Fly Away by Lenny Kravitz

Fly Away by Lenny Kravitz - Songfacts

Fly Away
by Lenny Kravitz

Album: 5 (1998)

Charted: 1 12

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Songfacts®:

This song was done very quickly, after the album was already finished. Kravitz originally intended it to be a B-side only, but a friend who heard the song convinced him to call his record company, stop the whole procedure and add the song to the album. >>
Suggestion credit:
Martin - Rostock, Germany
This won a Grammy in 1998 for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. Kravitz won the same award the next two years for "American Woman" and "Again."
The lyrics are very simple, which makes the song great for sports montages and movie scenes where there is no deep meaning trying to be conveyed. Kravitz feels good songwriting can be done with very basic ideas.
Kravitz told Guitar World magazine that sometimes the sound of a guitar or amp you pick up makes you play a certain type of riff, and when he picked up the guitar that time, the sound made him play the riff for this song. >>
Suggestion credit:
Josh - Atlanta, GA
Kravitz wrote this in the Bahamas, where he often lives during the summer and winter. In 2019, it was used in a travel campaign for the Islands of the Bahamas. The singer, who is part Bahamian through his mother, also appeared in the ads and described his early experiences visiting the islands when he was a child.
Kravitz on the song's popularity: "People can identify with it, because it's a song about escaping and going to this other world - this other place where things are different."
This was used in the movies Coyote Ugly (2000) and Pitch Perfect 3 (2017).

Comments: 16

JoshThis song probably gets the most airplay on the local classic rock radios
Adam from San Mateo, CaIt doesn't matter how childish the lyrics are guys, the wah-wah-slap bass is pretty sick. You all have to admit that much.
Mike from Malibu, Caactually Kravitz wanted "If You can't say No" as the first single to be more R&B-ish...its non success caused him to abruptly shed his dreads....."Thinking of you" was to be released as a follow up, but the record company had actually released FLY AWAY six months earlier to rock stations with the first single came out to balance the R&B and Rock sensibilities he had.....and broke out of Boston and Orlando. Should be noted as well that no video helped break this song....just patience and nurturing
Andrew from Bartlett, Tni love this song. all I'm going to say.
N.i. from Baltimore, Md"Let's go to see the stars, the Milky Way, and even Mars." *Even* Mars? Hey, you know what would be even more amazing? The friggin' moon! Dumbest lyrics ever.
Alex from Nsw, Australiain complexity, and word choice, yes. which just means it is 'simple'. but would a four year old come up with it, or you? no, sure afer looking at it, you think "what, comeon i could have written that, theres nothing to it" and sure you couldve come up with it. anywone could, but they didnt. which is also how it is with alot of new inventions. they are very simple, yet do their job perfectly.
and besides. all you have to do is listen to the 90% of songs that come out these days to know they are complete crap. mainly all this pop stuff they are managing to come up with, sure some is ok. but most isnt. but what happened to the rock!. and NO do not answer limp bizkit.
in comparison (and in general) this song wipes the floor with most of these artists entire song collections
Sophia from London, EnglandI first heard this song on the Pegeout commercial wheni was just 10, its a cool song and its very popular for films and adverts.
Tom from East Lyme, CtI want to get away.
I wanna fly away. (yeah, yeah, yeah)
I want to get away.
I wanna fly away. (yeah, yeah yeah)
I want to get away, I want to get away.
I want get away, I want to get away. YEAH!
I want to get away.
I wanna fly away. (yeah, yeah, yeah)
I want to get away.
I wanna fly away. (yeah, yeah yeah)
I want to get away, I want to get away.
I want get away, I want to get away. YEAH!
I want to get away.
I wanna fly away. (yeah, yeah, yeah)
I want to get away.
I wanna fly away. (yeah, yeah yeah)
I want to get away, I want to get away.
I want get away, I want to get away. YEAH!
I want to get away.
I wanna fly away. (yeah, yeah, yeah)
I want to get away.
I wanna fly away. (yeah, yeah yeah)
I want to get away, I want to get away.
I want get away, I want to get away. YEAH!
I want to get away.
I wanna fly away. (yeah, yeah, yeah)
I want to get away.
I wanna fly away. (yeah, yeah yeah)
I want to get away, I want to get away.
I want get away, I want to get away. YEAH!
I want to get away.
I wanna fly away. (yeah, yeah, yeah)
I want to get away.
I wanna fly away. (yeah, yeah yeah)
I want to get away, I want to get away.
I want get away, I want to get away. YEAH!
---ok we get it you want to fly away!
Johnny from Los Angeles, CaSo, Lenny Kravitz isn't the best songwriter? I love this song anyway? Simplistic, which isn't so bad. Mike, Hey Jude was not so easy to understand. It had a complex meaning.
Julian from Anaheim, CaI love Lenny's music, but I have to give this song a lot of credit. This song really got me hooked on Rock n Roll.
Matthew from East Brunswick, NjExcellent literature.
Dennis from Chicagoland Burrows, IlYes Dan, a four year old. This song was so old back in summer of 1998. Really sums up - overplayed
Derek from St. CatharinesThese lyrics are genius. Simple, yes- but genius. I'm pretty sure that every human wishes they could fly, and we can, it just takes mind power.
Mike from Lake Hopatcong, NjWhile the lyrics are not complicated, can anyone honestly find lyrics in a hit song that contain the theory of relativity? Look at what the Beatles made hit songs with, Hey Jude, Yellow Submarine, Ticket to Ride and countless others. Lenny was working on this song and a close friend hounded him to get it on the record. So Lenny called the record company and stopped the CD pressing and had Fly Away put on the CD. Lenny actually thought of this song as a throw away or a B side to a single. Now, Lenny sees this song as the song that changed his life.
Stefany from Kansas City, MoThe record company didn't want him to release the song at first, but he insisted because he knew it'd be a hit. And it was probably a hit because the lyrics were simple. No, Kravitz isn't the best writer, but at least the song is uplifting.
Dan from Collegeville, PaThe lyrics could've be written by a four year old. That is not a compliment.

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