Fly Like a Bird

"Fly Like a Bird"
Song

"Fly Like a Bird" is a song written and produced by American singer Mariah Carey and James "Big Jim" Wright for Carey's fourteenth album, The Emancipation of Mimi. It was released as a single from the album in 2006 (see 2006 in music). The song's protagonist speaks to God: "Fly like a bird, take to the sky, I need you now Lord, Carry me high!"

Carey created the chorus' main melody and lyrics, while Wright arranged its chord structure. Carey later wrote the rest of the lyrics and asked her pastor, Clarence Keaton, to speak on the track. Keaton read directly from the Bible: "Weeping may endure for the night, but joy will come in the morning." Carey named it "my favorite song on the album [...] mainly because it's very much a spiritual message.... And I just felt like the message was really important to include on the album and that's why it's the final song on the album. It kind of sums up everything. It kind of leaves you on a spiritual high moment."

"Fly Like a Bird" was released on a two-song promotional single with "My Saving Grace", a track from Charmbracelet (2002), to gospel radio stations in the United States on May 18 2005. It received little airplay and consequently was not released to other radio formats, but it was played by several urban, rhythmic, and urban adult contemporary stations across the U.S. It was later given a full single release in early 2006.

Billboard magazine called the song "a classic", and described it as "another career-redefining hit ... The flight of "Bird" from humble call for deliverance into a frenzied ecclesiastic hymn is utterly spine-tingling. A joyful noise."

Charts

Chart (2006)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Bubbling Under	6
U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	35
U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay	33
U.S. Hot Adult R&B Airplay	9