Wish I Could Fly

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"Wish I Could Fly" is the first single from the Have a Nice Day album by the Swedish duo Roxette. It was released in January 1999 and it became Roxette's most successful single since "Sleeping in My Car" (1994).

[edit] Song Information

"Wish I Could Fly" is a ballad with a modern sound (drum machine, bass) as well as strings. The demo (sung by Per Gessle) was recorded in late 1997. The final version with Marie Fredriksson on lead vocals was recorded during 1998. It's the only Roxette ballad to be chosen as the first single from a studio album. There are dance remixes of the song, including Tee's mix and StoneBridge mix. The b-sides of the "Wish I Could Fly" single are the non-album track "Happy Together" and the demo of "Wish I Could Fly", (or in the UK, "Wish I Could Fly (Tee's radio mix)".)

[edit] Song Success

"Wish I Could Fly" can be considered as a solid hit on both airplay and singles charts. In the UK, the single managed to reach an impressive #11 spot, which is the highest position for a single from a Roxette album since the 1991 hit "Joyride" (#4). "Wish I Could Fly" hit Top 10 in Sweden and Finland, Top 20 in Austria, Switzerland and Norway and Top 30 in Germany and the Netherlands. It was a massive radio hit, becoming the seventh most played song in Europe in 1999. It was quite well airplayed in South America (later the Spanish version "Quisiera Volar" was given airplay). In 2000, it was #26 in A/C radio chart in US. The video (directed by Jonas Åkerlund) reached #5 on MTV's European Top 20.