Expecting to Fly (song)

"Expecting to Fly"
West German picture sleeve of the single "Expecting to Fly/Everydays" by Buffalo Springfield
West German picture sleeve
Single by Buffalo Springfield
from the album Buffalo Springfield Again
B-side"Everydays"
ReleasedDecember 16, 1967
RecordedMay 6, 1967
StudioSunset Sound, Hollywood, Los Angeles
GenreChamber folk[1]
Length3:39
2:45 (single edit)
LabelAtco
Songwriter(s)Neil Young
Producer(s)
Buffalo Springfield singles chronology
"Rock 'n' Roll Woman"
(1967)
"Expecting to Fly"
(1967)
"Uno Mundo"
(1968)

"Expecting to Fly" is a song written by Neil Young and performed by Buffalo Springfield. The song appeared on their 1967 album, Buffalo Springfield Again. [2] It would reach #98 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968.[3]

During one of the times that Young had left the band, he booked a studio to record the song with outside musicians under the impression that it would be for a Neil Young solo project rather than for Buffalo Springfield.[4] Producer Jack Nitzsche provided the orchestral arrangement featuring a string section plus an English horn. The song does not feature any members of Buffalo Springfield other than Young.

Live versions from Young's early solo performances appear on the albums Live at the Riverboat 1969, Sugar Mountain – Live at Canterbury House 1968, and Live at the Cellar Door.

In the 2018 music documentary film, Echo in the Canyon, it is suggested "Expecting to Fly" marks and exemplifies a shift in a late 1960s's movement from group-oriented folk rock compositions toward more individualized performances and single-artist recordings.

  1. ^ Masley, Ed (May 30, 2017). "Sgt. Pepper and beyond: A look back at 20 great albums released in 1967". azcentral. Retrieved November 3, 2023. ... the ethereal chamber-folk of another Young classic, "Expecting to Fly"...
  2. ^ Buffalo Springfield, Buffalo Springfield Again Retrieved March 1, 2014
  3. ^ Buffalo Springfield, "Expecting to Fly" Chart Positions Retrieved March 1, 2014
  4. ^ Google Books website Kupernik, Harvey. Neil Young: Heart of Gold retrieved 26 March 2017