Are You Gonna Go My Way (song)

"Are You Gonna Go My Way" is the first single to be released by Lenny Kravitz from the album Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993). It was written by Lenny Kravitz and Craig Ross. The single 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 Melanie Brown in her solo section, on the Spice Girls 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. Adam Lambert covered the song in November 2012 in his swing through South Africa.[3]

"Are You Gonna Go My Way"
Single by Lenny Kravitz
from the album Are You Gonna Go My Way
Released1993
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)

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the song as "roaring" in his review of Are You Gonna Go My Way.[4] Rolf Edmund Lund from Altaposten stated that it is "really good with sharp guitars and a vocal that really shakes the material".[5] Billboard said it is Kravitz's "hardest and fastest to date".[6] Tony Harris from The Corsair called it a "throwaway hit single".[7] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly wrote 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."[8] Music & Media commented in their review, "A special warning before you fasten your headphones. Kravitz cracks your nut with his hardest rocking single to date. A delicious earache."[9] 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."[10] Rick de Yampert from The News Journal noted the song as "feverish Hendrix".[11] Rick Marin from The New York Times said that the music video "is a frenzied, orgiatic performance exhuming (if not reincarnating) the spirit of Jimi Hendrix, complete with phase-shifter guitar and sexily slurred lyrics."[12] Jamie Parmenter from Renowned for Sound picked the track as a "stand out" track of the album, noting it as "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."[13]

Music video

The music video was directed by Mark Romanek.[14] It consisted of Kravitz and his band playing, surrounded by people dancing. Above the band and the dancers, there was a chandelier of 983 cylindrical incandescent light bulbs that were brightened and dimmed to create patterns of light.[15] 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.[16]

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,[17] but reached number one on the Album Rock Tracks and number 2 on the Modern Rock Tracks. It also reached the top 5 in the UK, peaking at number 4.[18] It is still Kravitz's most successful single in Australia, where it peaked at number-one for 6 weeks through April and May 1993.[19] "Are You Gonna Go My Way" is the only Diamond certified single in Brazil, with over 500,000 downloads.[20]

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
  • CD 1
  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"
  • CD 2
  1. "Are You Gonna Go My Way" – 3:32
  2. "My Love" – 3:52
  3. "All My Life" – 6:16
  4. "Someone Like You" – 4:14

Charts

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[45] Platinum 70,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[46] Diamond 500,000*
France (SNEP)[47] Gold 250,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[48] Gold 5,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[49] Silver 200,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

See also

References
  1. "Jamar Rogers Rocks Lenny Kravitz Tune 'Are You Gonna Go My Way' on 'The Voice'". Loudwire. April 9, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  2. "We're Gonna Go Lenny Kravitz's Way". 100.3 Jack FM. CBS Local Media. February 22, 2012. Archived from the original on April 29, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  3. White, Caitlin (November 15, 2012). "Adam Lambert: Lenny Kravitz 'Are You Gonna Go My Way' Cover Rocks Cape Town (Video)". AOL Music Blog. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  4. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way". AllMusic. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  5. Lund, Rolf Edmund (March 6, 1993). "Uferdige Lenny Kravitz". Altaposten (in Norwegian). p. 17. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  6. "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 105 no. 12. March 20, 1993. p. 64. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  7. Harris, Tony (March 10, 1993). "Kravitz Looks to the Past". The Corsair. 67 (3). p. 5. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  8. Browne, David (March 19, 1993). "Are You Gonna Go My Way". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  9. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 6. February 6, 1993. p. 9. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  10. "Music Meeting" (PDF). The Network Forty. September 24, 1993. p. 22. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  11. de Yampert, Rick (July 9, 1993). "'Zooropa' the picture of U2's achievement". The News Journal. p. 2-D. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  12. Marin, Rick (May 16, 1993). "Critics no longer laugh at Lenny Kravitz". Gainesville Sun. p. 5D. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  13. Parmenter, Jamie. "Album Review: Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way: Deluxe Edition". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  14. Tewksbury, Drew (September 16, 2010). "Mark Romanek: 'Never Let Me Go' Director On His Music Video Career". NPR Music. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  15. Moreno, Shonquis (2004). "And Then There Was Light" (PDF). Frame. No. 40. p. 75. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  16. Vargas, Andrew (May 17, 2007). "Cindy Blackman". Drumhead Magazine. Archived from the original on December 26, 2007. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  17. Joseph, Mike (March 9, 2018). "Lenny Kravitz Breaks Through With 'Are You Gonna Go My Way'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  18. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  19. "Australian-charts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  20. "Associação Brasileira de Produtores de Disco". ABPD. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011.
  21. "Austriancharts.at – Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  22. "Ultratop.be – Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  23. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0972." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  24. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  25. "Lescharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  26. "Offiziellecharts.de – Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  27. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40: Vikan 29. apríl – 5. maí". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). April 29, 1993. p. 21. Retrieved October 7, 2019 – via Timarit.is.
  28. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Are You Gonna Go My Way". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  29. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  30. "Dutchcharts.nl – Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  31. "Charts.nz – Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  32. "Norwegiancharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way". VG-lista. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  33. "Swedishcharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  34. "Swisscharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  35. "Are You Gonna Go My Way – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  36. "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Singles 1993". ARIA Charts. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  37. "Jaaroverzichten 1993" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  38. "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1993". RPM. Vol. 58 no. 23. December 18, 1993. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  39. "1993 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 51/52. December 18, 1993. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  40. "Jahrescharts – 1993". Offiziellecharts.de (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015.
  41. "Árslistinn 1993". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 4, 1994. pp. 16–17. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  42. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1993" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  43. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1993" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  44. "End of Year Charts 1993". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  45. "Australian Fun Countdowns – Accreditation Awards". Australian Fun Countdowns. April 7, 2011. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  46. "Brazilian single certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos.
  47. "French single certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  48. "New Zealand single certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way". Recorded Music NZ.
  49. "British single certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Are You Gonna Go My Way in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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