One Day I'll Fly Away

Composition and reception

"One Day I'll Fly Away" was written by Joe Sample and Will Jennings, and produced by Sample, Wilton Felder and Stix Hooper. The main hook (in which the singer sings the title of the song) is itself an interpolation of Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers from his Nutcracker Suite. Jon O'Brien of Allmusic said that the song showcases Crawford's "sumptuous, soulful tones." Writing about the singer's life for The Daily Telegraph, critic Helen Brown said that "in the pouty world of the jazz chanteuse, Randy Crawford's smile is unique," adding that "even on the saddest of songs, A Rainy Night in Georgia or One Day I'll Fly Away, you could hear those trembling lips spread outwards and upwards through the tears." "One Day I'll Fly Away" got widespread radio airplay and did well in the international market, and is Crawford's highest charting single. On September 20, 1980, the song reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. It also performed well in Belgium (Flanders) and Netherlands, reaching number one in both countries.

Formats and track listings

1. "One Day I'll Fly Away" – 4:58
2. "Blue Flame" – 6:25

1. "One Day I'll Fly Away" – 3:40
2. "Tender Falls the Rain" – 4:13

1. "One Day I'll Fly Away" – 5:00
2. "Last Night at Danceland" – 4:53

Nicole Kidman

In 2001, "One Day I'll Fly Away" was recorded by Nicole Kidman for the motion picture Moulin Rouge!, in which she portrayed the character of Satine. A special remix designed by Tony Phillips has been promoted on single, issued by Interscope on April 5, 2002.

Credits and personnel

Track listings

1. "One Day I'll Fly Away" (Tony Phillips Remix) - 5:11
2. "One Day I'll Fly Away" (Original Album Version) - 3:17
3. "Your Song" (Instrumental From The Rehearsal Montage Scene) - 2:28

1. "One Day I'll Fly Away" (Tony Phillips Remix) - 5:11
2. "One Day I'll Fly Away" (Original Album Version) - 3:17
3. "One Day I'll Fly Away" (Instrumental) - 3:16
4. "Your Song" (Instrumental From The Rehearsal Montage Scene) - 2:28

1. "One Day I'll Fly Away" (Tony Phillips Remix - Radio Edit) - 3:42
2. "One Day I'll Fly Away" (Original Album Version) - 3:17

1. "One Day I'll Fly Away" (Original Album Version) - 3:17

Cover versions and samples

Dutch symphonic metal band After Forever covered the song and released it on Exordium (2003). Gospel singer Ruben Studdard released a cover as a Wal-Mart-exclusive bonus track on his fourth album, Love Is (2009). The song is performed as an instrumental by Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden on their 2010 album Jasmine. The opening bars of "One Day I'll Fly Away" have also appeared on the 2010 Leaving Certificate Music Listening exam in Ireland, as an unprepared Aural Awareness excerpt on Q6. Italian singer Bianca Atzei covered the songs and released it as a single on December 9, 2013. British soprano Sarah Brightman also covered an operatic version of the song, but it was not included in either CD or digital download until 2015, when her version was included in the first of the 3 volumes of the digital download Rarities (hence her "Test version"). British Electronica trio Vaults covered the song to be the soundtrack featured in the John Lewis 2016 Christmas advertisement.

Background and release

Following her solo endeavours and musical theatre performances, Girls Aloud member Kimberley Walsh decided to record a studio album featuring her own renditions of popular hits from musicals, commenting that "I've always loved musical theatre and doing Shrek the Musical definitely reignited the passion in me." For the album, Walsh commented that she wanted "to share the love I have for musical theatre by taking some classic songs and completely reinventing them. The melodies in so many musical songs are so brilliant, I knew we could create something special by experimenting with the production, and I really feel like we've come up with some interesting takes on classic songs." On December 21, 2012, "One Day I'll Fly Away" premiered in full through the label's official SoundCloud account. The song was recorded in Stockholm, Sweden and produced by Per Magnusson and David Kreuger. It was officially released on January 4, 2013 as the lead single from Centre Stage through digital download under Decca Records. Along with the album version, the digital release of "One Day I'll Fly Away" includes the Radio Edit and The Alias Club Mix. Peter Robinson of Popjustice compared the latter to Psy's Gangnam Style (2012).

Music video and live performances

Filming for the accompanying music video occurred on January 4, 2013 at Pinewood Studios, with 4music publishing behind-the-scenes pictures of the shooting session. The lyric video premiered on January 12, 2013 through VEVO, while the music video premiered on January 17, 2013. It features Walsh performing the song in different settings, until she is joined by Pasha Kovalev and they perform a ballet number. Daily Mail journalist Kimberley Dadds compared Walsh's style to "classic Hollywood", adding that "although she is without the rest of the girls, Kimberley shines in a series of sparkly and ladylike dresses and gowns." On January 23, 2013, Walsh performed "One Day I'll Fly Away" at the National Television Awards, and on February 2, 2013 at G.A.Y.

Track listing

1. "One Day I'll Fly Away" – 3:43
2. "One Day I'll Fly Away" (Radio Edit) – 3:28
3. "One Day I'll Fly Away" (The Alias Club Mix) – 6:22

Vaults

British Electronica trio Vaults covered the song to be the soundtrack featured in the John Lewis 2016 Christmas Advertisement. "One Day I'll Fly Away" is included of the Vaults's debut studio album, Caught in Still Life.