Broken Wings (Mr. Mister song)

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

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

"Broken Wings"
Picture sleeves used in some European territories
Single by Mr. Mister
from the album Welcome to the Real World
B-side	"Uniform of Youth"
Released	June 6, 1985 [1]
Recorded	November 1984
Genre	Pop rock new wave
Length	5:42 (album version) 4:43 (radio/video edit) 4:30 (7" edit)
Label	RCA
Songwriter(s)	Richard Page Steve George John Lang
Producer(s)	Mr. Mister Paul De Villiers
Mr. Mister singles chronology
"Hunters of the Night" (1984) "Broken Wings" (1985) "Kyrie" (1985)
Music video
"Broken Wings" on YouTube

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Broken Wings" Chart (1985–1986) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report) [8] 4 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [9] 17 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [10] 2 Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [11] 1 Canada Adult Contemporary ( RPM ) [12] 2 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles) [13] 3 Ireland (IRMA) [14] 3 Italy ( Musica e dischi ) [15] 6 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [16] 3 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [17] 2 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [18] 13 Norway (VG-lista) [19] 4 South Africa (Springbok Radio) [20] 20 Spain (AFYVE) [21] 13 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [22] 14 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [23] 4 UK Singles (OCC) [24] 4 US Billboard Hot 100 [25] 1 US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [26] 3 US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [27] 4 US Cash Box Top 100 Singles [28] 1 West Germany (GfK) [29] 8

Year-end charts 1985 year-end chart performance for "Broken Wings" Chart (1985) Position Canada Top Singles (RPM) [30] 37 US Cash Box Top 100 Singles [31] 52 1986 year-end chart performance for "Broken Wings" Chart (1986) Position Australia (Kent Music Report) [32] 44 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [33] 50 Canada Top Singles (RPM) [34] 76 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles) [35] 43 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [36] 40 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [37] 62 UK Singles (Gallup) [38] 99 US Billboard Hot 100 [39] 5 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) [40] 25 US Cash Box Top 100 Singles [41] 72 West Germany (Official German Charts) [42] 57

Certifications

Certifications for "Broken Wings"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [43]	Gold	50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [44]	Gold	400,000‡
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

K'Lee version

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

Chart performance for "Broken Wings"

Chart (2001)	Peak position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [46]	2

Samples

"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

1. "FMQB" (PDF). p. 24.
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.
3. Notes on Broken Wings Archived 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 Archived 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 .
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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".
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20. "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.
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.
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31. "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.
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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. "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 1986". Billboard . Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
40. "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 1986". Billboard . Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
41. "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.
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 May 10, 2024.
45. "New Releases". netcd.co.nz. June 11, 2001. Archived from the original on June 16, 2001. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
46. "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.