Fly Away (Haddaway song)

"Fly Away" is a song by Trinidadian-German musician Haddaway, released on May 29, 1995 by Scorpio and Polygram as the lead single from his second album, The Drive (1995). It was written by Dee Dee Halligan, Richard W. Palmer-James and Junior Torello, and produced by Halligan and Torello. As with several of Haddaway's singles, another CD maxi was commercialized a few months after the first release. The song was a number-one hit in Finland and a top-10 hit in Denmark, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The music video for "Fly Away" features the singer in a prison cell.

"Fly Away"
Single by Haddaway
from the album The Drive
B-side"Remix"
Released29 May 1995
GenreEurodance
Length4:04
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Dee Dee Halligan
  • Junior Torello
Haddaway singles chronology
"Stir It Up"
(1994)
"Fly Away"
(1995)
"Catch a Fire"
(1995)
Music video
"Fly Away" on YouTube
Alternative cover
CD maxi - Remixes

Chart performance edit

"Fly Away" went on becoming a notable hit on the charts across Europe, although it didn't reach the same level of success as his first singles. It peaked at number-one in Finland[1] and on the European Dance Radio Chart,[2] and entered the top 10 also in Denmark (9),[3] Italy (5),[4] Lithuania, the Netherlands (9) and Switzerland (9). Additionally, the single was a top-20 hit in Austria (16), Belgium (15), Scotland (18), Sweden (14) and the United Kingdom, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it reached number 17 in May 1995.[5] On the UK Singles Chart, "Fly Away" reached its highest position as number 20 in its first week on the chart, on June 18, 1995.[6] It also peaked at number 25 on the UK Dance Singles Chart[7] and number 13 on the Record Mirror UK on a Pop Tip Club Chart.[8]

Critical reception edit

James Hamilton from British magazine Music Week's RM Dance Update described "Fly Away" as a "unhurried crooned Euro galloper".[9] Paul Moody from NME said it "is the sort of tedious Euroslush you'd expect minus the existential angst that made 'What Is Love' so groovy."[10]

Music video edit

In the music video for "Fly Away", Haddaway appears sitting alone in a prison cell. On the wall is a picture of a beach. He reads some lines in an old book, then the camera appears flying over a desert landscape. A naked Haddaway runs through this landscape, where he meets a white horse, smells some flowers and bathes in a waterfall. These dreamy outdoor scenes have a bluish tone. As he keeps running, he reaches a beach, where the waves crashes against the shore. It appears to be the same beach from the picture on the wall in his cell. The video was later made available on Coconut Records official YouTube channel in 2012.[11]

Track listings edit

  • CD single
  1. "Fly Away" (radio edit) — 4:04
  2. "Fly Away" (extended version) — 6:43
  • CD maxi (14 April 1995)
  1. "Fly Away" (radio edit) — 4:04
  2. "Fly Away" (extended version) — 6:43
  3. "Fly Away" (hyper space mix) — 6:23
  4. "Fly Away" (maxi-flight-remix) — 5:25
  5. "Fly Away" (development corporation mix) — 6:50
  • CD maxi - Remixes (12 June 1995)
  1. "Fly Away" (Tinman's mile high mix) — 6:11
  2. "Fly Away" (sequential one club house remix) — 5:00
  3. "Fly Away" ("side by side" mix) — 6:08

Charts edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  2. ^ a b "European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 23. 10 June 1995. p. 22. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 19. 13 May 1995. p. 25. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 18. 6 May 1995. p. 21. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 21. 27 May 1995. p. 31. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 18 June 1995 - 24 June 1995". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Official UK Dance Singles Chart (25 June 1995-01 July 1995)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  8. ^ a b "The RM on a Pop Tip Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). 3 June 1995. p. 10. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  9. ^ Hamilton, James (10 June 1995). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). p. 11. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  10. ^ Moody, Paul (7 October 1995). "Long Play". NME. p. 48. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Haddaway - Fly Away". YouTube. 17 October 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Haddaway – Fly Away" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  13. ^ "Haddaway – Fly Away" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  14. ^ "Haddaway – Fly Away" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  15. ^ "Haddaway – Fly Away" (in French). Les classement single.
  16. ^ "Haddaway – Fly Away" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  17. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Fly Away". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  18. ^ "M-1 TOP 40". M-1.fm. 18 June 1995. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  19. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Haddaway" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  20. ^ "Haddaway – Fly Away" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  21. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 (18 June 1995-24 June 1995)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  22. ^ "Haddaway – Fly Away". Singles Top 100.
  23. ^ "Haddaway – Fly Away". Swiss Singles Chart.
  24. ^ "Fly Away", UK Singles Chart Official Charts Company (Retrieved 4 August 2008)
  25. ^ "Single top 100 over 1995" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  26. ^ 1995 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch Archived 23 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 13 February 2008)