Fly like a Bird

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"Fly Like A Bird"

Single by Mariah Carey
from the album The Emancipation of Mimi
Released	April 3, 2006 (U.S.)
Format	Digital download
Recorded	New York City, U.S. Capri, Italy; 2004
Genre	R&B/Gospel
Length	3:52
Label	Island
Writer(s)	Carey, M./Wright, J.
Producer(s)	Mariah Carey, James Wright
Chart positions
#104 (U.S.) #19 (R&B)
Mariah Carey singles chronology
"Say Somethin'" (2006)	"Fly Like A Bird" (2006)	"Mine Again" (2006)

"Fly Like A Bird" is a gospel song written and produced by American singer Mariah Carey and James "Big Jim" Wright for Carey's ninth studio album The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). It was released as a single from the album in 2006 (see 2006 in music). The song's protagonist speaks to God: "Fly like a bird, take to the sky, I need you now Lord, carry me high!"

1 Theme
2 Commercial release
3 Charts
4 Notes

[edit] Theme

Carey created the chorus' main lyrics and melody, while Wright arranged its chord structure. Carey later wrote the rest of the lyrics and asked her pastor, Clarence Keaton, to speak on the track. Keaton read directly from the Bible: "Weeping may endure for the night, but joy will come in the morning". Carey called it her "favorite song on the album [...] mainly because it's very much a spiritual message.... And I just felt like the message was really important to include on the album and that's why it's the final song on the album. It kind of sums up everything. It kind of leaves you on a spiritual high moment."

Billboard magazine called the song "a classic" ^[1] and described it as "another career-redefining hit ... The flight of "Bird" from humble call for deliverance into a frenzied ecclesiastic hymn is utterly spine-tingling. A joyful noise." ^[2]

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin a remake of the song was created in memory of Purvis Parker and Quadrevion Henning, two Milwaukee boys that drowned in a lagoon in spring 2006. The remake includes news broadcasts and family speaking about the two missing boys.

[edit] Commercial release

"Fly Like A Bird" was released on a two-song promotional single with "My Saving Grace", a track from Charmbracelet (2002), to gospel radio stations in the United States on May 18, 2005. It received little airplay and consequently was not released to other radio formats, but it was played by several urban, rhythmic, and urban adult contemporary stations across the U.S. Carey performed the song live with a medley of We Belong Together in February at the 2006 Grammy Awards.

In April 2006 "Fly Like A Bird" was released to urban and urban adult contemporary radio stations while "Say Somethin'" was released to pop and rhythmic radio stations. It did not chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 but did reach number four on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, which represents the twenty-five singles below the Hot 100's number 100 position which have not yet appeared on the Hot 100. Plans for a music video for the single were cancelled.^{[citation needed]} Still, it peaked at #19 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and topped the Hot Adult R&B Airplay chart for six weeks. The song has shown longevity in the urban market by reaching its peak (#19) on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in its 24th week. It is still in the top 30 after its 50th week.

An official urban remix produced by Kanye West and Melonie Daniels was recorded but has yet to be released. The remix samples Earth, Wind & Fire's "Keep Your Head to the Sky".^{[citation needed]} Maurice Joshua and Tracy Young have produced remixes of the song.

[edit] Charts

Chart (2006)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Bubbling Under	4
U.S. Hot Adult R&B Airplay	1 (6 weeks)
U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs	19
Chart (2007)	Peak position
U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent Airplay	1
U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrents	1