Fly Like an Eagle (song)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"Fly Like an Eagle" is a song written by Steve Miller on the album Fly Like an Eagle. The song went to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the week of January 8, 1977. The single edit can be found on Greatest Hits (1974–1978). The song has an unusually mellow and "dreamy" feel. It is usually played in tandem with "Space Intro".
Background
An earlier 1973 version of the song features a more bluesy and less funk-inspired rhythm, and guitar taking the synthesizer parts (albeit with similar delay effects). The lyrics are slightly different, indicating that the place the eagle wants to fly away from is a Native American reservation.
The main guitar hook in the song was first used in a slightly different form on Miller's 1969 track "My Dark Hour" (which featured Paul McCartney).
Cover versions
The artist Seal covered this song for the Space Jam soundtrack, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Polvo covered the song live, introducing it with 'This is a song about blatant localism'.
Additional information
The song has also been used in advertisements by the United States Postal Service with the introduction of its new stylized "Eagle" logo.
The song has a parody called "Fry Up an Eagle" by comedian Tim Cavanagh about a man's curious appetite for unusual animals, specifically the bald eagle which was taken off the endangered species list within the past decade.