. ^ "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1999" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  45. ^ "Best Sellers of 1999: Singles Top 100". Music Week. London, England. January 22, 2000. p. 27.
  46. ^ "Most Broadcast of 1999: Airplay Top 50" (PDF). Music Week. January 22, 2000. p. 31. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  47. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1999". Archived from the original on July 9, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  48. ^ "1999 The Year in Music: Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-100. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  49. ^ a b "1999 The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-90. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  50. ^ "Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 1999". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 7, no. 52. December 24, 1999. p. 54.
  51. ^ "Brazilian single certifications" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  52. ^ Copsey, Rob (February 18, 2021). "Official Chart Flashback 1999: Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  53. ^ "British single certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  54. ^ "Adds for May 11/12". Gavin Report. No. 2205. May 8, 1998. p. 45.
  55. ^ "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1270. October 16, 1998. p. 76.
  56. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. February 6, 1999. p. 23. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  57. ^ "Lenny Kravitz - Fly Away (lyrics)". Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2020 – via YouTube.
  58. ^ "Neil Cicierega's Lenny Kravitz cover has successfully gamed Google's algorithms". News. July 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  59. ^ Pearl, Mike (November 19, 2014). "Why Can't I Stop Laughing at This Lenny Kravitz Parody Video?". Vice. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  60. ^ 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.
  61. ^ The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism (February 8, 2019). "New Marketing Campaign Featuring Lenny Kravitz Invites Travelers to Fly Away to The Bahamas".
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