"Flying Without Wings" is a song by Irish
boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...
Westlife
Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporarily di ...
, released on 18 October 1999 as the third single from their
self-titled debut studio album (1999). It is the band's fourth-best-selling single on both paid-for and combined sales in the United Kingdom as of January 2019.
Background
The song was written by
Wayne Hector
Wayne Anthony Hector is a British songwriter who is best known for his work with pop artists such as Nicki Minaj, One Direction, the Wanted, Toše Proeski and Olly Murs. He co-wrote seven of Westlife's number one singles, including "World of O ...
and
Steve Mac. In an interview with
HitQuarters
HitQuarters was an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It was noted for its in-depth interviews with industry figures, as well as its A&R and manager contact directory, free artist promo pages and song ...
, 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
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
:
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!”["Interview With Wayne Hector"](_blank)
''HitQuarters
HitQuarters was an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It was noted for its in-depth interviews with industry figures, as well as its A&R and manager contact directory, free artist promo pages and song ...
'', 1 February 2010.
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.
He added, "Flying Without Wings was a life-changing moment, and a song he says he is particularly proud of. A big moment for me was when Flying Without Wings came out, I’d had a few Number 1s at that point, but that convinced people I could write good pop songs. After that, I started working with bigger acts and over a more diverse range of genres, including country and rock, which helped me pick up some credibility." The band's manager later revealed the song had been planned as the first solo single for
Boyzone
Boyzone were an Irish boy band, created in 1993 by talent manager Louis Walsh. Before even recording any material, Boyzone made an appearance on RTÉ's '' The Late Late Show''. Their most successful line-up was composed of Keith Duffy, Steph ...
's
Stephen Gately
Stephen Patrick David Gately (17 March 197610 October 2009) was an Irish singer, who, with Ronan Keating, was co-lead singer of the pop group Boyzone; all of Boyzone's studio albums during Gately's lifetime hit number one in the United Kingdo ...
. "Stephen did the demo and he thought it was going to be his song," Walsh recalls. "I'll be quite honest, I missed it, but as soon as
Simon
Simon may refer to:
People
* Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon
* Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon
* Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...
heard it he just went bananas. It was really difficult because Westlife were on tour with Boyzone, as the support act."
In a documentary aired on
UTV called ''Westlife Back Home'', band member Shane Filan said it is probably the best song of their career, while former
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Bertie Ahern
Bartholomew Patrick "Bertie" Ahern (born 12 September 1951) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008, Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 1997, Tánaiste a ...
(band member
Nicky Byrne
Nicholas Bernard James Adam Byrne Jr. (born 9 October 1978) is an Irish pop singer, songwriter and radio and television presenter, best known for being a member of the pop group Westlife; he is the band's oldest member. Westlife has since rele ...
's father-in-law) revealed it is his favourite tune from the chart-topping band. The song also won the band their first of four ''
Record of the Year
The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...
'' prizes on the annual televised
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
music awards on 11 December 1999, scoring a total of 159,590 votes to beat Boyzone's
Ronan Keating
Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop group Boyzone. His solo career start ...
to the title.
The
Official Charts Company
The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France.
In the United Kingdom, its charts inc ...
stated, "Flying Without Wings wasn't the first boyband ballad, nor is it the biggest selling, but it was certainly influential. After Flying Without Wings, what self-respecting boyband would dare stay seated on a stool for a key change? Stand, boys! Flying Without Wings has soundtracked births, proposals, marriages, funerals, and untold TV talent show montages over the last two decades."
Commercial performance
The song became the group's third UK number-one single, spending 13 weeks on charts.
It also received a platinum sales certification in the UK and has sold over 800,000 copies with 37 million streams there as of November 2021.
Track listings
UK and Australian CD1
# "Flying Without Wings" – 3:35
# "Everybody Knows" – 4:09
# CR-ROM
UK and Australian CD2
# "Flying Without Wings" – 3:35
# "That's What It's All About" – 3:20
# "Flying Without Wings" (a cappella mix) – 3:29
UK cassette single and European CD single
# "Flying Without Wings" – 3:35
# "Everybody Knows" – 4:09
European maxi-CD single
# "Flying Without Wings" – 3:35
# "Everybody Knows" – 3:45
# "That's What It's All About" – 3:20
# "Flying Without Wings" (a cappella mix) – 3:29
# CR-ROM
Credits and personnel
Credits are lifted from the UK CD1 and ''
Westlife
Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporarily di ...
'' liner notes.
Studios
* Choir recorded at
Avatar Studios
Power Station at BerkleeNYC, formerly known as Avatar Studios (1996–2017) and Power Station, is a recording studio at 441 West 53rd Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City. The bui ...
(New York City)
* Engineered and programmed at Rokstone Studios (London, England)
Personnel
* Steve Mac – writing, all keyboards, production, mixing, arrangement, vocal arrangement
* Wayne Hector – writing, vocal arrangement
* Benny Diggs – Choir MD
* Paul Gendler – all guitars
* Steve Pearce – bass guitar
*
Richard Niles
Richard Niles is an American composer, arranger, record producer, guitarist, broadcaster, and journalist.
Biography Early years
Niles was born May 28, 1951, in Hollywood. He is the son of Tony Romano, a composer, singer, and guitarist who writ ...
