Broken Wings (Mr. Mister song)
| "Broken Wings" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Broken Wings" is a rock song recorded by American band Mr. Mister.
The band's first single from their 1985 Welcome to the Real World album, "Broken Wings" reached the number-one position on the U.S. charts in December 1985, where it remained for two weeks. It was released as the band was just about to embark on a U.S. tour opening for Tina Turner. The song reached number four in the UK Singles Chart, the highest the group ever achieved there.
Background and music
The song was co-written with lyricist John Lang, who was inspired by a book called "Broken Wings" written by Kahlil Gibran.[1] The song is a mix of synth, digitally delayed guitar, bass and drums. The song's hissing intro was an effect created by the sound of crash cymbal played in reverse.[1]
Music video
The music video for "Broken Wings" was directed by Oley Sassone and filmed in black & white.[2] It features lead vocalist/bassist Richard Page driving through the desert in a classic Ford Thunderbird, the first allusion to birds. There is a scene where Page is sitting in a church when a Harris's Hawk flies in through the window and lands next to him on the pew and they exchange a gaze. The full band is also featured in performance scenes. Also appearing in the video are an unknown man and woman dancing tango. They are only shown from the waist down. At the end of the video Page is seen next to the Thunderbird with the vehicle's hood open, symbolizing broken wings.
Track listing
- 7" Single[3]
- "Broken Wings" (single edit) - 4:29
- "Uniform of Youth" - 4:25
- 12" Maxi Single[3]
- "Broken Wings" (album length) - 5:45
- "Uniform of Youth" - 4:25
- "Welcome to the Real World" - 4:18
Charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Notable covers
- In 1986, it was covered by Rodney Franklin on his album "It Takes Two".
- In 1992, Prince's ex-wife Mayte covered the song, with backing vocals by her older sister Janíce García.
- In 1995, it was covered by John Tesh on his CD "Sax By the Fire".
- In 1998, it was covered by C-Block on their CD "Keepin' It Real".
- In 2001, this song was sampled for a Tupac Shakur song on his posthumous album Until the End of Time, for the title song.
- In 2001, it was sampled and performed on the title song of Foxy Brown's Broken Silence album.
- In 2001, it was covered by New Zealand singer K'lee
- In 2002, the song was featured in the game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on fictional station Emotion 98.3 and in the opening scene of the game.
- In 2003, the song was covered by American A Cappella group Naturally 7 on their album "What is it?"
- In 2003, it was covered for the video game Karaoke Revolution.
- In 2004, Richard Cheese performed this live in Las Vegas on his album I'd Like a Virgin.
- In 2005, Rick Springfield sang this song on his "tribute" album The Day After Yesterday as a duet with original vocalist Richard Page.
- In 2006, it was covered by Clay Aiken on his CD A Thousand Different Ways.
- In 2006, Joe Budden released a freestyle using the beat and chorus from "Broken Wings".
- In 2007, it was covered by The Panic Division on their CD "Songs From The Glasshouse".
- In 2007, it was covered by Northern Kings on their CD "Reborn".
- In 2010, Jason Donovan recorded a cover version of "Broken Wings" for his 80s covers album "Soundtrack of the 80s".
- In 2012, it was covered by Roveena on her debut EP "Perfect World" released on Vintage Green Records Label.
References
- ^ a b Notes on Broken Wings - from Mr. Mister fansite
- ^ MVdbase entry - music video details
- ^ a b "Mr. Mister – Broken Wings". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.0685&type=2&interval=50&PHPSESSID=vje6t06qt1ks5mop96k1v5bc32
External links
- Broken Wings - video courtesy of YouTube