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Broken Wings (Mr. Mister song)

April 09, 2024

"Broken Wings" is a 1985 song recorded by American pop rock band Mr. Mister. It was released in June 1985 as the lead single from their second album Welcome to the Real World. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1985, where it remained for two weeks. It was released as the band was just about to embark on a US tour opening for Tina Turner. "Broken Wings" became the first of two consecutive number ones of the band on the American charts, the other chart-topper being "Kyrie". Outside of the United States, "Broken Wings" topped the charts in Canada, peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, Belgium (Flanders), the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Ireland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and West Germany, and the top twenty of the charts in Austria, New Zealand, Spain and Sweden.

"Broken Wings"
One of non-US picture sleeves, mostly for some European countries
Single by Mr. Mister
from the album Welcome to the Real World
B-side
  • "Uniform of Youth"
  • "Welcome to the Real World"
ReleasedJune 1985 (US)[1]
RecordedNovember 1984
Genre
Length
  • 5:42 (album version)
  • 4:43 (radio/video edit)
  • 4:30 (7" edit)
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Mr. Mister singles chronology
"Hunters of the Night"
(1984) 		"Broken Wings"
(1985) 		"Kyrie"
(1985)
Music video
"Broken Wings" on YouTube
Alternative release
Side A of Australian single

Background and music edit

The ballad[2] was co-written with lyricist John Lang, who was inspired by Kahlil Gibran's novel Broken Wings.[3] The song is a mix of synth, digitally delayed guitar, bass and drums. The song's hissing intro was an effect created by the sound of a crash cymbal played in reverse.[3]

Although the 1968 Beatles song "Blackbird" contains an identical lyric, "Take these broken wings and learn to fly", Richard Page has described this as "a mindless unintentional reference" attributable to both compositions being influenced by the Gibran novel.[4]

Music video edit

The music video for "Broken Wings" was directed by Oley Sassone and filmed in black and white.[5] It features lead vocalist/bassist Richard Page driving through the desert in a classic Ford Thunderbird, the first allusion to birds. There is a scene where Page is sitting in a church when a Harris's Hawk flies in through the window and lands next to him on the pew and they exchange a gaze. The full band is also featured in performance scenes. Also appearing in the video are an unknown man and woman dancing tango. They are only shown from the waist down. At the end of the video Page is seen next to the Thunderbird with the vehicle's hood open.

Reception edit

Stereogum wrote about the song:[6]

Lyrically, "Broken Wings" is an attempt to keep a relationship together through the magic of flowery language: "Take these broken wings/ And learn to fly again, learn to live so free/ When we hear the voices sing/ The book of love will open up and let us in." Those words are grandiloquent enough to be self-parody, but Page delivers them all perfectly straight-faced. He means every bit of it. In Page's mouth, the word "take" becomes a desperate animal yelp. I love it. I also love how overproduced "Broken Wings" is. The song is all ominous churn, and it never really kicks in. Instead, it captures a state of sustained anticipation.

Track listing edit

7" single[7]
  1. "Broken Wings" (single edit) – 4:29
  2. "Uniform of Youth" – 4:25
12" maxi single[7]
  1. "Broken Wings" (album version) – 5:45
  2. "Uniform of Youth" – 4:25
  3. "Welcome to the Real World" – 4:18

Charts edit

Certifications edit

Certifications for "Broken Wings"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[43] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[44] Silver 200,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

K'Lee version edit

New Zealand pop singer K'Lee covered "Broken Wings" and released it as a single on June 11, 2001.[45] Her version peaked at number two on the New Zealand Singles Chart, becoming her highest-charting single there along with 2002's "Can You Feel Me?"[46]

Charts edit

Chart performance for "Broken Wings"
Chart (2001) Peak
position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[46] 2

Samples edit

"Broken Wings" was sampled in the posthumous Tupac song "Until the End of Time".[47] The song reached No. 4 in the UK.[48]

