I Can Fly

Album: Big Eyes (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Lana Del Rey co-wrote and performs this song, which plays over the end credits of the Tim Burton movie Big Eyes. The film tells the story of Margaret Keane, the American artist whose iconic 1950s and '60s paintings of big-eyeballed children were falsely credited to her then-husband.
  • This triumphant ode is one of two songs that Lana Del Rey sings for Big Eyes. The other cut, the title track, was originally intended for the closing credits, but it was felt the tune was too downbeat to send audiences out. Del Rey came up with this more uplifting number to replace it, which finds her singing about flying like a once-caged bird.

    Del Rey recalled to Billboard magazine: "I think they felt 'Big Eyes' was a little bit somber and they were excited about wanting [a song] to share this story about how Margaret [Keane] comes out of this darkness, a redemption theme. I said, 'I have a song called "I Can Fly," but I'd like to rework the lyrics and talk more about what she was doing [in the film].'"
  • Del Rey co-wrote this with one of her frequent collaborators, Rick Nowels. Other Del Rey cuts the San Francisco songwriter has contributed towards include her hit songs "Summertime Sadness" and "Young And Beautiful." (The latter was also penned for a movie – The Great Gatsby).

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Frankie Valli

Frankie ValliSong Writing

An interview with Frankie Valli, who talks about why his songs - both solo and with The Four Seasons - have endured, and reflects on his time as Rusty Millio on The Sopranos.

The Girl in That Song

The Girl in That SongFact or Fiction

Billie Jean, Delilah, Sara, Laura and Sharona - do you know who the girls in the songs really are?

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

Actors With Hit Songs

Actors With Hit SongsMusic Quiz

Many actors have attempted music, but only a few have managed a hit. Do you know which of these thespians charted?

Charles Fox

Charles FoxSongwriter Interviews

After studying in Paris with a famous composition teacher, Charles became the most successful writer of TV theme songs.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?