"I Can Fly" is a song by Lana Del Rey, featured on the soundtrack of the movie Big Eyes. It was co-written with Rick Nowels who also served as the track's producer. The song was kept a secret until the film was screened for insiders in early November 2014.
Background and writing[]
The song was written after Del Rey's other contribution to the Big Eyes soundtrack "Big Eyes", which was originally written to play over the film's end credits. However, that song was deemed too sad to end the film with and producers noticed it fit perfectly over two near-dialogue-free scenes within the film, which originally contained music by composer Danny Elfman. Seeing as the track was no longer being used during the credits, Del Rey worked with Rick Nowels to write the song "I Can Fly" for the outro of the film.
It was recorded in November 2013, in the same sessions as "Fine China", "Say Yes to Heaven", "Shades of Cool", "Sad Girl", "Is This Happiness", and "Your Girl". An early version of the song with different lyrics, vocal and instrumental arrangements originally meant for Ultraviolence is also rumored to exist.[citation needed]
The song was reworked during sessions for Del Rey's third major-label studio album Honeymoon in late 2014.[S 1] This version was produced by STINT.[S 2] Later, the released version of the song appeared on an early version of the tracklist for Blue Banisters.[citation needed]
Cross-references[]
- "Eyes wide" references "Big Eyes" and "Cola".
- Del Rey sings about "mid-July" in "Young and Beautiful" and "Beautiful People", which was similarly written for Big Eyes.
- Del Rey mentions being on fire in "Sad Girl", "Summertime Sadness" and "Baby Blue Love".
- A garden is also mentioned in "Cherry", "Gods & Monsters", "Bartender", "Venice Bitch" and in the poem "My Bedroom Is A Sacred Place Now — There Are Children At the Foot of My Bed".
- Art is also mentioned in "Hot Hot Hot".
- Being crazy is a theme that appears in many songs, such as "Cruel World", "Off to the Races", "Love" and many others.
- A phoenix is also mentioned in the poem "Past the Bushes Cypress Thriving".
In Big Eyes[]
The Hollywood Reporter explains the song is used during the credits and "[celebrates] Margaret’s escape from a pre-feminist cage with lines like “I had a dream that I was fine / I wasn’t crazy, I was divine.”[1]
Official versions[]
- Single version / Blue Banisters version — 5:48
- Ultraviolence version (unknown producer) — Unknown
- Honeymoon version (produced by STINT) — Unknown
Lyrics[]
I can fly
You had me caged up like a bird in mid-summer
You saw me waitin', I was crazy, on fire, waiting to fly
I can fly
I had bright wishes in the summer, I was bathin' in sunlight
Painting in the garden like a ghost in mid-July
Running fast from something with my eyes wide like
Saucers spinnin' in the sun
I had a dream that I was fine
I wasn't crazy, I was divine
I can fly
You had me caged up like a bird in mid-summer
You saw me waitin', I was crazy, on fire, waiting to fly
I can fly
You lies were hot kisses in the summer, I was dreaming of L.A.
Dreaming of the water, where I'd rise like a phoenix
Or an iron from the fire
I've got things to tell you like I know that you're a liar
I had a dream that I was fine
I wasn't crazy, I was divine
I can fly
You had me caged up like a bird in mid-summer
You saw me waitin', I was crazy, on fire, waiting to fly
I can fly
Your words cut like a knife in butter, I was fighting for my art
Fighting with my lover, you had me so tied up
Thinking there's no other
Yeah, right, yeah, right
I can fly
You had me caged up like a bird in mid-summer
You saw me waitin', I was crazy, on fire, waiting to fly
I can fly
Credits[]
Personnel
- Lana Del Rey — songwriting, vocals, backing vocals
- Rick Nowels — songwriting, production, piano, bass keyboards.
- S1 — marching snare drum
- STINT — drums, synth
- Trevor Yasuda — engineering, sampling
- Patrick Warren — strings, keyboards, guitars, bells, synth, toy piano
- Craig Armstrong — orchestral arrangement, recording
- Reuben Cohen — mastering
- Roy English — timpani
- Kieron Menzies — engineering, mixing, percussion
References[]
- ↑ Willman, Chris (November 18, 2014). "‘Big Eyes’: The Story Behind Lana Del Rey’s Stunning Secret Songs". The Hollywood Reporter. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/big-eyes-lana-del-rey-749904/. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
Notes[]
- ↑ This is speculation and should not be relied upon. It has not been confirmed by any official sources, but has been reported by Unknown, who is considered a reliable insider by the community.
- ↑ This is speculation and should not be relied upon. It has not been confirmed by any official sources, but has been reported by Unknown, who is considered a reliable insider by the community.