We Can Fly

So I have to preface this by saying that, despite Yes being a progressive rock band formed in 1968, the song I'll be referring to was released in 2011. Therefore, even though they are a bunch of old guys, it's still current music. It's just not a canned pop song.

"Fly From Here," the namesake composition on the album Fly From Here by Yes is a modern epic poem, and despite its length, is not the only song on the album (therefore I will analyze it as one song).

First, a little context. A brief, underdeveloped version of this song was written in the 80s at the height of the band's popularity, but was never used on its intended album. Just before the creation of the modern "Fly From Here," the band's lead singer dropped out due to health issues. The song, therefore, was inspired by the band's past bonds and successes and served as an indication that they were ready to move into the modern era even without their lead singer and continue to make music for the love of the music itself.

The speaker is a man on a metaphorical airfield and later, in a metaphorical plane. The extended metaphor continues throughout the song and is representative of his journey moving on from the past and "flying" into a future experience. The audience, although not specifically described, is a person or people whom he wishes to join him in his journey. Although never clearly stated, the song is from the perspective of one of the band members to the others, as a progressive attempt to get them to come together and create new things despite, and in light of, events in the past. The song is divided into segments. The first is an optimistic imploring of the speaker to get the band to acknowledge the past but then move on from it and head to a new destination, where they can only go if they all awaken and change from their stagnant past and present. The second is reminiscent of the past and reveals the current attitude of the group members: lonely, and despite individual efforts, lost in motivation and purpose. It explains how the elements of the past, people and their individual desires to "face the dawn/ Alone," still linger, but that they've exhausted this era and must turn around and come back together to move onward. It ends with the speaker "watch[ing] the skies" for the group to return so they may proceed. The third part reflects the potential struggle in coming back together, and how returning to their former glory will not necessarily be easy. The final portions reprise the optimism and reflect how, if they all come together and believe in themselves, they can move forward into the future and "fly."

The song also possesses a general theme, which is that in any sort of relationship, it is important to act together and though the journey may not be easy, travel onwards and seize the moment. It broadens the experience of moving forward.

Other than the overarching airfield metaphor, there are lots of other clever uses of literary language. In the very first portion of the song, they sing, "Formless memories lingering." The word memories here serves a couple purposes. One, is the reference to literal memories of the band's past experience. The other is as a descriptor of the aforementioned "prop-shaft airliners," as old and no longer more than memories. The word "lingering" not only describes the manner in which the memories sound, but its connotation imparts the feeling of the memories: not pleasant or unpleasant, but persistent and having a presence despite their being over.

Another repeated metaphor that enhances the feeling of waiting to move onward is when the narrator states, "I sit alone and watch the radar," and "I watch the skies." Both actions indicate the searching the speaker must do while waiting for the other members of the relationship to get on board with moving forward and taking off, so to speak. When the skies become clear and the radar shows others, they can truly move on. It's not only a waiting game though, but requires patience and navigation. If a radar is needed, the journey won't be easy.

One of the most powerful moments of the song is right before, and including the "turning point":

Only ghosts are in the empty corridors
And they're all strangers
Who never cared
I know them from some other life
When things were different
And we both were in the air

The "ghosts" imply the haunting quality of the past memories, but also show their lack of relevance for the present and future since they are not real. They exist in "empty" areas, and are people from the past who are not invested in the relationship at the moment and were never as connected as the people in the relationship could be now. The past then becomes an "other life," and the ghosts who are strangers in the present are acknowledged as being once known. The last line refers back to the plane metaphor; there was a time when both parties were flying, but they have since landed and need to take off again. After this segment, a string of lyrics all beginning with "Turn" and ending with "around" emphasize the importance of this turning point; their separate planes, either landed or flying in different directions, must turn around and reconvene to form one journey again and move on from the past and into the future.

All in all, the song reflects through many creative uses of the language what it feels like to have to transition into a new future, from the optimism to the desperation to the struggle to get going, and leaves its listeners with a deeper understanding of both the band and motivation to move on from the past. 

Remember, "Every day that you waste/ Is one more that you've lost."