Flying Without Wings
Encyclopedia
"Flying Without Wings" is a song released by Irish
boyband Westlife
from their self-titled debut album.
and many parts of the world. The song became the group's third UK number 1 single, spending 13 weeks on charts. It is also one of Westlife's biggest selling number ones to date. The song has received a Silver sales certification in the UK for over 200,000 copies sold.
album, the band re-recorded the song as a duet with Mexican
singer Cristian Castro
and South Korea
n pop singer, BoA
. Both duets were included on the album in their respective regions. Both duets were also released as singles in their respective regions.
performed the song with Westlife on The X Factor
final in 2008. Australian singer Delta Goodrem
performed the song with boyfriend and ex-Westlife
member, Brian McFadden
, on her national Visualise Tour
in 2005.
and Steve Mac
. In an interview with HitQuarters
Hector said the basic idea for the song came to him while on a break from working on a hip hop
session with Ezi Cut in Los Angeles
:
CD1
CD2
winner Ruben Studdard
as his debut single in 2003. The single was released on June 10 and charted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
on June 28. "Flying Without Wings" also gained attention on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks
chart, peaking at #13, while it reached #27 on the adult contemporary chart. It was also released in New Zealand
and reached #2 behind Clay Aiken. The single had sold 751,000 copies through December 2006. This version of the song also appears on the game Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol
.
Irish
Irish may refer to:*Irish cuisine* Ireland, an island in north-western Europe, on which are located:** Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom** Republic of Ireland, a sovereign state...
boyband Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
from their self-titled debut album.
Background
The song became an instant hit in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and many parts of the world. The song became the group's third UK number 1 single, spending 13 weeks on charts. It is also one of Westlife's biggest selling number ones to date. The song has received a Silver sales certification in the UK for over 200,000 copies sold.
Duets
In 2002, as part of the promotion of their Unbreakable - The Greatest Hits Vol. 1Unbreakable - The Greatest Hits Vol. 1
Unbreakable: The Greatest Hits Volume 1 is the fourth album and first greatest hits album by Irish boyband Westlife. The album was released on 11 November 2002. It peaked at #1 in the UK and at #66 in Australia and sold close to 1.4 million copies in the UK alone. It is also the band's longest...
album, the band re-recorded the song as a duet with Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
singer Cristian Castro
Cristian Castro
Cristian Castro is a Grammy Award-nominated Mexican pop singer. He is referred to as "Christian Castro" or "Cristian."- Biography :...
and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n pop singer, BoA
BoA
Boa Kwon , commonly stylized and known by her stage name BoA, which is a backronym for Beat of Angel, is a Korean singer, active in South Korea, Japan, and the United States and sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Korean Pop Music"....
. Both duets were included on the album in their respective regions. Both duets were also released as singles in their respective regions.
Live Version
In 2003, as part of the promotion for their Greatest Hits tour, the band released the live version of the song, as well as five other live tracks, as an EP made exclusively available via digital download and limited edition sampler. The live version of the song reahed #1 on the iTunes chart on the week of release. A new version of the music video, entwining footage from the live performance and scenes of the original music video, was added to YouTube in December 2003.Covers
JLSJLS
- Music :* JLS, an English boyband** JLS , debut album by JLS* JLS a Spanish Rock band based in Zaragoza , Spain formed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by lead Leo Susana.- Organizations :...
performed the song with Westlife on The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
final in 2008. Australian singer Delta Goodrem
Delta Goodrem
Delta Lea Goodrem is an Australian singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress. Signed to Sony at the age of 15, Goodrem rose to prominence in 2002, starring in the Australian soap opera Neighbours as Nina Tucker. Goodrem has achieved eight number-one singles and three number-one albums in her home...
performed the song with boyfriend and ex-Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
member, Brian McFadden
Brian McFadden
Brian Nicholas McFadden , is an Irish singer-songwriter who rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of the Irish boyband Westlife...
, on her national Visualise Tour
Visualise Tour
The Visualise Tour is the debut Australian concert tour by singer-songwriter Delta Goodrem. During July 2005, Goodrem performed a total of ten shows to an estimated audience of 80,000 people, making it one of Australia's highest selling local tours...
in 2005.
Writing and inspiration
The song was written by Wayne HectorWayne Hector
Wayne Hector is an English songwriter.Wayne Hector has had over 30 number ones around the globe under his belt and numerous movie soundtrack credits, Wayne Hector is one of the UK’s most successful songwriters....
and Steve Mac
Steve Mac
Steve Mac , is a songwriter, record producer and owner of Rokstone Studios in London.He has produced more than 22 number one singles in the UK and had several multi-million selling albums worldwide...
. In an interview with HitQuarters
HitQuarters
HitQuarters is an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It is noted for in-depth interviews with industry figures, with past subjects including Simon Cowell, Martin Kierszenbaum, Jason Flom, Diane Warren, Peter Edge, Ron Fair and RedOne, as well as its A&R...
