Fly, Robin, Fly

"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. Thanks 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. The song received a Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance in 1976.[4]

"Fly, Robin, Fly"
Artwork for German and Yugoslavian vinyl single
Single by Silver Convention
from the album Save Me
B-side
  • "Tiger Baby"
  • "I Like It"
Released1975
Genre
Length3:50 (single version)
5:32 (album version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Stephan Prager
Silver Convention singles chronology
"Always Another Girl"
(1975)		 "Fly, Robin, Fly"
(1975)		 "Get Up and Boogie"
(1976)
Music video
"Fly, Robin, Fly" (TopPop, 1975) on YouTube

"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.[5] "Fly, Robin, Fly" also spent three weeks at number one on the Dance/Disco Chart.[6] 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,[7] 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.[8]

As of February 1976, the single sold 1.5 million copies in the United States.[9]

Charts

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[33] Gold 75,000^
United States (RIAA)[34] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Uses

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 (SAS, SSS, ASA, AAS; Side-Angle-Side, Side-Side-Side, Angle-Side-Angle, Angle-Angle-Side), through a song playfully naming "RHS" (Right-angle-Hypotenuse-Side, the fifth evidence for proving congruent triangles) 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 together with the lyrics ("Side angle side, side side side, angle side angle, angle angle side."). The clip has become a viral video which garnered over 800,000 views and over 50,000 "likes" on Facebook within a week, becoming one of the temporary hot topics in Hong Kong during late April, with various online parodies and social kusos provoked.[35][36][37]

See also

References
  1. Ankeny, Jason. "The Silver Convention – Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  2. George, Nelson (1988). The Death of Rhythm and Blues. Penguin Books. ISBN 0142004081. Silver Convention's "Fly Robin Fly" was the first Eurodisco crossover hit direct from Munich.
  3. Breihan, Tom (14 August 2019). "The Number Ones: Silver Convention's "Fly, Robin, Fly"". Stereogum. Retrieved 26 June 2023. And just like "Sugar, Sugar" before it, "Fly, Robin, Fly" is effective machine-pop music.
  4. "Silver Convention". Grammy.com. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 526.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 233.
  7. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4071a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  8. "RPM Top Singles". RPM. Vol. 24, no. 17. 24 January 1976. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  9. Edwards, Henry (15 February 1976). "Music/Recordings – Notes: Three Little Frauleins from Rock Are We, Etc". The New York Times. p. D-20. ProQuest 122709350 – via ProQuest.
  10. "National Top 100 Singles for 1976". Kent Music Report. 27 December 1976. Retrieved 15 January 2022 – via Imgur.
  11. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  12. "Silver Convention – Fly, Robin, Fly" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  13. "Silver Convention – Fly, Robin, Fly" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  14. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 4056." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  15. "Le Détail par Artiste". InfoDisc (in French). Select "Silver Convention" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  16. "Silver Convention – Fly, Robin, Fly" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  17. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 52, 1975" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  18. "Silver Convention – Fly, Robin, Fly" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  19. "Silver Convention – Fly, Robin, Fly". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  20. "Silver Convention – Fly, Robin, Fly". VG-lista. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  21. "Silver Convention – Fly, Robin, Fly". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  22. "Silver Convention – Fly, Robin, Fly". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  23. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  24. "The Silver Convention – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  25. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending November 22, 1975". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012.
  26. "The Singles Chart" (PDF). Record World. 6 December 1975. p. 31. ISSN 0034-1622. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  27. "1975 Wrap Up". RPM. Vol. 24, no. 14. 27 December 1975. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  28. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1975". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 20 September 2012.
  29. "Jaaroverzichten 1976" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  30. "Top 200 singles of '76". RPM. Vol. 26, no. 14 & 15. 8 January 1977. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  31. "Top 100 Hits for 1976". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  32. "Hot 100 60th Anniversary". Billboard. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  33. "Canadian single certifications – Silver Convention – Fly Robin Fly". Music Canada.
  34. "American single certifications – Silver Convention – Fly_ Robin_ Fly". Recording Industry Association of America.
  35. Zhao, Shirley (20 April 2016). "Maths is fun ... and groovy? Hong Kong pupils' music video goes viral". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  36. "Maths song featuring three HK students goes viral". EJ Insight. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  37. Lo, Kinling (20 April 2016). "Smash song gives maths a new angle". The Standard. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
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