HITTING THE 'HIGH' NOTES - TOP 10 FLYING SONGS
Currently flying high in the British pop charts, the platinum-selling "Like A G6" by LA-based hip hop quartet Far East Movement topped the US charts in October. The song has caused quite a stir online, with fans debating the title's meaning. As many now know, the G6 refers to the G650, a new ultra-fast, ultra-long range business jet by manufacturer Gulfstream, set to enter the market in 2012. Priced at almost $59 million (£36 million), the G650 will be the most expensive of its kind, reaching speeds of Mach 0.925 (610mph) and offering its 18 passengers a separate kitchen and bar.
Adam Twidell, CEO of private jet booking network PrivateFly.com comments: "The song is an unapologetic ode to a party lifestyle, with the G650 the ultimate symbol of luxury and exhilaration. Of course many private jet customers are time-starved business people rather than party-loving pop stars, but the use of aircraft imagery in music is nothing new. This most mythologized of all forms of transportation is firmly embedded in popular culture."
So in celebration of the success of "Like A G6", PrivateFly.com presents its own Top 10 rundown of other aircraft-inspired hits:
- "Come Fly With Me" by Frank Sinatra.
This iconic 1958 hit has since spawned numerous cover versions. Written when leisure air travel was a new and exciting concept, the lyrics celebrate exotic destination opportunities such as Bombay, Peru and Acapulco, as well as the pure joy and romance of being airborne: 'Once I get you up there, where the air is rarefied; We'll just glide, starry eyed'. Watch on YouTube
- Jet Airliner" by The Steve Miller Band.
Reaching number eight in the US billboard chart, this 1977 rock classic refers to a 707 airliner. It's largely a homesick lament, but culminates in celebrating that the 'big ol' jet airliner' can also 'carry me to my home'. Watch on YouTube
- "Leavin'" by Jesse McCartney.
In 2008, US heartthrob McCartney's R&B track reached number one on the iTunes Top Songs list. The lyrics refer to 'flying on the G5', aka Gulfstream's current long-range jet G550 (set to be replaced by G650). Watch on YouTube
- "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon.
Simon's 1972 hit and signature song has caused much speculation about the identity of the self-absorbed, jetset lover portrayed in the lyrics. The line 'you flew your Learjet up to Nova Scotia' caused many to believe it was Warren Beatty, whose mother was raised in Nova Scotia. Simon has never divulged. Watch on YouTube
- "Enola Gay" by OMD.
Not so much a celebration of the glory of flying, this controversial 1980 hit is one of many songs about military aircraft, the title referring to the name of the US Air Force B-29 bomber, responsible for dropping the world's first atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945. Watch on YouTube
- "Aeroplane" by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
This song hit the charts in 1996. Here the aeroplane is directly compared to the power of music, as a source of escapism and freedom. Like many of their songs, rather dark lyrics ('I like pleasure spiked with pain and music is my aeroplane') contrast with upbeat funk rock melodies, including child chorus vocals by guitarist Flea's daughter and her classmates. Watch on YouTube
- "Learning To Fly" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Only a modest success when released in 1991 but, like many flying songs, has become a firm favourite on playlists. Petty's inspiration came from seeing a TV interview with a pilot who said that it wasn't hard to learn to fly, but coming down is fairly challenging. Fans have debated whether Petty's interpretation was actually about 'getting high' in a narcotic sense - or simply the challenges of life. Watch on YouTube
- "Leaving On A Jet Plane"
Written (and later recorded) by John Denver but the best known version was released in 1969 by folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary. This much-covered and highly popular song has been used in numerous TV and film scores including Armageddon and Glee. The lyrics are a lover's lament at leaving, and indeed the original title was "Oh Babe I Hate To Go". Denver's producer, Milt Okun, convinced him to change the name; no doubt recognising the benefits that a 'jet plane' title would bring to the song's enduring marketing potential. Watch on YouTube
- "Take Me To The Pilot" by Elton John
Released in 1970 and was a modest hit, though was quickly eclipsed by "Your Song", which was released at the same time and became the record's A-side. The meaning of the song is rather unclear, indeed even writer Bernie Taupin has admitted in interviews that he isn't sure what it is about. But it does draw on the imagery of a pilot as the ultimate symbol of control and navigation: 'Take me to the pilot for control; Take me to the pilot of your soul'. Watch on YouTube
- "Back In The USSR" by The Beatles.
What Top 10 music listing would be complete without a Beatles song? Their 1968 hit opens and closes with the sounds of a jet aircraft landing and refers to a flight from Miami Beach to the USSR on 'BOAC' - British Overseas Airways Corporation, Britain's state airline at the time and forerunner to British Airways. Again the song's key theme is the joy of returning home and Paul McCartney has stated that it was written as a parody of The Beach Boys "California Girls" and a tribute to Chuck Berry's "Back in the USA." Watch on YouTube
Adam Twidell continues "Many people's experience of flying these days is reduced to a functional - and often stressful - airline flight. PrivateFly.com's Top Ten rundown is a welcome reminder of the magic and inspiration of aviation, whether in its ability to transport to exciting destinations, returning home or simply the joy of being airborne."
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