- Source: 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.
Chart performance
"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 and on the European Dance Radio Chart, and entered the top 10 also in Denmark (9), Italy (5), 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. 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. It also peaked at number 25 on the UK Dance Singles Chart and number 13 on the Record Mirror UK on a Pop Tip Club Chart.
Critical reception
James Hamilton from British magazine Music Week's RM Dance Update described "Fly Away" as a "unhurried crooned Euro galloper". 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."
Music video
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.
Track listings
CD single
"Fly Away" (radio edit) — 4:04
"Fly Away" (extended version) — 6:43
CD maxi (14 April 1995)
"Fly Away" (radio edit) — 4:04
"Fly Away" (extended version) — 6:43
"Fly Away" (hyper space mix) — 6:23
"Fly Away" (maxi-flight-remix) — 5:25
"Fly Away" (development corporation mix) — 6:50
CD maxi - Remixes (12 June 1995)
"Fly Away" (Tinman's mile high mix) — 6:11
"Fly Away" (sequential one club house remix) — 5:00
"Fly Away" ("side by side" mix) — 6:08