I Believe I Can Fly

"I Believe I Can Fly" is a 1996 song written and performed by American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former semi-professional basketball player R. Kelly, from the soundtrack to the 1996 film Space Jam. It was originally released on November 26, 1996, and was later included on Kelly's 1998 album R.

"I Believe I Can Fly"
Single by R. Kelly
from the album R. and Space Jam: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture
ReleasedNovember 26, 1996 (1996-11-26)
Format
RecordedAugust 1996
Genre
Length5:20 (album version)
4:42 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)Robert Kelly
Producer(s)R. Kelly
R. Kelly singles chronology
"I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)"
(1996)		 "I Believe I Can Fly"
(1996)		 "Gotham City"
(1997)
Music video
"I Believe I Can Fly" on YouTube

In early 1997, "I Believe I Can Fly" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100; it was kept from the number one spot by Toni Braxton's "Un-Break My Heart". Although Kelly has had two number one songs on the pop chart, "I Believe I Can Fly" is his most successful single. It reached the number-one spot of the Billboard R&B Singles Chart and remained there for six non-consecutive weeks, keeping "Un-Break My Heart" from the top position of that chart for four of those weeks. "I Believe I Can Fly" also topped the charts in eight countries (including the United Kingdom)

The song received five nominations at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards, winning Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, and Best Song Written for Visual Media, while losing Song of the Year and Record of the Year. It was ranked number 406 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004. The music video was directed by Kelly with Hype Williams[1] and designed by visual artist and designer Ron Norsworthy.

Background and composition

In a 2013 interview with The Boombox, R. Kelly was asked about the creative process behind the song: "When I met Michael Jordan on a basketball court at an athletic club — we hooped together in Chicago — he came to me and asked me if I wanted to do a song for his upcoming movie," Kelly said. "I was like, “Yeah!” I didn’t even ask what it was. [Eventually] he let me know what it was, we went to a screening to watch it and that’s when I ended up coming up with ‘I Believe I Can Fly.’ I knew from the first melody that was gonna be the song that was gonna take me out of R&B and into another genre of music."[2]

Critical reception
R. Kelly performing in a forest, in front of a big screen in the music video of "I Believe I Can Fly".

Associated Press described the song as "majestic" and "gospel-styled", noting that "hearing R. Kelly's booming voice reach a crescendo while backed up by a choir is a rousing performance that will get many replays".[3] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that the song is "highly inspirational" and "embodying the mind-set of the two superstars [Michael Jordan and R. Kelly]". He added, ""If I can dream it, I can achieve it." A great motivator for the children who will flock to the silver screen for Jordan".[4] Chicago Sun-Times called it a "warm anthem".[5] Ross Scarano from Complex said, "Like it or not, R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly” works because of R. Kelly. There’s not another singer alive with the same combination of ability, earnest conviction, and personal demons—demons that Kelly believes he needs the listener’s support to fight." He added that Kelly "calls on strings and a choir and every bit of strength available in his lungs and vocal chords to rise above the broad struggle described in the lyrics."[6] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly commented that the "go-for-it lyrics and florid orchestration seem to have been written with a future Disney musical in mind."[7] Tom Ewing from Freaky Trigger noted "I Believe I Can Fly"'s "genuine power as a redemption song" and added "the most convincing self-help song".[8] Lennox Herald wrote that the song is "the undoubted highlight of the [Space Jam] album".[9] People labeled it as "schmaltzy but potent",[10] while James L. Brown from USC Today called it a "long slow ballad".[11]

Track listing
7" single, US (1996)
No.TitleLength
1."I Believe I Can Fly"3:17
2."Religious Love"4:12
12" single, US (1996)
No.TitleLength
1."I Believe I Can Fly" (LP Version)5:20
2."I Believe I Can Fly" (Radio Edit)4:42
3."I Believe I Can Fly" (Instrumental)5:20
4."Religious Love"4:12
5."I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)" (Remix Street Version)4:01
CD single, UK & Europe (1996)
No.TitleLength
1."I Believe I Can Fly" (Radio Edit)4:42
2."I Believe I Can Fly" (LP Version)5:20
3."I Believe I Can Fly" (Instrumental)5:20
4."Religious Love"4:12

Personnel

Cover versions

In film and television

Other than appearing on the soundtrack for the film Space Jam, "I Believe I Can Fly" was performed by the school band in the movie Drumline during the high school graduation ceremony of Devon Miles (Nick Cannon).

