"Gi' Me Wings" is a song by British singer

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

, which was released in 1981 as the fifth and final single from his tenth studio album ''

Foolish Behaviour '' Foolish Behaviour '' is Rod Stewart's tenth studio album, released on 21 November 1980 on the Riva label in the United Kingdom (RVLP 11) and on Warner Bros. Records in both The United States (HS 3485) and Germany (WB 56 865). The tracks we ...

'' (1980). The song was written by Stewart and

Steve Harley Steve Harley (born Stephen Malcolm Ronald Nice; 27 February 1951) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as frontman of the rock group Cockney Rebel, with whom he still tours, albeit with frequent and significant personnel changes. Ea ...

(lyrics), and

Phil Chen Phillip David Chen (21 October 1946 – 14 December 2021) was a Jamaican bassist. He was one of England's most utilized session bassists during the 1970s and 1980s, including Jeff Beck, and the Rod Stewart band from 1977 to 1980, but is prob ...

, Kevin Savigar, Jim Cregan and Gary Grainger (music). It was produced by Stewart (credited as Harry the Hook), with co-production by the Rod Stewart Group and Jeremy Andrew Johns. "Gi' Me Wings" was released as a single in Japan only, but also reached number 45 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Top Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in ...

chart.

Background

Stewart co-wrote the lyrics to "Gi' Me Wings" with

, although Harley did not receive a writing credit when it appeared on ''Foolish Behaviour''. The pair also collaborated on the lyrics for another track that appeared on the album, "

Somebody Special "Somebody Special" is a song by the Scottish singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt. It was released on 11 January 2018 through Cooking Vinyl as the third single from her second studio album ''The Sun Will Come Up, the Seasons Will Change''. The song was ...

", as well as a third song that was not released. Harley recalled to ''Smiler'' in 1997,

Critical reception

In a review of ''Foolish Behaviour'', Debra Rae Cohen of '' Rolling Stone'' described "Gi' Me Wings" as "pounding" and added that "Valerie Carter's soaring backup vocals add more urgency than either the flamboyant brass arrangements or the self-pitying lyrics". Laura Fissinger of '' Trouser Press'' stated, "Stewart can still sing, of course, and delivers 'Gi' Me Wings' with the ease of a child skipping stones across a pond." Randall Edwards of ''

The Daily Utah Chronicle The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

'' commented that "rock numbers" such as "Gi' Me Wings" "are tributes to a band that sounds like it's been playing together well for quite some time, anticipating every note, emphasizing every nuance." In a 2019 retrospective, '' Rhino Insider'' noted the song "has a burbling undercurrent that gives the track a pulse to go along with the studio sheen of the rest of the instrumentation".

Track listing

7-inch single (Japan) #"Gi' Me Wings" - 3:43 #"

" - 4:27

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the ''

'' LP sleeve notes. Gi' Me Wings *

– vocals * Gary Grainger, Jim Cregan – guitars * Kevin Savigar – keyboards * Tim Bogert – bass * Carmine Appice – drums, timpani * Jim Price – trombone * Earl Price – tenor saxophone * James Gordon – baritone saxophone * Lee Thornburg – trumpet Production * Harry the Hook (Rod Stewart) – producer * The Rod Stewart Group – co-producers * Jeremy Andrew Johns – co-producer, mixing * Jim Cregan – mixing * Rick Charles Delana – second engineer

Charts

References

{{authority control 1980 songs 1981 singles Rod Stewart songs Songs written by Rod Stewart Songs written by Steve Harley Songs written by Kevin Savigar Songs written by Jim Cregan Songs written by Gary Grainger Warner Records singles