– string arrangement
* Chris Laws – engineering, programming
* Matt Howe – mix engineering
* Daniel Pursey – mixing assistant
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
Duets
In 2002, as part of the promotion of their album ''
Unbreakable: The Greatest Hits Volume 1'', the song was re-recorded as a
duet
A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...
with
Mexican singer
Cristian Castro
Christian Sáinz Valdés Castro (born 8 December 1974), known professionally as Cristian Castro or Cristian, is a Mexican pop singer. He is the son of actors Veronica Castro and Manuel "El Loco" Valdés, and nephew of actors Ramón Valdés ...
and
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
n pop singer,
BoA
Kwon Bo-ah (; born November 5, 1986), known professionally as BoA, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer and actress. One of the most successful and influential Korean entertainers, she has been dubbed the " Queen of K- ...
. Each duet was included on the Spanish & Asian editions of the album. Both duets were also released as singles in their two respective regions.
Track listing
* 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
Live version
In 2004, as part of the promotion for their ''
Turnaround Tour
The Turnaround Tour was the fourth concert tour by Irish pop band Westlife. The tour covered the UK and Europe in 2004 seen by 490,000 fans making £12,000,000, the tour was also supposed to appear in China, Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand ...
'', the band released the live version of the song. It was recorded during their tour in
Stockholm Globe Arena
Avicii Arena, originally known as Stockholm Globe Arena and previously as Ericsson Globe, but commonly referred to in Swedish simply as Globen (; "the Globe"), is an indoor arena located in Stockholm Globe City, Johanneshov district of Stockho ...
. Their live version peaked at number one in UK Singles Chart and was the first ever number one in the UK downloads chart.
Track listing
* UK
# "Flying Without Wings" (Live)
Charts
Video album
A karaoke version of "Flying Without Wings" was released on DVD in 2000 and debuted at number one. It includes lyrics, photographs, and interactive menus. 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"
CD production
Other appearances
The Westlife song has appeared in the 2000
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of ...
film ''
Pokémon: The Movie 2000'' as the final song of the credits in the film and on the official movie soundtrack.
It also featured in the 2000 Australian film ''
The Magic Pudding
''The Magic Pudding: Being The Adventures of Bunyip Bluegum and his friends Bill Barnacle and Sam Sawnoff'' is a 1918 Australian children's book written and illustrated by Norman Lindsay. It is a comic fantasy, and a classic of Australian childr ...
'' and 2000 French film ''
Archibald the Koala: The Movie''. It also appeared in the Korean drama ''
I'm Sorry, I Love You
''I'm Sorry, I Love You'' () is a 2004 South Korean television drama series starring So Ji-sub and Im Soo-jung. It aired on KBS2 from November 8 to December 28, 2004, on Mondays and Tuesdays for 16 episodes.
Synopsis
Cha Moo-hyuk is a part-t ...
'' and its soundtrack as well.
On 12 May 2018, the song was performed on Korean music programme '
Immortal Songs 2
''Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend'' (), also known as ''Immortal Songs 2'' (), is a South Korean television music competition program presented by Shin Dong-yup. It is a revival of ''Immortal Songs'' (2007–2009), and each episode features s ...
' by
Ali
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam ...
who placed second place that night. Band member
Shane Filan
Shane Steven Filan (born 5 July 1979) is an Irish Pop music, pop singer. He is one of the two lead singers of pop vocal group Westlife, which was formed in 1998, disbanded in 2012, and regrouped in 2018. Westlife have released thirteen albums, ...
was the featured 'Legend' and judged the participants.
In 2020, the song appeared as a music background on one of
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...
UK and Ireland advertisements.
Ruben Studdard version
"Flying Without Wings" was covered by ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' winner
Ruben Studdard
Ruben Studdard (born September 12, 1978) is an American singer and actor. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of ''American Idol'' and received a Grammy Award nomination in 2003 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his recording of ...
as his debut single in 2003. The single was released on 10 June and charted at number two on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 on 28 June, behind "
This Is the Night This Is the Night may refer to:
Film
* ''This Is the Night'' (1932 film), an American pre-Code comedy film, Cary Grant's feature film debut
* ''This Is the Night'' (2021 film), an American drama film
Music
* "This Is the Night", fourth track on ...
" by
Clay Aiken
Clayton Holmes Aiken (''né'' Grissom; born November 30, 1978) is an American singer, television personality, actor, politician, and activist. Aiken finished second place on the second season of ''American Idol'' in 2003, and his debut album, ' ...
. "Flying Without Wings" also appeared on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...
chart, peaking at number 13, and the
Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
chart, reaching number 27. The
double A-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
single with "
Superstar
A superstar is someone who has great popular appeal and is widely known, prominent, or successful in their field. Celebrities referred to as "superstars" may include individuals who work as actors, musicians, athletes, and other media-based profe ...
" was released in Canada and New Zealand, peaking at number two in both countries, behind Aiken's release.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
External links
Official Westlife website
{{Authority control
19 Recordings singles
1990s ballads
1999 singles
1999 songs
2003 singles
Bertelsmann Music Group singles
BoA songs
Cristian Castro songs
Delta Goodrem songs
Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
J Records singles
Pop ballads
RCA Records singles
Ruben Studdard songs
Song recordings produced by Steve Mac
Songs written by Steve Mac
Songs written by Wayne Hector
Songs written for animated films
Songs from Pokémon
Syco Music singles
UK Singles Chart number-one singles
Westlife songs