References edit

  1. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Mr. Mister – Broken Wings". hitparade.ch.
  2. ^ September 2015, Paul Elliott 04 (4 September 2015). "Mr. Mister: Welcome To The Real World / Go On..." Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved 24 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b Notes on Broken Wings 2017-07-20 at the Wayback Machine – from Mr. Mister fansite
  4. ^ "19 of the greatest power ballads of all time". Smooth. 2 July 2018.
  5. ^ MVdbase entry 2017-12-01 at the Wayback Machine – music video details
  6. ^ Tom Breihan (13 November 2020). "The Number Ones: Mr. Mister's "Broken Wings"". Stereogum.
  7. ^ a b "Mr. Mister – Broken Wings". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  8. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 210. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. ^ "Mr. Mister – Broken Wings" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  10. ^ "Mr. Mister – Broken Wings" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0611." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 9326." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  13. ^ "European Hot 100 Singles". Eurotipsheet. Vol. 3, no. 5. February 8, 1986. p. 12. OCLC 29800226.
  14. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Broken Wings". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  15. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved May 31, 2022. Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Broken wings" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
  16. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Mr Mister" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  17. ^ "Mr. Mister – Broken Wings" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  18. ^ "Mr. Mister – Broken Wings". Top 40 Singles.
  19. ^ "Mr. Mister – Broken Wings". VG-lista.
  20. ^ . The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  21. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  22. ^ "Mr. Mister – Broken Wings". Singles Top 100.
  23. ^ "Mr. Mister – Broken Wings". Swiss Singles Chart.
  24. ^ "Mr Mister: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  25. ^ "Mr. Mister Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  26. ^ "Mr. Mister Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  27. ^ "Mr. Mister Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  28. ^ . Cash Box. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  29. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Mr. Mister – Broken Wings" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  30. ^ "RPM's Top 100 Singles of 1985". RPM. Vol. 43, no. 16. December 28, 1985. p. 11. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  31. ^ . Cash Box. December 28, 1985. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  32. ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1986". Kent Music Report. No. 650. December 29, 1986 – via Imgur.
  33. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1986 – Singles" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  34. ^ "Top 100 Singles of '86". RPM. Vol. 45, no. 14. December 27, 1986. p. 5. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  35. ^ "European Hot 100 Singles – Hot 100 of the Year 1986". Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 51/52. December 27, 1986. p. 28. OCLC 29800226.
  36. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  37. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  38. ^ "Top 100 Singles (January to December 1986)". Music Week. January 24, 1987. p. 24. ISSN 0265-1548.
  39. ^ . Billboard. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  40. ^ . Billboard. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  41. ^ . Cash Box. December 27, 1986. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  42. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1986" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  43. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Mr. Mister – Broken Wings". Music Canada. December 23, 1985. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  44. ^ "British single certifications – Mr Mister – Broken Wings". British Phonographic Industry. June 14, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  45. ^ . netcd.co.nz. June 11, 2001. Archived from the original on June 16, 2001. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  46. ^ a b "K'Lee – Broken Wings". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  47. ^ Brown, Jake (2005). Tupac Shakur, (2-Pac) in the Studio. Amber Books. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-9767735-0-4.
  48. ^ "Broken Wings by Mr Mister". Songfacts.

