Are You Gonna Go My Way (song)

"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 Lenny Kravitz, released in February 1993 by Virgin Records as the first single from his third studio album, Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993). The song was written by Kravitz and Craig Ross, while Kravitz produced it. It peaked at number one in Australia and number four on the UK Singles Chart, as well as number one on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and number two on the Billboard 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. The song appears in the 2011 video game Just Dance 3.[3]

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 Billboard Hot 100,[4] but reached number one on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. It also reached the top five in the UK, peaking at number four.[5] It is Kravitz's most successful single in Australia, where it peaked at number one for six weeks through April and May 1993.[6] "Are You Gonna Go My Way" is the only diamond-certified single in Brazil, with over 500,000 downloads.[7]

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the song as "roaring".[8] American magazine Billboard said it is Kravitz's "hardest and fastest to date".[9] Billboard Larry Flick described it as a "passionate" track, that is "wrapped in the kind of retro, Jimi Hendrix-style guitar riffs that album-rock programmers go wild for." He added, "Spare boogie rhythms and a simply irresistible hook provide added radio incentive."[10] Tony Harris from The Corsair called it a "throwaway hit single".[11] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly felt that it "opens with a blast of phase-shifter electric guitar that could have been lifted directly off an old Jimi Hendrix or Isley Brothers album. And the lyrics are prime Kravitz."[12] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report declared it as "'90s rock", adding that "it doesn't get much better than this."[13] Adam Sweeting from The Guardian remarked that Kravitz is "rocking it up a bit on the riffsome title track".[14] 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"."[15]

Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "A special warning before you fasten your headphones. Kravitz cracks your nut with his hardest rocking single to date. A delicious earache."[16] John Kilgo from The Network Forty wrote that "shades of Hendrix-a nice grungy-driven guitar with a crunchy rhythm beat highlights this funked rock release."[17] Rick de Yampert from The News Journal viewed it as "feverish Hendrix".[18] Rick Marin from The New York Times described the music video as a "frenzied, orgiatic performance exhuming (if not reincarnating) the spirit of Jimi Hendrix, complete with phase-shifter guitar and sexily slurred lyrics."[19] A reviewer from 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".[20] 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."[21] Leesa Daniels from Smash Hits declared it as "a scorcher".[22]

Music video

A music video was shot to accompany the song, directed by American filmmaker Mark Romanek.[23] 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.[24] 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.[25] "Are You Gonna Go My Way" was later made available by VEVO on YouTube in 2011, remastered in HD, and had generated more than 66 million views as of early 2024.[26]

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[28]
  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[29][30][31]
  1. "Are You Gonna Go My Way"
  2. "My Love"

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[61] Platinum 70,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[62] Diamond 250,000*
France (SNEP)[63] Gold 250,000*
Italy (FIMI)[64] Gold 50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[65] Gold 5,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[66] 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 [67]
Japan February 26, 1993 Mini-CD [68]

Covers

The song has been covered by numerous artists, such as Metallica, in a medley for "MTV Hits" at the 2003 MTV Music Video Awards, Tom Jones for the Jerky Boys OST, Robbie Williams on Jones' 1999 album Reload and Mel B in her solo section of the Spice Girls 2007 Reunion Tour. Serbian hard rock band Cactus Jack recorded a version on their live cover album 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.[69]

See also

References

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  3. ^ Lenny Kravitz "Are You Gonna Go My Way" | Just Dance 3 Gameplay. October 5, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  4. ^ Joseph, Mike (March 9, 2018). "Lenny Kravitz Breaks Through With 'Are You Gonna Go My Way'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
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  10. ^ Flick, Larry (March 6, 1993). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 10. p. 74. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  11. ^ Harris, Tony (March 10, 1993). "Kravitz Looks to the Past". The Corsair. Vol. 67, no. 3. p. 5. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  12. ^ Browne, David (March 19, 1993). "Are You Gonna Go My Way". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
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  14. ^ Sweeting, Adam (February 26, 1993). "Music: The Many Selves Of Solo Frank". The Guardian.
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