"Fly, Robin, Fly" is a song by the German disco group Silver Convention from their debut studio album Save Me (1975). Sylvester Levay and Stephan Prager wrote the song, and the latter produced it. "Fly, Robin, Fly" was released as the third single from Save Me in September 1975, reaching number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100. Due to the success of "Fly, Robin, Fly", Silver Convention became the second German act to have a number one song on the American music charts (after Bert Kaempfert). The song received a Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance in 1976.
Composition "Fly, Robin, Fly" carries the distinction of being a Billboard chart-topper with only six words: the chorus simply repeats "Fly, Robin, fly" three times, with an ending of "Up, up to the sky". During a segment on VH1's 100 Greatest Dance Songs, it was revealed that the original working title was "Run, Rabbit, Run".
Chart and commercial performances In the United States, it rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1975, staying there for three weeks. It was both preceded and succeeded by "That's the Way (I Like It)" by KC and the Sunshine Band. The single was also number one on the Soul Singles Chart for one week. "Fly, Robin, Fly" also spent three weeks at number one on the Dance/Disco Chart. In Canada, the song also reached the pole position in the charts, hitting number one in the RPM Top Singles Chart on 17 January 1976, knocking the Bay City Rollers' "Saturday Night" from the top slot, managing to keep it for a single week before being replaced by C. W. McCall's "Convoy" a week later.
As of February 1976, the single sold 1.5 million copies in the United States.
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1975–1976)PeakpositionAustralia (Kent Music Report)11France (IFOP)28US Billboard Adult Contemporary6US Billboard Hot 1001US Billboard Hot Disco Singles1US Billboard Hot Soul Singles1US Cash Box1US Record World1
Year-end charts Chart (1975)RankAustralia (Kent Music Report)89Canada Top Singles (RPM)103US Cash Box44
Chart (1976)RankBelgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)47Canada Top Singles (RPM)31US Billboard Hot 10014
Certifications
Uses The song appeared in the 1997 drama film Boogie Nights.
In April 2016, students and teachers from Methodist College, a Hong Kong secondary school, produced an educational "campus television" video by introducing four geometry methods in determining the congruence of triangles, through a song which lines to the tune of "Fly, Robin, Fly". Resembling the members of the band, choreographed arm and legs movements are also featured by the Hong Kong students, in order to introduce the mathematical concepts. The clip became a viral video which garnered over 800,000 views on Facebook within a week.
See also List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1975 List of Cash Box Top 100 number-one singles of 1975 List of number-one dance singles of 1975 (U.S.) List of number-one R&B singles of 1975 (U.S.) List of number-one singles of 1976 (Canada)
References
External links by Apartment20, featuring Ramona Wulf