"Flying Without Wings"
Single by Westlife
from the album Westlife and Pokémon: The Movie 2000: The Power of One soundtrack
Released	18 October 1999 (1999-10-18)
Format	CD single
Recorded	Rokstone Studios, London
Genre	Pop
Length	3:36
Label	BMG
Writer(s)	Wayne Hector / Steve Mac
Producer	Steve Mac
Certification	UK Silver, SWE Gold
Westlife singles chronology
"If I Let You Go" (1999) "Flying Without Wings" (1999) "I Have a Dream"/"Seasons in the Sun" (1999)
"Flying Without Wings" (featuring BoA) BOA Cover

"Flying Without Wings" is a song released by Irish boy band Westlife from their self-titled debut album.

Background [edit]

The song became an instant hit in the United Kingdom and many parts of the world. The song became the group's third UK number 1 single, spending 13 weeks on charts.^[1] It is also one of Westlife's biggest selling number ones to date. The song has received a Silver sales certification in the UK for over 200,000 copies sold.^[2]

Duets [edit]

In 2002, as part of the promotion of their Unbreakable - The Greatest Hits Vol. 1 album, the band re-recorded the song as a duet with Mexican singer Cristian Castro and South Korean pop singer, BoA. Both duets were included on the album in their respective regions. Both duets were also released as singles in their respective regions.^[3]

Live version [edit]

In 2003, as part of the promotion for their Greatest Hits tour, the band released the live version of the song, as well as five other live tracks, as an EP made exclusively available via digital download and limited edition sampler. A new version of the music video, entwining footage from the live performance and scenes of the original music video, was added to YouTube in December 2003.

Covers [edit]

JLS performed the song with Westlife on The X Factor final in 2008. Australian singer Delta Goodrem performed the song with boyfriend and ex-Westlife member, Brian McFadden, on her national Visualise Tour in 2005. Burnell Taylor sang the song on the twelfth season of American Idol during the Top 10 Week, Music of the American Idols in 2013.

Writing and inspiration [edit]

The song was written by Wayne Hector and Steve Mac. In an interview with HitQuarters Hector said the basic idea for the song came to him while on a break from working on a hip hop session with Ezi Cut in Los Angeles:

"I came up with a couple of lines for the first verse and then phoned my mama’s house, left it on the answering machine, and said, “Don’t get rid of this!”^[4]

Upon returning to England, Hector went into the studio to work on the idea with long-time songwriting partner and producer Steve Mac.^[4] When the two discussed what the song was about they agreed that, "this is about our wives. This is about the things that make our lives complete."^[4] According to Hector the lyrics were completed in about half an hour.^[4]

Track listing [edit]

• United Kingdom

CD1

1. "Flying Without Wings" - 3:35
2. "Everybody Knows" - 3:45
3. "Flying Without Wings" (Video) - 3:40

CD2

1. "Flying Without Wings" - 3:35
2. "That's What It's All About" - 3:20
3. "Flying Without Wings" (Acappella) - 3:29

• Australia

1. "Flying Without Wings" - 3:35
2. "I Have A Dream" (Remix) - 4:06
3. "Seasons In The Sun" (Single Remix) - 4:10
4. "Flying Without Wings" (Video) - 3:40

• Mexico^[5]

1. "Flying Without Wings" (Duet with Cristian Castro) - 3:35
2. "Never Knew I Was Losing You" - 4:09

• Asia^[6]

1. "Flying Without Wings" (Duet with BoA) - 3:35
2. "Never Knew I Was Losing You" - 4:09

• Greatest Hits Tour Single^[7]

1. "Flying Without Wings" (Live) - 3:35
2. "When You're Looking Like That" (Live) - 3:28
3. "If I Let You Go" (Live) - 3:38
4. "Tonight" (Live) - 4:31
5. "My Love" (Live) - 3:52
6. "Bop Bop Baby" (Live) - 4:32

Chart performance [edit]

Chart successions [edit]

CD production [edit]

Tours performed at [edit]

• Where Dreams Come True Tour
• World of Our Own Tour
• Unbreakable Tour
• Turnaround Tour
• Number Ones Tour
• Face to Face Tour
• The Love Tour
• Back Home Tour
• Where We Are Tour
• Gravity Tour

Video album [edit]

A karaoke version of "Flying Without Wings" was released on DVD in 2000 and debuted at number one. It includes easy to read lyrics, photographs & interactive menus, picture sleeve. It has a running time of 45 minutes.^[10]

Track listing [edit]

1. Swear It Again
2. If I Let You Go
3. Flying Without Wings
4. Fool Again
5. Seasons In The Sun
6. I Have A Dream
7. More Than Words
8. Against All Odds

Ruben Studdard version [edit]

"Flying Without Wings"
Single by Ruben Studdard
Released	June 10, 2003 (2003-06-10)
Format	CD single
Genre	Urban contemporary, contemporary R&B
Label	J Records
Writer(s)	Wayne Hector / Steve Mac
Producer	The Underdogs and Face
Certification	Gold (RIAA) 3× Platinum (CRIA)
Ruben Studdard singles chronology
"Flying Without Wings" (2003) "Superstar" (2003)

"Flying Without Wings" was covered by American Idol winner Ruben Studdard as his debut single in 2003. The single was released on June 10 and charted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 28. "Flying Without Wings" also gained attention on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, peaking at number thirteen, while it reached number 27 on the adult contemporary chart. It was also released in New Zealand and reached number two behind Clay Aiken. The single had sold 751,000 copies through December 2006. This version of the song also appears on the game Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol.

Track listing [edit]

1. "Flying Without Wings"
2. "Superstar"

Other appearances [edit]

This song has appeared in Pokémon: The Movie 2000 as the final song of the credits in the film and on the official movie soundtrack. ^[11]

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• "Flying Without Wings" - Westlife official music video
• "Flying Without Wings" - Westlife with BoA official music video
• "Flying Without Wings" - Westlife with Cristian Castro official music video
• "Flying Without Wings" - Ruben Studdard official music video
• Official Westlife website