Are You Gonna Go My Way (song)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"Are You Gonna Go My Way"
Single by Lenny Kravitz
from the album Are You Gonna Go My Way
B-side"My Love"
ReleasedFebruary 8, 1993 (1993-02-08)
Genre
Length3:32
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz singles chronology
"What the Fuck Are We Saying?"
(1992)
"Are You Gonna Go My Way"
(1993)
"Believe"
(1993)
Music video
"Are You Gonna Go My Way" on
YouTube

"Are You Gonna Go My Way" is a song by American musician

Modern Rock Tracks chart. Its music video was directed by Mark Romanek
.

The success of the song and the music video led to Kravitz being nominated for and winning several awards at the

1993 Grammy Awards and the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards. Since its release, "Are You Gonna Go My Way" has been covered by numerous artists, such as Metallica, Tom Jones, Robbie Williams, Mel B, Cactus Jack and Adam Lambert
.

Chart performance

"Are You Gonna Go My Way" was released as an airplay-only single in the US and thus was not eligible to chart on the

Modern Rock Tracks chart. It also reached the top five in the UK, peaking at number four.[4] It is Kravitz's most successful single in Australia, where it peaked at number one for six weeks through April and May 1993.[5] "Are You Gonna Go My Way" is the only diamond-certified single in Brazil, with over 500,000 downloads.[6]

Critical reception

Isley Brothers album. And the lyrics are prime Kravitz."[11] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report declared it as "'90s rock", adding that "it doesn't get much better than this."[12] Adam Sweeting from The Guardian remarked that Kravitz is "rocking it up a bit on the riffsome title track".[13] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, "Kravitz returns to his own career in full Jimi Hendrix mode and at a stroke matching the peak of his biggest hit ever "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over"."[14]

Pan-European magazine

Reading Evening Post declared the song as a "mixture of stomping drums and guitars, built around a grinding sub-Hendrixian riff", adding that "it's a bit too relentless and repetitive" to achieve the top 20 success of "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over".[19] Jamie Parmenter from Renowned for Sound named it a "stand out" from the album, complimenting it for being an anthem of the early 90s, "a rollicking fast-paced rock masterpiece that shows Lenny's eye for a chart-topping tune and mastery at a catchy riff."[20] Leesa Daniels from Smash Hits declared it as "a scorcher".[21]

Music video

A music video was shot to accompany the song, directed by American filmmaker Mark Romanek.[22] It consisted of Kravitz and his band playing in a large circular arena, with three tiered balcones stepped back from the centre, filled by people dancing. Above the band and the dancers, lighting designer, director Michael Keeling created a chandelier of 983 cylindrical 23 cm incandescent light tubes (originally designed for aquarium use) that could be brightened and dimmed to create patterns of light.[23] Cindy Blackman appears on drums in the music video, although she did not perform on the studio recording that plays in the video's audio track.[24]

Awards

The success of the song and the music video led to Kravitz being nominated for and winning several awards:

  • Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo: Nominated
  • Grammy Award for Best Rock Song: Nominated
  • MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction: Nominated
  • MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Artist: Won

Track listings

  1. "Are You Gonna Go My Way"
  2. "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over"
  3. "Always on the Run"
  4. "Let Love Rule"
  • UK CD 2 and Australian CD single[26]
  1. "Are You Gonna Go My Way"
  2. "My Love"
  3. "All My Life"
  4. "Someone Like You"
  • UK 7-inch and cassette single; Japanese mini-CD single[27][28][29]
  1. "Are You Gonna Go My Way"
  2. "My Love"

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[56] Platinum 70,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[57] Diamond 250,000*
France (
SNEP)[58]
Gold 250,000*
Italy (FIMI)[59] Gold 50,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[60] Gold 5,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[61] Gold 400,000

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

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom February 8, 1993
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
Virgin [62]
Japan February 26, 1993 Mini-CD [63]

Covers

The song has been covered by numerous artists, such as

DisCover in 2002. A remixed version is played as the opening theme song in Gran Turismo 3: A-spec. Adam Lambert covered the song in November 2012 in his swing through South Africa.[64]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Jamar Rogers Rocks Lenny Kravitz Tune 'Are You Gonna Go My Way' on 'The Voice'". Loudwire. April 9, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  2. CBS Local Media. February 22, 2012. Archived from the original
    on April 29, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  3. Ultimate Classic Rock
    . Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  6. ^ "Associação Brasileira de Produtores de Disco". ABPD. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011.
  7. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way". AllMusic. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  8. ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 12. March 20, 1993. p. 64. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  9. ^ Flick, Larry (March 6, 1993). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 10. p. 74. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  10. The Corsair
    . Vol. 67, no. 3. p. 5. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  11. ^ Browne, David (March 19, 1993). "Are You Gonna Go My Way". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  12. ^ Sholin, Dave (September 24, 1993). "Gavin Picks: Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. No. 1973. p. 58. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  13. ^ Sweeting, Adam (February 26, 1993). "Music: The Many Selves Of Solo Frank". The Guardian.
  14. ^ Masterton, James (February 14, 1993). "Week Ending February 20th 1993". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  15. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 6. February 6, 1993. p. 9. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  16. ^ Kilgo, John (September 24, 1993). "Music Meeting" (PDF). The Network Forty. p. 22. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  17. ^ de Yampert, Rick (July 9, 1993). "'Zooropa' the picture of U2's achievement". The News Journal. p. 2-D. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  18. Gainesville Sun
    . p. 5D. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  19. ^ Reading Evening Post. February 4, 1993. p. 20.
  20. ^ Parmenter, Jamie. "Album Review: Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way: Deluxe Edition". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  21. ^ Daniels, Leesa (April 28, 1993). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 49. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  22. ^ Tewksbury, Drew (September 16, 2010). "Mark Romanek: 'Never Let Me Go' Director On His Music Video Career". NPR Music. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  23. ^ Moreno, Shonquis (2004). "And Then There Was Light" (PDF). Frame. No. 40. p. 75. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 23, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  24. ^ Vargas, Andrew (May 17, 2007). "Cindy Blackman". Drumhead Magazine. Archived from the original on December 26, 2007. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
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  26. ^ Are You Gonna Go My Way (UK CD2 & Australian CD single liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1993. VUSCD 65.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  27. ^ Are You Gonna Go My Way (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1993. VUS 65.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  28. ^ Are You Gonna Go My Way (UK cassette single sleeve). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1993. VUSC 65.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  29. ^ Are You Gonna Go My Way (Japanese mini-CD single liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1993. VJDP-10202.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  30. ^ "Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
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  32. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0972." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
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    . Retrieved May 26, 2014.
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  56. ^ "Australian Fun Countdowns – Accreditation Awards". Australian Fun Countdowns. April 7, 2011. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  57. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil.
  58. Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
    .
  59. ^ "Italian single certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved January 22, 2024. Select "2024" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Are You Gonna Go My Way" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  60. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way". Recorded Music NZ.
  61. ^ "British single certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  62. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. February 6, 1993. p. 27.
  63. ^ "自由への疾走 | レニー・クラヴィッツ" [Sprinting to Freedom | Lenny Kravitz] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  64. ^ White, Caitlin (November 15, 2012). "Adam Lambert: Lenny Kravitz 'Are You Gonna Go My Way' Cover Rocks Cape Town (Video)". AOL Music Blog. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012.