Fly, Robin, Fly
| "Fly, Robin, Fly" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Silver Convention | ||||
| from the album Save Me | ||||
| B-side | "Tiger Baby" | |||
| Released | 1975 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | 1974 | |||
| Genre | Euro disco,[1] funk | |||
| Length |
5:35 (LP version) 3:47 (single version) | |||
| Label | Jupiter, Midland International | |||
| Writer(s) | Stephan Prager, Sylvester Levay | |||
| Producer(s) | Michael Kunze | |||
| Certification | Gold (RIAA) | |||
| Silver Convention singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Fly, Robin, Fly" is a 1975 record by the German group Silver Convention. The song was released as a single from their 1975 album Save Me. In the United States, it rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1975, staying there for three weeks. The single also was No. 1 on the soul singles chart for one week.[2] "Fly, Robin, Fly" also spent three weeks at No. 1 on the disco/dance charts.[3] It was the first song by a German pop group to reach number one on the American music charts. In Canada, the song also reached the pole position in the charts, hitting number one in the RPM Top Singles Chart on January 17, 1976,[4] knocking the Bay City Rollers' "Saturday Night" from the top slot, managing to keep it for a single week only before being replaced by C.W. McCall's "Convoy" a week later.[5]
"Fly, Robin, Fly" carries the distinction of being a Billboard chart-topper with one of the fewest numbers of unique words: six. The chorus simply repeats "Fly, robin, fly" three times, with an ending of "Up, up to the sky!"
During a segment on VH1's 100 Greatest Dance Songs, it was revealed that the working title was "Run, Rabbit, Run".
"Fly, Robin, Fly" won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance in 1976.
The song was featured in the film Boogie Nights (1997).
Chart performance
| Chart (1975-1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[ 1] | 9 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[ 1] | 3 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary[6] | 6 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles[4] | 1 |
| France (SNEP)[7] | 28 |
| Germany (Media Control AG)[ 1] | 3 |
| Italy (FIMI)[8] | 3 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[ 1] | 5 |
| Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[ 1] | 8 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[ 1] | 16 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[ 1] | 8 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[ 1] | 16 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[ 1] | 5 |
| UK (Official Charts Company)[9] | 28 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary[10] | 6 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[10] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot Disco Singles[3][10] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot R&B Singles[2][10] | 1 |
Cover versions
Spanish artist Alex Silvanni recorded cover version of "Fly, Robin, Fly" on USSR label Melodiya in 1975.[11]
Jamaican producer Derrick Harriott and his group, the Chariot Riders, released a cover version of "Fly, Robin, Fly" on the Jamaican WIld Flower label in 1975.
Method Man & Redman's video version of their 1995 song "How High" contains an interpolaton of "Fly, Robin, Fly"
American jazz flautist Herbie Mann recorded a version of "Fly, Robin, Fly" for his 1976 album, Bird in a Silver Cage, which was co-produced and arranged by Sylvester Levay.[12]
Australian/British string quartet Bond also recorded a version of "Fly, Robin, Fly" for their 2004 album, Classified.
In 2003, German lifestyle company Apartment20 produced a version of "Fly, Robin, Fly," which featured former Silver Convention singer Ramona Wulf on lead vocals and in the video for the song.
See also
- List of songs by European artists which reached number one on the Hot 100 (US)
References
- ↑ Alex Henderson. "Save Me review on Allmusic". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 7 July 2013. "it was also in 1975 that the Munich-based Silver Convention hit big with "Fly, Robin, Fly", one of the gems that defined the Euro-disco sound."
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 526.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 233.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
- ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
- ↑ "Fly robin fly in Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- ↑ "Fly robin fly in French Chart" (in French). Dominic DURAND / InfoDisc. 7 July 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2013. You have to use the index at the top of the page and search "Silver Convention"
- ↑ "Indice per Interprete: S". HitParadeItalia (it). Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- ↑ "1975 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive - 29th November 1975". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 "The Silver Convention awards on Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- ↑ Discogs
- ↑ Mann, Herbie. Bird in a Silver Cage. iTunes album review. Accessed February 26, 2010.
External links
- Fly, Robin, Fly at SuperSeventies
- "Fly, Robin, Fly" by Apartment20, featuring Ramona Wulf, at YouTube.com
- Discogs.com
| Preceded by "That's the Way (I Like It)" by KC and the Sunshine Band |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single 29 November 1975 – 13 December 1975 |
Succeeded by "Let's Do It Again" by The Staple Singers |
| Preceded by "Low Rider" by War |
Billboard Hot Soul Singles number-one single 15 November 1975 | |
| Preceded by "Brazil" by The Ritchie Family |
Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single 27 September 1975 – 11 October 1975 |
Succeeded by "Casanova Brown" / "(If You Want It) Do It Yourself" / "How High the Moon" by Gloria Gaynor |