Are You Gonna Go My Way (song)

"Are You Gonna Go My Way" is the first single to be released by American musician Lenny Kravitz from his third studio album, '' Are You Gonna Go My Way'' (1993). It was written by Lenny Kravitz and Craig Ross. The single has been covered by numerous artists, such as Metallica, in a medley for "MTV Hits" at the 2003 MTV Music Video Awards, Tom Jones for the ''Jerky Boys OST'', Robbie Williams on Jones' 1999 album '' Reload'' and Mel B in her solo section of the Spice Girls 2007 Reunion Tour. Serbian hard rock band Cactus Jack recorded a version on their live cover album ''DisCover'' in 2002. A remixed version is played as the opening theme song in '' Gran Turismo 3: A-spec''. Adam Lambert covered the song in November 2012 in his swing through South Africa.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the song as "roaring". American magazine ''Billboard'' said it is Kravitz's "hardest and fastest to date". Larry Flick described it as a "passionate" track, that is "wrapped in the kind of retro, Jimi Hendrix-style guitar riffs that album-rock programmers go wild for." He added, "Spare boogie rhythms and a simply irresistible hook provide added radio incentive." Tony Harris from ''The Corsair'' called it a "throwaway hit single". David Browne from ''Entertainment Weekly'' wrote that it "opens with a blast of phase-shifter electric guitar that could have been lifted directly off an old Jimi Hendrix or Isley Brothers album. And the lyrics are prime Kravitz." Dave Sholin from the ''Gavin Report'' described it as "'90s rock", adding that "it doesn't get much better than this." Music writer James Masterton noted in his weekly UK chart commentary, "Kravitz returns to his own career in full Jimi Hendrix mode and at a stroke matching the peak of his biggest hit ever It Ain't Over 'til It's Over."

Pan-European magazine ''Music & Media'' commented, "A special warning before you fasten your headphones. Kravitz cracks your nut with his hardest rocking single to date. A delicious earache." John Kilgo from ''The Network Forty'' wrote that "shades of Hendrix-a nice grungy-driven guitar with a crunchy rhythm beat highlights this funked rock release." Rick de Yampert from ''The News Journal'' noted it as "feverish Hendrix". Rick Marin from ''The New York Times'' described the music video as a "frenzied, orgiatic performance exhuming (if not reincarnating) the spirit of Jimi Hendrix, complete with phase-shifter guitar and sexily slurred lyrics." A reviewer from ''Reading Evening Post'' declared the song as a "mixture of stomping drums and guitars, built around a grinding sub-Hendrixian riff", adding that "it's a bit too relentless and repetitive" to achieve the top 20 success of "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over". Jamie Parmenter from ''Renowned for Sound'' picked it as a "stand out" from the album, complimenting it for "being an anthem of the early 90s, a rollicking fast-paced rock masterpiece that shows Lenny's eye for a chart-topping tune and mastery at a catchy riff." Leesa Daniels from ''Smash Hits'' deemed it "a scorcher".

Chart performance

"Are You Gonna Go My Way" was released as an airplay-only single in the US and thus was not eligible to chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but reached number one on the Album Rock Tracks and number two on the Modern Rock Tracks. It also reached the top 5 in the UK, peaking at number four. It is still Kravitz's most successful single in Australia, where it peaked at number-one for six weeks through April and May 1993. "Are You Gonna Go My Way" is the only Diamond certified single in Brazil, with over 500,000 downloads.

Music video

A music video was shot to accompany the song, directed by American filmmaker Mark Romanek. It consisted of Kravitz and his band playing in a large circular arena, with three tiered balcones stepped back from the centre, filled by people dancing. Above the band and the dancers, lighting designer, director Michael Keeling created a chandelier of 983 cylindrical 23cm incandescent light tubes (originally designed for aquarium use) that could be brightened and dimmed to create patterns of light. Cindy Blackman appears on drums in the music video, although she did not perform on the studio recording that plays in the video's audio track.

Awards

The success of the song and the music video led to Kravitz being nominated for and winning several awards:
*Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo: ''Nominated''
*Grammy Award for Best Rock Song: ''Nominated''
*MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction: ''Nominated''
*MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Artist: Won

Track listings

*UK CD 1
#"Are You Gonna Go My Way"
#"It Ain't Over 'til It's Over"
#"Always on the Run"
#"Let Love Rule"

*UK CD 2 and Australian CD single
#"Are You Gonna Go My Way"
#"My Love"
#"All My Life"
#"Someone Like You"

*UK 7-inch and cassette single
#"Are You Gonna Go My Way"
#"My Love"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

See also

* List of ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock number-one songs of the 1990s
*List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1990s
* The Unplugged Collection, Volume One

References

{{Authority control

1993 singles
1993 songs
Lenny Kravitz songs
MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video
Music videos directed by Mark Romanek
Number-one singles in Australia
Protest songs
Robbie Williams songs
Song recordings produced by Lenny Kravitz
Songs written by Craig Ross
Songs written by Lenny Kravitz
Tom Jones (singer) songs
Virgin Records singles