Are You Gonna Go My Way (song)

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, but reached number one on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. It also reached the top five in the UK, peaking at number four. It is Kravitz's most successful single in Australia, where it peaked at number one for six weeks through April and May 1993. "Are You Gonna Go My Way" is the only diamond-certified single in Brazil, with over 500,000 downloads.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the song as "roaring". American magazine Billboard said it is Kravitz's "hardest and fastest to date". Billboard editor Larry Flick described it as a "passionate" track, that is "wrapped in the kind of retro, Jimi Hendrix-style guitar riffs that album-rock programmers go wild for." He added, "Spare boogie rhythms and a simply irresistible hook provide added radio incentive." Tony Harris from The Corsair called it a "throwaway hit single". David Browne from Entertainment Weekly felt 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." Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report declared it as "'90s rock", adding that "it doesn't get much better than this." Adam Sweeting from The Guardian remarked that Kravitz is "rocking it up a bit on the riffsome title track". In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, "Kravitz returns to his own career in full Jimi Hendrix mode and at a stroke matching the peak of his biggest hit ever 'It Ain't Over 'til It's Over'."

Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "A special warning before you fasten your headphones. Kravitz cracks your nut with his hardest rocking single to date. A delicious earache." 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." Rick de Yampert from The News Journal viewed it as "feverish Hendrix". Rick Marin from The New York Times described the music video as a "frenzied, orgiastic performance exhuming (if not reincarnating) the spirit of Jimi Hendrix, complete with phase-shifter guitar and sexily slurred lyrics." A reviewer from Reading Evening Post declared the song as a "mixture of stomping drums and guitars, built around a grinding sub-Hendrixian riff", adding that "it's a bit too relentless and repetitive" to achieve the top 20 success of "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over". Jamie Parmenter from Renowned for Sound named it a stand out from the album, complimenting it for 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." Leesa Daniels from Smash Hits declared it as "a scorcher".

Music video

A music video was shot to accompany the song, directed by American filmmaker Mark Romanek. It consists of Kravitz and his band playing in a large circular arena, with three tiered balconies stepped back from the center, filled by people dancing. Above the band and the dancers, lighting designer and director Michael Keeling created a chandelier of 983 cylindrical 23cm incandescent light tubes (originally designed for aquarium use) that could be brightened and dimmed to create patterns of light. 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. "Are You Gonna Go My Way" was later made available by VEVO on YouTube in 2011, remastered in HD, and had generated more than 66 million views as of early 2024.

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

• UK 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"

• UK CD 2 and Australian CD single

1. "Are You Gonna Go My Way"
2. "My Love"
3. "All My Life"
4. "Someone Like You"

• UK 7-inch and cassette single; Japanese mini-CD single

1. "Are You Gonna Go My Way"
2. "My Love"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

Covers

The song 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 Mel B in her solo section of the Spice Girls 2007 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: A-spec. Adam Lambert covered the song in November 2012 in his swing through South Africa. Australian punk band Private Function covered the song on their 2020 album Whose Line Is It Anyway?

References

References

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2. (February 22, 2012). "We're Gonna Go Lenny Kravitz's Way". 100.3 Jack FM. [[CBS Local Media]].
3. Joseph, Mike. (March 9, 2018). "Lenny Kravitz Breaks Through With 'Are You Gonna Go My Way'". [[Ultimate Classic Rock]].
4. "Associação Brasileira de Produtores de Disco". ABPD.
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6. (March 20, 1993). "Album Reviews".
7. Flick, Larry. (March 6, 1993). "Single Reviews".
8. Harris, Tony. (March 10, 1993). "Kravitz Looks to the Past". [[The Corsair (Santa Monica College newspaper).
9. Browne, David. (March 19, 1993). "Are You Gonna Go My Way".
10. Sholin, Dave. (September 24, 1993). "Gavin Picks: Singles".
11. [[Adam Sweeting. Sweeting, Adam]] (February 26, 1993). "Music: The Many Selves Of Solo Frank". ''[[The Guardian]]''.
12. Masterton, James. (February 14, 1993). "Week Ending February 20th 1993".
13. (February 6, 1993). "New Releases: Singles".
14. Kilgo, John. (September 24, 1993). "Music Meeting".
15. de Yampert, Rick. (July 9, 1993). "'Zooropa' the picture of U2's achievement".
16. Marin, Rick. (May 16, 1993). "Critics no longer laugh at Lenny Kravitz".
17. ''[[Reading Post. Reading Evening Post]]''. February 4, 1993. p. 20.
18. Parmenter, Jamie. "Album Review: Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way: Deluxe Edition". [[Renowned for Sound]].
19. Daniels, Leesa. (April 28, 1993). "New Singles".
20. Tewksbury, Drew. (September 16, 2010). "Mark Romanek: 'Never Let Me Go' Director On His Music Video Career". [[NPR Music]].
21. Moreno, Shonquis. (2004). "And Then There Was Light".
22. Vargas, Andrew. (May 17, 2007). "Cindy Blackman".
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50. "自由への疾走 {{!}} レニー・クラヴィッツ". [[Oricon]].
51. (February 28, 1993). "New Release Summary – Product Available from : 28/02/93: Singles".
52. White, Caitlin. (November 15, 2012). "Adam Lambert: Lenny Kravitz 'Are You Gonna Go My Way' Cover Rocks Cape Town (Video)". AOL Music Blog.
53. Discogs entry for "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" https://www.discogs.com/master/1797106-Private-Function-Whose-Line-Is-It-Anyway Retrieved February 4, 2025.