April 09, 2024
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Broken Wings is a 1985 song recorded by American pop rock band Mr Mister It was released in June 1985 as the lead single from their second album Welcome to the Real World The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1985 where it remained for two weeks It was released as the band was just about to embark on a US tour opening for Tina Turner Broken Wings became the first of two consecutive number ones of the band on the American charts the other chart topper being Kyrie Outside of the United States Broken Wings topped the charts in Canada peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia Belgium Flanders the Netherlands Norway the Republic of Ireland Switzerland the United Kingdom and West Germany and the top twenty of the charts in Austria New Zealand Spain and Sweden Broken Wings One of non US picture sleeves mostly for some European countriesSingle by Mr Misterfrom the album Welcome to the Real WorldB side Uniform of Youth Welcome to the Real World ReleasedJune 1985 US 1 RecordedNovember 1984GenrePop rock new waveLength5 42 album version 4 43 radio video edit 4 30 7 edit LabelRCASongwriter s Richard Page Steve George John LangProducer s Mr Mister Paul De VilliersMr Mister singles chronology Hunters of the Night 1984 Broken Wings 1985 Kyrie 1985 Music video Broken Wings on YouTubeAlternative releaseSide A of Australian single Contents 1 Background and music 2 Music video 3 Reception 4 Track listing 5 Charts 5 1 Weekly charts 5 2 Year end charts 6 Certifications 7 K Lee version 7 1 Charts 8 Samples 9 ReferencesBackground and music editThe ballad 2 was co written with lyricist John Lang who was inspired by Kahlil Gibran s novel Broken Wings 3 The song is a mix of synth digitally delayed guitar bass and drums The song s hissing intro was an effect created by the sound of a crash cymbal played in reverse 3 Although the 1968 Beatles song Blackbird contains an identical lyric Take these broken wings and learn to fly Richard Page has described this as a mindless unintentional reference attributable to both compositions being influenced by the Gibran novel 4 Music video editThe music video for Broken Wings was directed by Oley Sassone and filmed in black and white 5 It features lead vocalist bassist Richard Page driving through the desert in a classic Ford Thunderbird the first allusion to birds There is a scene where Page is sitting in a church when a Harris s Hawk flies in through the window and lands next to him on the pew and they exchange a gaze The full band is also featured in performance scenes Also appearing in the video are an unknown man and woman dancing tango They are only shown from the waist down At the end of the video Page is seen next to the Thunderbird with the vehicle s hood open Reception editStereogum wrote about the song 6 Lyrically Broken Wings is an attempt to keep a relationship together through the magic of flowery language Take these broken wings And learn to fly again learn to live so free When we hear the voices sing The book of love will open up and let us in Those words are grandiloquent enough to be self parody but Page delivers them all perfectly straight faced He means every bit of it In Page s mouth the word take becomes a desperate animal yelp I love it I also love how overproduced Broken Wings is The song is all ominous churn and it never really kicks in Instead it captures a state of sustained anticipation Track listing edit7 single 7 Broken Wings single edit 4 29 Uniform of Youth 4 2512 maxi single 7 Broken Wings album version 5 45 Uniform of Youth 4 25 Welcome to the Real World 4 18Charts editWeekly charts edit Weekly chart performance for Broken Wings Chart 1985 1986 PeakpositionAustralia Kent Music Report 8 4Austria O3 Austria Top 40 9 17Belgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 10 2Canada Top Singles RPM 11 1Canada Adult Contemporary RPM 12 2Europe European Hot 100 Singles 13 3Ireland IRMA 14 3Italy Musica e dischi 15 6Netherlands Dutch Top 40 16 3Netherlands Single Top 100 17 2New Zealand Recorded Music NZ 18 13Norway VG lista 19 4South Africa Springbok Radio 20 20Spain AFYVE 21 13Sweden Sverigetopplistan 22 14Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 23 4UK Singles OCC 24 4US Billboard Hot 100 25 1US Adult Contemporary Billboard 26 3US Mainstream Rock Billboard 27 4US Cash Box Top 100 Singles 28 1West Germany Official German Charts 29 8 Year end charts edit 1985 year end chart performance for Broken Wings Chart 1985 PositionCanada Top Singles RPM 30 37US Cash Box Top 100 Singles 31 521986 year end chart performance for Broken Wings Chart 1986 PositionAustralia Kent Music Report 32 44Belgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 33 50Canada Top Singles RPM 34 76Europe European Hot 100 Singles 35 43Netherlands Dutch Top 40 36 40Netherlands Single Top 100 37 62UK Singles Gallup 38 99US Billboard Hot 100 39 5US Adult Contemporary Billboard 40 25US Cash Box Top 100 Singles 41 72West Germany Official German Charts 42 57Certifications editCertifications for Broken Wings Region Certification Certified units salesCanada Music Canada 43 Gold 50 000 United Kingdom BPI 44 Silver 200 000 Shipments