I Believe I Can Fly

"I Believe I Can Fly"
Single by R. Kelly
from the album Space Jam: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture and R.
ReleasedNovember 26, 1996 (1996-11-26)
StudioBattery (Chicago, Illinois)
Genre
Length
  • 5:20 (album version)
  • 4:42 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)Robert Kelly
Producer(s)R. Kelly
R. Kelly singles chronology
"I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)"
(1996) 		"I Believe I Can Fly"
(1996) 		"Gotham City"
(1997)
Space Jam singles chronology
"I Believe I Can Fly"
(1996) 		"Space Jam"
(1996)

"I Believe I Can Fly" is a song written, produced, and performed by American R&B musician R. Kelly. It was originally released on November 26, 1996. It was also featured on the soundtrack to the movie Space Jam in 1996. It later appeared in Kelly's album R. in 1998. The song peaked at number one in many countries around the world. The song won three Grammy Awards out of five nominations.

Background and composition

In a 2013 interview with The Boombox, R. Kelly was asked about the creative process behind the song: "When I met Michael Jordan on a basketball court at an athletic club — we hooped together in Chicago — he came to me and asked me if I wanted to do a song for his upcoming movie," Kelly said. "I was like, 'Yeah!' I didn't even ask what it was. [Eventually] he let me know what it was, we went to a screening to watch it and that's when I ended up coming up with 'I Believe I Can Fly'. I knew from the first melody that was gonna be the song that was gonna take me out of R&B and into another genre of music."[1] "I Believe I Can Fly" has a moderately slow tempo of 60 beats per minute, based on 4
4 common time, and is written in the key of C major (with a key change to D♭ major). Kelly's vocal range spans from the low note of E3 to the high note of A♭4.[2]

Track listing

7-inch single, US (1996)
No. Title Length
1. "I Believe I Can Fly"   4:42
2. "Religious Love"   4:12
12-inch single, US (1996)
No. Title Length
1. "I Believe I Can Fly" (LP Version) 5:20
2. "I Believe I Can Fly" (Radio Edit) 4:42
3. "I Believe I Can Fly" (Instrumental) 5:20
4. "Religious Love"   4:12
5. "I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)" (Remix Street Version) 4:01
CD single, UK & Europe (1996)
No. Title Length
1. "I Believe I Can Fly" (Radio Edit) 4:42
2. "I Believe I Can Fly" (LP Version) 5:20
3. "I Believe I Can Fly" (Instrumental) 5:20
4. "Religious Love"   4:12

Parodies

  • In the 1999 episode "The Best of Both Worlds" of the Nickelodeon animated television series KaBlam!, in the Life with Loopy segment, the song was spoofed - in name only - as "I (Don't) Believe I Can Fly." [3][4][5][6]
  • In the 2012 episode "Food Battle 2012" of the webseries Smosh, the song was spoofed as "I Believe I’m Able to Fly." It also appeared on the 2015 episode "EVERY CAT EVER".
  • In 2013, the song was parodied by sports radio show Tim & Sid, spoofing the song as "I Believe in Masai", in reference to Toronto Raptors General Manager Masai Ujiri.
  • In 2016, the song was parodied as "I'm Convinced I Can Swim" by "Art Smelly" from the soundtrack to the hit film Earth Jelly in an episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

References

  1. ↑ McKynzie, Amber (December 2, 2013). "R. Kelly Reveals Creative Process for 'I Believe I Can Fly' & Most Emotional Song Ever Written [Exclusive Interview]". The Boombox. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  2. ↑ Kelly, R. "I Believe I Can Fly". www.musicnotes.com. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  3. ↑ KABLAM! S04E32 - "The Best of Both Worlds" (YouTube)
  4. ↑ Life with Loopy — "I (Don't) Believe I Can Fly" (YouTube)
  5. ↑ Life with Loopy — "I (Don't) Believe I Can Fly" (GhostArchive)
  6. ↑ KABLAM! S04E32 - "The Best of Both Worlds" (GhostArchive)


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