Fly, Robin, Fly

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"Fly, Robin, Fly"
Single by Silver Convention
from the album Save Me
B-side "Tiger Baby"
Released 1975 (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 Michael Kunze
Certification Gold (RIAA)
Silver Convention singles chronology
"Always Another Girl"
(1974)		 "Fly, Robin, Fly"
(1975)		 "Tiger Baby"
(1976)

"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 #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1975, staying there for three weeks. The single also was #1 on the soul singles chart for one week.[2] "Fly, Robin, Fly" also spent three weeks at #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).

Contents

Chart performance[edit]

Chart (1975-1976) Peak
position
Austrian Singles Chart[6] 9
Belgium Singles Chart[7] 3
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary[8] 6
Canadian RPM Top Singles[4] 1
France (SNEP)[9] 28
German Singles Chart[10] 3
Italian Singles Chart[11] 3
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[12] 5
New Zealand Singles Chart[13] 16
Norwegian Singles Chart[14] 8
Swedish Singles Chart[15] 16
Swiss Singles Chart[16] 5
UK Singles Chart[17] 28
US Adult Contemporary Chart[18] 6
US Billboard Hot 100[18] 1
US Dance Club Play[18] 1
US Hot Disco Singles[3][18] 1
US Hot R&B Singles[2][18] 1

Cover versions[edit]

Spanish artist Alex Silvanni recorded cover version of "Fly, Robin, Fly" on USSR label Melodiya in 1975.[19]

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.[20]

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[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/save-me-mw0000881153 "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. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 526. 
  3. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 233. 
  4. ^ a b "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-02-16. 
  5. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-02-16. 
  6. ^ Hung Medien. "Fly robin fly in Austrian Chart". Retrieved 5 June 2013. 
  7. ^ "Fly robin fly in Belgian Chart". Ultratop and Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 June 2013. 
  8. ^ "Fly robin fly in Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 5 June 2013. 
  9. ^ "This town ain't big enough for both of us in french Chart". Dominic DURAND / InfoDisc. Retrieved 6 June 2013.  NB : Silver Convention has to searched with the index at the top of the page
  10. ^ "Fly robin fly in German Chart". Media control. Retrieved 5 June 2013. 
  11. ^ "Indice per Interprete: S". HitParadeItalia (it). Retrieved 5 June 2013. 
  12. ^ "Fly robin fly in Netherlands Chart". Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 5 June 2013. 
  13. ^ Hung Medien. "Fly robin fly in New Zealand Chart". Retrieved 5 June 2013. 
  14. ^ Hung Medien. "Fly robin fly in Norwegian Chart". Retrieved 5 June 2013. 
  15. ^ Hung Medien. "Fly robin fly in Swedish Chart". Retrieved 5 June 2013. 
  16. ^ Hung Medien. "Fly robin fly in Swiss Chart". Retrieved 5 June 2013. 
  17. ^ "Silver Convention". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 June 2013. 
  18. ^ a b c d e "The Silver Convention awards on Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 5 June 2013. 
  19. ^ Discogs
  20. ^ Mann, Herbie. Bird in a Silver Cage. iTunes album review. Accessed February 26, 2010.

External links[edit]

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
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