figures based on certification alone Sales streaming figures based on certification alone K Lee version editNew Zealand pop singer K Lee covered Broken Wings and released it as a single on June 11 2001 45 Her version peaked at number two on the New Zealand Singles Chart becoming her highest charting single there along with 2002 s Can You Feel Me 46 Charts edit Chart performance for Broken Wings Chart 2001 PeakpositionNew Zealand Recorded Music NZ 46 2Samples edit Broken Wings was sampled in the posthumous Tupac song Until the End of Time 47 The song reached No 4 in the UK 48 References edit Hung Steffen Mr Mister Broken Wings hitparade ch September 2015 Paul Elliott 04 4 September 2015 Mr Mister Welcome To The Real World Go On Classic Rock Magazine Retrieved 24 April 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link a b Notes on Broken Wings Archived 2017 07 20 at the Wayback Machine from Mr Mister fansite 19 of the greatest power ballads of all time Smooth 2 July 2018 MVdbase entry Archived 2017 12 01 at the Wayback Machine music video details Tom Breihan 13 November 2020 The Number Ones Mr Mister s Broken Wings Stereogum a b Mr Mister Broken Wings Australian charts com Hung Medien Retrieved December 31 2011 Kent David 1993 Australian Chart Book 1970 1992 illustrated ed St Ives N S W Australian Chart Book p 210 ISBN 0 646 11917 6 Mr Mister Broken Wings in German O3 Austria Top 40 Mr Mister Broken Wings in Dutch Ultratop 50 Top RPM Singles Issue 0611 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved February 26 2020 Top RPM Adult Contemporary Issue 9326 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved February 26 2020 European Hot 100 Singles Eurotipsheet Vol 3 no 5 February 8 1986 p 12 OCLC 29800226 The Irish Charts Search Results Broken Wings Irish Singles Chart Retrieved February 26 2020 Classifiche Musica e dischi in Italian Retrieved May 31 2022 Select Singoli in the Tipo field type Broken wings in the Titolo field and press cerca Nederlandse Top 40 Mr Mister in Dutch Dutch Top 40 Retrieved February 26 2020 Mr Mister Broken Wings in Dutch Single Top 100 Retrieved February 26 2020 Mr Mister Broken Wings Top 40 Singles Mr Mister Broken Wings VG lista SA Charts 1965 1989 As presented on Springbok Radio Radio Orion Songs A B The South African Rock Encyclopedia Archived from the original on May 25 2018 Retrieved February 26 2020 Salaverri Fernando September 2005 Solo exitos ano a ano 1959 2002 in Spanish 1st ed Madrid Fundacion Autor SGAE ISBN 84 8048 639 2 Mr Mister Broken Wings Singles Top 100 Mr Mister Broken Wings Swiss Singles Chart Mr Mister Artist Chart History Official Charts Company Retrieved February 26 2020 Mr Mister Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved May 17 2017 Mr Mister Chart History Adult Contemporary Billboard Retrieved May 17 2017 Mr Mister Chart History Mainstream Rock Billboard Retrieved May 17 2017 Cash Box Top 100 Singles Week ending December 14 1985 Cash Box Archived from the original on February 25 2020 Retrieved February 26 2020 Offiziellecharts de Mr Mister Broken Wings in German GfK Entertainment charts Retrieved May 24 2019 RPM s Top 100 Singles of 1985 RPM Vol 43 no 16 December 28 1985 p 11 ISSN 0033 7064 via Library and Archives Canada The Cash Box Year End Charts 1985 Top 100 Pop Singles Cash Box December 28 1985 Archived from the original on March 26 2019 Retrieved February 26 2020 National Top 100 Singles for 1986 Kent Music Report No 650 December 29 1986 via Imgur Jaaroverzichten 1986 Singles in Dutch Ultratop Retrieved February 26 2020 Top 100 Singles of 86 RPM Vol 45 no 14 December 27 1986 p 5 ISSN 0033 7064 via Library and Archives Canada European Hot 100 Singles Hot 100 of the Year 1986 Music amp Media Vol 3 no 51 52 December 27 1986 p 28 OCLC 29800226 Top 100 Jaaroverzicht van 1986 in Dutch Dutch Top 40 Retrieved February 26 2020 Jaaroverzichten Single 1986 in Dutch Dutch Charts Retrieved February 26 2020 Top 100 Singles January to December 1986 Music Week January 24 1987 p 24 ISSN 0265 1548 Hot 100 Songs Year End 1986 Billboard Archived from the original on June 3 2021 Retrieved February 26 2020 Adult Contemporary Songs Year End 1986 Billboard Archived from the original on May 21 2021 Retrieved February 26 2020 The Cash Box Year End Charts 1986 Top 100 Pop Singles Cash Box December 27 1986 Archived from the original on January 30 2020 Retrieved February 26 2020 Top 100 Single Jahrescharts 1986 in German GfK Entertainment Retrieved February 26 2020 Canadian single certifications Mr Mister Broken Wings Music Canada December 23 1985 Retrieved August 2 2023 British single certifications Mr Mister Broken Wings British Phonographic Industry June 14 2019 Retrieved October 17 2021 New Releases netcd co nz June 11 2001 Archived from the original on June 16 2001 Retrieved November 8 2023 a b K Lee Broken Wings Top 40 Singles Retrieved November 8 2023 Brown Jake 2005 Tupac Shakur 2 Pac in the Studio Amber Books p 133 ISBN 978 0 9767735 0 4 Broken Wings by Mr Mister Songfacts Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Broken Wings Mr Mister song amp oldid 1216187928, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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