Lenny Kravitz then, bringing us three guitar-led number ones out of four…. Heady days!
Fly Away, by Lenny Kravitz (his 1st and only #1)
1 week, from 14th – 21st February 1999
The intro really rocks, a concrete-heavy riff that fills the room, so much that it sets us up for disappointment upon hearing the rest of the song. Not that it’s bad, not really. But the effect-laden guitars in the verses are interesting – I can’t help hearing someone struggling to swallow, in urgent need of a Heimlich manoeuvre – and Lenny Kravitz’s vocals somehow don’t do the tune any favours.
Plus, the lyrics are simplistic, verging on just plain bad. I wish that I could fly, Into the sky, So very high… Just like a dragonfly… Ignoring the fact that dragonflies usually hover at no more than tree-height, the insistence on dragging out rhymes across several lines, entire verses even, is annoying. I want to get away, I want to flyyyyy away… Kravitz pleads, so often that you begin to wish he’d just bloody well go. What’s stopping him?
I’ll admit that my opinion of this track is clouded by the fact I’ve never quite gotten Lenny Kravitz. He seems to me like a parody of an oversexed rock star, desperately wanting to be Prince, or Jimi Hendrix. But then again, Black rock musicians are hardly ten a-penny so I should give him credit for carving out an impressive career. Plus, ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way’ is a ten-out-of-ten classic, and would have made a much more worthy chart-topper.
Having claimed that ‘Fly Away’ isn’t bad, I realise I’ve just spent three paragraphs giving a pretty compelling argument as to why it is. Part of me relishes a brief period of rock dominance at the top of the charts, but at the same time I shouldn’t be uncritical of a song just because it’s got guitars, and isn’t by a boyband or a faceless DJ. This for me doesn’t come close to the gonzo pop-punk of the Offspring, or Blondie’s cool-as-fuck comeback.
It probably wouldn’t have made #1 either, if it hadn’t been used extensively in adverts for Peugeot (for some reason I misremembered it as Vodafone). Kravitz’s only previous visit to the UK Top 10 had been with the already-mentioned ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way’ six years earlier. Songs from Adverts has been a surprisingly successful chart-topping genre over the years, and this won’t be 1999’s last. ‘Fly Away’ does though finally bring to an end our run of ten consecutive one-weekers – by far the longest such run in chart history. It’s been an eclectic quickfire run through Xmas ballads, novelty funk, dance, and some good old fashioned rock and roll. And of course, the record that did finally manage to stay at the top for longer than seven days had to be something pretty special…
The UK Number Ones Blog 
I’m in disagreement with you. I think this song freaking rules. Probably the 2nd best chart-topper of the year (my favourite is yet to come). Love his vocals on it. Unlike “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” which while a great guitar rock song is a bit too much of a classic-rock patische, this at least sounds like an attempt to modernise that sound to the then-contemporary music scene. It honestly sounds 5 years ahead of it’s time – it would’ve fit in very well with the garage rock revival stuff that would be a big deal in the mid-2000s.
I’m not that familiar with Kravitz as an artist, but it’s cool seeing a black rock artist have the success he had, even if he was maybe leaning a bit too much on the Prince/Hendrix iconography. People often talk about alternative rock dominating the 90s in terms of rock, but there was also a lot of artists trying to revive classic rock, especially in the US and even some band in the UK.
Yeah, I knew I’d probably be in the minority on this one… I want to like it, because God knows it’ll be long enough before we hear a guitar back on top of the charts, but the lyrics are weapons-grade stupid. I don’t dislike ‘Fly Away’, I just wouldn’t actively seek it out. And I’d say it’s got that 90s alt gloss, compared to the rougher and readier indie stuff from a few years later.
I actually dig Lenny Kravitz and and “Fly Away.” He first entered my radar screen with his excellent 1991 sophomore album “Mama Said,” and I’ve listened to him on and off ever since. Apart from being a great songwriter, he’s also a very talented multi-instrumentalist. That said, of course, I realize music is a very subjective experience at the end of the day.
Yes it’s a case of me not quite getting it, or not knowing enough of his stuff, rather than a lack of talent! The riff in ‘Fly Away’ is great, but the lyrics and the production lose me a bit
Fly Away is a good track, always happy to singalong to it, but it’s not quite up to the standard of Are You Gonna Go My Way in the rock stakes, or the fabulous soul of his best record It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over, which is very Marvin Gaye/Prince. It’s also not quite as great as his most recent single Human which is as good as anything he’s ever done, with it’s retro synth 80’s vibes and one of the best records of 2024. Check out the video and be amazed at how young he still looks compared to how he looked in The Hunger Games films! So, in summary, yes Fly Away is a good Lenny track, but it’s not the one that deserved to top the charts.. 🙂
I just checked out ‘Human’, and it’s very different! I like ‘It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over’ too, which for years assumed must have been a cover as it’s such a perfect example of 70s soul.
Good, funky song. I’m one of those that gets into the music, itself. Lyrics are secondary to me.
I can overlook bad lyrics, but Kravitz sings them with such earnest conviction here that it puts me off!
Ha!
Whats that noise at the beginning? Oh…a guitar! WOW. It’s not his best song by any means. I like Let Love Rule which I never get tired of…it’s so damn Beatleish. If you haven’t heard it….check it out Stewart.
Having said that…I’ll take a middle of the road Lenny Kravitz song over that dance beat!
I just listened and it’s very soulful and Beatlesy! I do need to listen to more Lenny Kravitz because I do like some of his stuff.
Yea I’m not a huge fan but that song was played a lot at the time and then vanished…good song! Thanks for giving it a go.