Fly Like an Eagle (song)
"Fly Like an Eagle" is a song written by Steve Miller for the album of the same name. The song was released in the United Kingdom in August 1976 and in the United States in December 1976. It went to number two on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart during the week of March 12, 1977. The single edit can be found on "Greatest Hits (1974–1978)". The song has an unusually mellow and "dreamy" feel. It is usually played in tandem with "Space Intro", but the song also segues into "Wild Mountain Honey". History. The band  first performed the song in 1973 while performing at New York City's Felt Forum on a bill with The Marshall Tucker Band, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells. An earlier 1973 version features a more bluesy and less funk-inspired rhythm, with the guitar taking the synthesizer parts (albeit with similar delay effects). The lyrics are slightly different, indicating that the place the eagle wants to fly away from is a Native American reservation. The final, funk-inspired album version pays homage to "Slippin' into Darkness" by War (1971). It was re-recorded for the eponymous album released in 1976 . The intro riff was first used in a slightly different form on Miller's 1969 track "My Dark Hour" (which featured Paul McCartney). Reception. The original Steve Miller Band version sold over one million copies. The Seal version had sold over 300,000 units as of April 5, 1997. "Billboard Magazine" described the Steve Miller Band version as "uncharacteristically thoughtful, but rivetingly attention grabbing." "Cash Box" said that the single edit "preserves the high points of the original while cutting the time just about in half." Seal version. Twenty years after Miller's original version, English singer Seal covered "Fly Like  an Eagle" for the soundtrack to the 1996 film "Space Jam", sampling Miller's original "Space Intro" parts in the song's chorus. This version peaked at number 10 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, number 13 on the UK Singles Chart and number two on the Canadian "RPM" 100 chart. According to Seal, the executive producer of the "Space Jam" soundtrack, Dominique Trenier, asked him to record it. D'Angelo, who was managed by Trenier, played keyboards on the song. Seal said that Steve Miller approved of the cover version and at one point called him "thanking me and saying that  was the best cover of the song that he had heard."