Broken Wings (Mr. Mister song)

Last updated

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

Charts

"Broken Wings"
Broken Wings single cover.jpg
Picture sleeves used in some European territories
Single by Mr. Mister
from the album Welcome to the Real World
B-side
  • "Uniform of Youth"
ReleasedJune 6, 1985 [1]
RecordedNovember 1984
Genre
Length
  • 5:42 (album version)
  • 4:43 (radio/video edit)
  • 4:30 (7" edit)
Label RCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Mr. Mister singles chronology
"Hunters of the Night"
(1984)
"Broken Wings"
(1985)
"Kyrie"
(1985)
Music video
"Broken Wings" on YouTube

Certifications

Certifications for "Broken Wings"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [43] Gold50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [44] Gold400,000

^ 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]

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