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

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...

, released in 1981 as the fifth and final single from his tenth studio album, '' Foolish Behaviour'' (1980). The song was written by Stewart and

Steve Harley Stephen Malcolm Ronald Nice (27 February 1951 – 17 March 2024), known by his stage name Steve Harley, was an English singer-songwriter and frontman of the rock music, rock group Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, Cockney Rebel. The band achieved ...

(lyrics), and

Phil Chen Phillip David Chen OD (21 October 1946 – 14 December 2021) was a Jamaican bassist. He was one of Britain's most utilized session bassists during the 1970s and 1980s, including for Jeff Beck as well as for the Rod Stewart band from 1977 to 1 ...

Kevin Savigar Kevin Savigar (born 9 November 1956) is an English session keyboardist, record producer, songwriter, and composer based in Los Angeles, CA. Perhaps most recognised for his longtime collaboration with Rod Stewart, Savigar has also contributed to ...

Jim Cregan James Cregan (born 9 March 1946) is an English rock guitarist and bassist, best known for his associations with Family, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, and Rod Stewart. Cregan is a former husband of the singer Linda Lewis and worked with her a ...

and

Gary Grainger Gary Grainger (born 20 October 1950) is an English rock, blues, jazz and pop songwriter and guitarist, most known for his work with Rod Stewart. Career 1970–1999 Gary Grainger's professional career took off with the formation of Strider. Afte ...

(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 advertis ...

'' Top Rock Tracks 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", 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 ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' 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 ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' 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 ''

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'' 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 #" Somebody Special" - 4:27

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the '' Foolish Behaviour'' LP sleeve notes. "Gi' Me Wings" *

– vocals *

– guitars *

– keyboards *

Tim Bogert John Voorhis "Tim" Bogert III (August 27, 1944 – January 14, 2021) was an American musician. As a bass guitarist and vocalist he was best known for his powerful vocal ability and his fast runs, fluid agility and ground-breaking sound on hi ...

– bass *

Carmine Appice Carmine Appice ( ; born December 15, 1946) is an American rock drummer. He is best known for his associations with Vanilla Fudge; Cactus; the power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice; Rod Stewart; King Kobra; and Blue Murder. He is the older brother ...

– 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