I Believe I Can Fly

"I Believe I Can Fly"
Single by R. Kelly
from the album R. and Space Jam: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture
Released	November 26, 1996 (1996-11-26)
Format	CD single cassette single
Recorded	August 1996
Genre	R&B soul gospel
Length	5:22 (album version) 4:42 (radio edit)
Label	Atlantic Jive
Writer(s)	R. 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) Space Jam track listing "Space Jam" (3) "I Believe I Can Fly" (4) Hit 'Em High (The Monstars' Anthem) (5)

"I Believe I Can Fly" is a 1996 song written, produced and performed by American R&B singer 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..

In early 1997, "I Believe I Can Fly" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100; it was kept from the No. 1 spot by Toni Braxton's "Un-Break My Heart". Although Kelly has had two number one songs, "I Believe I Can Fly" is his most successful single. It topped the charts in the United Kingdom. It has won three Grammy Awards, and was ranked No. 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.

Personnel

• Produced and Arranged by R. Kelly
• Recorded by Stephen George at Battery Studios, Chicago
• Assistant Recording Engineers: Chris Brickley and Rick Behrens
• String Orchestra recorded by Carl Robinson at United Sound Systems - Studio A, Detroit
• Mixed by R. Kelly and Stephen George at Chicago Recording Co.
• Assistant Mix Engineer: Ron Lowe
• Programmed by R. Kelly and Stephen George
• Lead Vocals: R. Kelly
• Background Vocals: The Luv Club Choir, directed by Percy Bady
• Keyboard: Percy Bady
• Strings: Paul Riser and The Motown Romance Orchestra, led by Hart Hollman
• Executive Producer: Barry Hankerson

Cover versions

• In 2003, punk rock band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes covered the song for their album Take a Break.
• American singer William Hung recorded this song for his 2004 album Inspiration.
• Saxophonist Marion Meadows also covered the song from the album Dressed to Chill.
• American singer and actress Patti Labelle sang the chorus of the song on her 1998 live album Live One Night Only as an addition to her signature tune "Over the Rainbow".
• American singer and actress Jessica Simpson sang the song on her DreamChaser Tour in 2001.
• The song has also been covered by Etta James, Yolanda Adams (in a duet with Gerald Levert), Ruth Brown, James Ingram, Ronan Keating, Bianca Ryan, and formerly of Woe, Is Me Tyler Carter.
• American Idol candidates Katharine McPhee, Anwar Robinson, Aaron Kelly, Curtis Finch Jr., and Jacob Lusk all performed the song in different seasons of the TV show.
• Singer Yolanda Adams performed the song at the Ronald McDonald Concert for World Children's Day in 2003.
• The song was covered by Tim Olstad on season 3 of the The X Factor.
• The song was covered by Delvin Choice on season 6 of The Voice.
• The song has been covered live by Faith No More in numerous tours, usually to segue into other songs.

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: The Meltdown, Crash the possum sings the song before he crashes into a tree.
• 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.
• In The Hangover Part III, Leslie Chow sings a 12-second portion of the song, while parachuting through Las Vegas.

Other performances

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

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

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.

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.

On December 21, 2011, R. Kelly performed it on X-Factor as a duet with Melanie Amaro.

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.

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.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1996–97)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	24
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	2
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles	1
Belgium Single Chart	5
Swiss Single Chart	1
New Zealand Single Chart	1
Ireland Single Chart	1
Italy Single Chart	1
France (SNEP)	17
Germany (Official German Charts)	3
Poland (ZPAV)	1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	11
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)	1
US Billboard Hot 100	2
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)	1
US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard)	6
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)	9
US Rhythmic Top 40 (Billboard)	5
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)	3
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)	21

Year-end charts

End of year chart (1997)	Position
Germany (Official German Charts)	14
UK Singles Chart	6
US Billboard Hot 100	6
U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Chart	7

Decade-end charts

Chart (1990–1999)	Position
US Billboard Hot 100	87

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Austria (IFPI Austria)	Gold	25,000
Belgium (BEA)	Gold	25,000
France (SNEP)	Gold	250,000
Germany (BVMI)	Gold	250,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)	Gold	7,500
Norway (IFPI Norway)	Gold	5,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)	Gold	25,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	Platinum	600,000
United States (RIAA)	Platinum	1,900,000
*sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

Preceded by "Nobody" by Keith Sweat	Billboard's Hot R&B Singles & Tracks number one single December 21, 1996	Succeeded by "Don't Let Go (Love)" by En Vogue
Preceded by "Don't Let Go (Love)" by En Vogue	Billboard's Hot R&B Singles & Tracks number one single (second run) February 1, 1997	Succeeded by "On & On" by Erykah Badu
Preceded by "Block Rockin' Beats" by The Chemical Brothers	UK Singles Chart number-one single April 6, 1997 – April 26, 1997	Succeeded by "Blood on the Dance Floor" by Michael Jackson