Hector said the basic idea for the song came to him while on a break from working on a hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
session with Ezi Cut in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
:
"I came up with a couple of lines for the first verse and then phoned my mama’s house, left it on the answering machine, and said, “Don’t get rid of this!”Upon returning to England, Hector went into the studio to work on the idea with long-time songwriting partner and producer Steve Mac. When the two discussed what the song was about they agreed that, "this is about our wives. This is about the things that make our lives complete." According to Hector the lyrics were completed in about half an hour.
Track listing
- United Kingdom
CD1
- "Flying Without Wings" - 3:35
- "Everybody Knows" - 3:45
- "Flying Without Wings" (Video) - 3:40
CD2
- "Flying Without Wings" - 3:35
- "That's What It's All About" - 3:20
- "Flying Without Wings" (Acappella) - 3:29
- Australia
- "Flying Without Wings" - 3:35
- "I Have A Dream" (Remix) - 4:06
- "Seasons In The Sun" (Single Remix) - 4:10
- "Flying Without Wings" (Video) - 3:40
- Mexico
- "Flying Without Wings" (Duet with Cristian Castro) - 3:35
- "Never Knew I Was Losing You" - 4:09
- Asia
- "Flying Without Wings" (Duet with BoA) - 3:35
- "Never Knew I Was Losing You" - 4:09
- Greatest Hits Tour Single
- "Flying Without Wings" (Live) - 3:35
- "When You're Looking Like That" (Live) - 3:28
- "If I Let You Go" (Live) - 3:38
- "Tonight" (Live) - 4:31
- "My Love" (Live) - 3:52
- "Bop Bop Baby" (Live) - 4:32
Chart performance
| Charts | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
31 |
| Belgium Singles Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
7 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 14 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
17 |
| Finnish Singles Chart Mitä hittiä The Official Finnish Charts is a national record chart in Finland composed by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.The singles chart was started in January 1991 as Radiomafian lista and was broadcast on the radio station Radiomafia of the Finnish Broadcasting Company, YLE. This chart is based on a... |
17 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
85 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
7 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 6 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
12 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
1 |
| UK Radio Airplay Chart | 8 |
Chart successions
CD production
| Arranged by (strings) | : Richard Niles Richard Niles Richard Niles is an American composer, arranger, producer, guitarist, broadcaster and journalist. He has lived in London since 1975. Because of his extensive work across many genres Sound on Sound magazine referred to him as "one of the most versatile men in modern music".-Early years:Niles was... |
| Arranged by (vocals) | : Steve Mac Steve Mac Steve Mac , is a songwriter, record producer and owner of Rokstone Studios in London.He has produced more than 22 number one singles in the UK and had several multi-million selling albums worldwide... , Wayne Hector Wayne Hector Wayne Hector is an English songwriter.Wayne Hector has had over 30 number ones around the globe under his belt and numerous movie soundtrack credits, Wayne Hector is one of the UK’s most successful songwriters.... |
| Arranged by, mixed by | : Steve Mac |
| Artwork by (design) | : Root |
| Photography | : Brian Aris |
| Bass guitar | : Steve Pearce |
| Guitar | : Paul Gendler |
| Performer (Choir Md) | : Benny Diggs |
| Engineer (Mix) | : Matt Howe |
| Engineer, pProgrammed by | : Chris Laws |
| Other (management) | : Louis Walsh Louis Walsh Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:... , Ronan Keating Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and... |
Video album
A karaoke version of "Flying Without Wings" was released on DVD in 2000 and debuted at #1. It includes easy to read lyrics, photographs & interactive menus, picture sleeve. It has a running time of 45 minutes.Track listing
- Swear It Again
- If I Let You Go
- Flying Without Wings
- Fool Again
- Seasons In The Sun
- I Have A Dream
- More Than Words
- Against All Odds
Ruben Studdard version
"Flying Without Wings" was covered by American IdolAmerican Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
winner Ruben Studdard
Ruben Studdard
Christopher Theodore Ruben Studdard , best known as Ruben Studdard, is an American R&B, pop, and gospel singer. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of American Idol...
as his debut single in 2003. The single was released on June 10 and charted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
on June 28. "Flying Without Wings" also gained attention on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart, peaking at #13, while it reached #27 on the adult contemporary chart. It was also released in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and reached #2 behind Clay Aiken. The single had sold 751,000 copies through December 2006. This version of the song also appears on the game Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol
Karaoke Revolution
Karaoke Revolution and its many sequels are video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360, developed by Harmonix Music Systems and Blitz Games and published by Konami in its Bemani line of music games. The Original Concept for Karaoke Revolution was...
.
External links
- "Flying Without Wings" - Westlife official music video
- "Flying Without Wings" - Westlife with BoA official music video
- "Flying Without Wings" - Westlife with Cristian Castro official music video
- "Flying Without Wings" - Ruben Studdard official music video
- Official Westlife website