Flying On The Ground

Album: Back The Way We Came: Vol 1 (2011-2021) (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The phrase "flying on the ground" refers to a person being in a state of euphoria. In Buffalo Springfield's 1966 song "Flying on the Ground Is Wrong," Neil Young uses the phrase to illustrate losing friends after getting high from drugs. Here, though, Gallagher is saying "flying on the ground" is a good thing. His high is from a relationship, and the love between him and his partner is essential for his happy frame of mind.

    As the years go by, I'll wipe the tear from your eye
    All we need is love and a place we call home
  • The melodic song is one of two previously unreleased tracks Gallagher recorded for his compilation album Back The Way We Came: Vol 1 (2011-2021), which presents highlights from the first decade of his work with The High Flying Birds.
  • "Flying On The Ground" finds Gallagher's love of '60s music influencing his songwriting. His Bacharach-meets-Motown track finds the Oasis icon accompanied by backing singers throughout. "If Burt Bacharach wrote for Motown this is what it would sound like... only not as good, obviously," quipped Gallagher.
  • Gallagher wrote the song solo. He co-produced it alongside Paul Stacey, who worked for Oasis in several capacities between 1999 and 2008. Stacey also co-produced the other new Back The Way We Came song, "We're On Our Way Now."
  • Jonathan "Scully" Mowatt and Dan Cadan directed the video, which follows on from the "We're On Our Way Now" clip. The visual explores the lives of two lovers played by Matt Smith and Gala Gordon with improvised scenes and visual nods to French-wave films. Cadan said: "This video reveals the true darkness behind the relationship between our protagonists... and its tragic undoing - a blatant nod to A Bout De Souffle and Bande A Part (The Outsiders)."
  • After Noel Gallagher added three female members - Jessica Greenfield, Charlotte Marionneau and YSEE - to his High Flying Birds outfit in 2017, he recruited three backing singers known collectively as Roxy. Speaking in a video, Gallagher praised his all-female backing singers, saying their vocals have changed his approach to songwriting.

    Gallagher thought "Flying On The Ground" was good, but when Roxy came up with their backing vocal part and sang it on the track, they raised it to another level. "Every time I write a song now, I hear those girls in the background somewhere doing something amazing," he said.

Comments: 2

  • Chris Griffith from Blue Ridge VirginiaI hear elements of the melody in Oliver Anthony's Rich Men North of Richmond.
  • Indy Car Rubin from Miami Beach, FloridaThank you, Noel and your High Flying Birds for an amazing and inspirational track, one of the best of 2021
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Gentle Giant

Gentle GiantSongwriter Interviews

An interview with Ray and Derek Shulman of the progressive rock band Gentle Giant to discuss counterpoint, polyrhythms, and... Bon Jovi.

Grateful Dead Characters

Grateful Dead CharactersMusic Quiz

Many unusual folks appear in Grateful Dead songs. Can you identify them?

Ramones

RamonesFact or Fiction

A band so baffling, even their names were contrived. Check your score in the Ramones version of Fact or Fiction.

16 Songs With a Heartbeat

16 Songs With a HeartbeatSong Writing

We've heard of artists putting their hearts into their music, but some take it literally.

Julian Lennon

Julian LennonSongwriter Interviews

Julian tells the stories behind his hits "Valotte" and "Too Late for Goodbyes," and fills us in on his many non-musical pursuits. Also: what MTV meant to his career.

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.