Credits
PERFORMING ARTISTS
Underworld
Performer
Iggy Pop
Vocals
Karl Hyde
Vocals
Esme Bronwen-Smith
Additional Vocals
Rick Smith
Keyboards
COMPOSITION & LYRICS
Karl Hyde
Composer
Rick Smith
Composer
Pop Iggy
Composer
PRODUCTION & ENGINEERING
Iggy Pop
Recording Engineer
Karl Hyde
Recording Engineer
Rick Smith
Producer
Miles Showell
Mastering Engineer
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
If I had wings
I wouldn't do anything beautiful or transcendent
No
I'd get my finger into everything I wanted
I'd do all the beautiful things
Those thing you can't do
Because nobody wants you to be able to do the things
That make you feel good, like
You can't smoke on the airplane
I remember smoking on the airplane
I used to love to smoke on the airplane
Those were the golden days of air travel
They would just open the door at the airport
And you'd walk right out the tarmac
And up those stairs and light a big cigarette
And stick it in the ashtray
And then stewardess would come along
And if she was hot, you could try to pick her up
[Verse 2]
Once I was flying
From New York to DC
I didn't have much time
And the stewardess was smoking
She was a dusky, tall
American beauty
And I put down my tray table
Snorted a gram of cocaine
'Til I got up my courage to say
"Can I have your phone number?"
And she gave me the number
That was the good news
But the bad news was I got too stoned and I lost the number
The stewardess would've been better than the cocaine
I made an error in judgement
But still, I remember
Smoking on the airplane
Smoking on the airplane
Smoking on the airplane
[Verse 3]
Everybody did it
They gather at the back on the way to Australia
And all puff up at once outside the bathroom
And that's why if I had wings
That would be a bad idea
I guess
According to everything I've been taught about the laws of
Ethics and karma and good behavior
If I had wings
I'd go to
I'd have fun
If I had wings, I'd have fun
Smoking on the airplane
[Verse 4]
Sunlight on my wings
Sunlight on my wings
Sunlight on my wings
Sunlight on my wings
Sunlight on my wings
Sunlight on my wings
[Verse 5]
You can't do that
You can't do that
You can't do that
You can't do that
[Verse 6]
Teenage boys
Used to hijack the airplane and send it to Cuba
Castro would charge twenty grand
The airline to get your airplane back
He had a good business
(You can't do that)
(You can't do that)
It's over
(You can't do that)
(You can't do that)
It's over for the liberal democracies
(You can't do that)
It's over
(You can't do that)
Here comes the jungle
(You can't do that)
[Verse 7]
Sunlight on my wings
Sunlight on my wings
Sunlight on my wings
Sunlight on my wings (You can't do that)
Sunlight on my wings (You can't do that)
Sunlight on my wings (You can't do that)
[Verse 8]
No more rock critics
(You can't do that)
(You can't do that)
No more
(You can't do that)
European ideas of
(You can't do that)
Good and bad
(You can't do that)
Only a vengeful
(You can't do that)
God does not allow smoking on the airplane
(You can't do that)
(You can't do that)
(You can't do that)
There will be no revolution
(You can't do that)
And that's why
(You can't do that)
It won't be televised
(You can't do that)
[Verse 9]
Sunlight on my wings
Sunlight on my wings
Sunlight on my wings
Sunlight on my wings
Sunlight (You can't do that)
Sunlight (You can't do that)
Sunlight (You can't do that)
Sunlight (You can't do that)
[Verse 10]
If I had wings
Written by: Karl Hyde, Pop Iggy, Rick Smith