  • In Ice Age 2: The Meltdown, Crash the possum sings the song after Manny catapults him with a tree before he crashes into another.
  • In the film Good Boy!, Wilson briefly sings the song while diving into a pool.
  • In Season 1, Episode 5 of the TV Series Da Ali G Show, Ali G performs the song during the opening skit.
  • In Fun with Dick and Jane, Jim Carrey sings along with the song as it is played in an elevator.
  • This song also appeared on the first American season of The X Factor, where R. Kelly performed "I Believe I Can Fly" for the first time as a duet with the eventual winner of the show Melanie Amaro.
  • This song was also performed on The Voice as the last solo song for the second season's winner Jermaine Paul.
  • American musical TV series Glee, performed a version of the song in episode fourteen of season three, "On My Way" (aired on February 21, 2012). It is a mash-up track with the song "Fly" by Nicki Minaj featuring Rihanna.[14]
  • In The Hangover Part III, Leslie Chow sings a 12-second portion of the song, while parachuting through Las Vegas.
  • In Red Velvet's Level Up Project, Wendy Shon sang the chorus while parasailing and riding on a speed boat in Pattaya, Thailand. She also sang the chorus in Level Up Project 2 in 2017-2018 and in Battle Trip's Episode 103 while paragliding in Krems an der Donau, Austria.

Other performances

Kelly performed his song at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards.

In The TP-2.com Tour, Kelly performed a 10-minute long remix of "I Believe I Can Fly," which included dialogue from a priest, Kelly's mother, and God as characters. The remix was later featured on the bootleg release Loveless.[15][16]

STS-122 crew heard this song on flight day 10 as a wake up call.[17]

Since its release, it has become commonly associated with the NBA, most notably with Michael Jordan. The song also played at the conclusion of NBC's broadcast of the 1997 NBA Finals.[18]

In addition to the NBA, the song also found use at other sporting events, most notably at Major League Baseball's New York Yankees home games during their four consecutive World Series runs from 1998 to 2001, the first three of which they won.

A version of the song, recorded by the Halifax community choir, was used as the backing track to a 2012 UK TV advertisement for the Halifax Bank.[19]

On October 13, 2012, when the Space Shuttle Endeavour was being transferred from Los Angeles International Airport to the California Science Center through the streets of Los Angeles, the recording was played as the shuttle left The Forum, and the song was performed live by James Ingram later that day at Debbie Allen's live show celebrating the Endeavour's arrival at the corner of Crenshaw Blvd and Martin Luther King Blvd. (The shuttle was delayed over five hours in arriving there; to keep the crowd entertained, the performance went on only slightly delayed.)

Parodies
  • In the 1999 episode "The Best of Both Worlds" of the animated TV series KaBlam!, in the Life with Loopy segment, the song was spoofed as "I (Don't) Believe I Can Fly."
  • In 2013, the song was parodied by sports radio show Tim & Sid, spoofing the song as "I Believe in Masai", in reference to Toronto Raptors General Manager Masai Ujiri.
  • In 2016, the song was parodied as "I'm Convinced I Can Swim" by "Art Smelly" from the soundtrack to the hit film Earth Jelly in an episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[64] Gold 25,000*
Belgium (BEA)[65] Gold 25,000*
France (SNEP)[66] Gold 250,000*
Germany (BVMI)[67] Gold 250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[68] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[69] Gold 5,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[70] Gold 5,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[71] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[72] Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[73] Platinum 1,900,000[74][75]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References
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