"Fly like an Eagle" -- Steve Miller Band: A Song for All Time

"Fly Like An Eagle" is one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, without exception. Originally penned by Steve Miller and performed by the Steve Miller Band for his album "Fly Like An Eagle" in 1976, the song peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 list in January 1977.

An anthemic, slightly psychodelic song, "Fly Like An Eagle" begins with a haunting keyboard intro and the unforgettable fadeaway line, "Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' ... into the future..." It is the repetition of this line that sets the mood for the song, a sort of plaintive cry against the simple injustices of life in the United States. The eagle is the metaphor for the spirit of the people and of freedom in motion, because the lyrics speak of a future time, a time that the eagle flies toward: "to the revolution." The only verse in the song is both an indictment of poverty and a cry to redress the problems that poverty brings, exemplied by "feed the babies," "shoe the children," and "house the people." The aforementioned "revolution" is the future where poverty and need does not exist. This song, though couched in a sad tone reflective of the conditions of which the lyrics speak, is a song of hope, a song of a hopeful, better tomorrow.

According to an entry in Wikipedia, there exists an earlier guitar-based, blues-oriented version of the song that was recorded in 1973. In this version the lyrics are a bit different and speak of the eagle leaving an Indian reservation. Given the climate of the times, this would have been written during the heyday of the American Indian Movement (AIM), which was an activist organization that spoke out against the basic injustice and inhumanity forced upon native populations of the United States by its government. Living conditions on Indian reservations at the time were far below the standards of mainstream America and coninue to be so even to this day. AIM reached its peak in 1973 when they occupied Wounded Knee, South Dakota, site of the 1890 massacre of 150 Sioux Indians, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (Sioux) in protest the treatment of Indians by the federal government. The standoff lasted 71 days and gained worldwide attention, publicly humiliating the American government.

Either way, whether the song is about outrage at living conditions on an Indian reservation or about the general state of poverty in the United States and the hope of eliminating either or both, this is a powerful message delivered in a beautifully rendered song.

"Fly Like An Eagle" has been covered by various artists over the years, like Seal (for the "Space Jam" soundtrack) and the Neville Brothers (where Steve Miller played keyboards). The original song remains extremely popular and is a favorite on many Classic Rock radio and satellite stations.

Source:

Laura Waterman Wittstock and Elaine J. Salinas, "A Brief History of the Ameirican Indian Movement," AIMovementt.org

"Fly Like An Eagle (song)," Wikipedia.org

Christopher G. Feldman, The Billboard Book of Number 2 Singles, Books.google.com