Buffalo Springfield – Expecting To Fly

I had a friend’s dad who owned their 1969 greatest hits album when I was in sixth grade and we wore it out. Broken Arrow and Expecting to fly were the ones we played over and over and heard something we missed on the previous play.

Buffalo Springfield were only active between 1966-68 but had a huge impact on other artists. The band was very talented……with Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, Bruce Palmer, Dewey Martin and Jim Messina who replaced Bruce Palmer. They had some great songs like Mr Soul, Now days Clancy Can’t Even Sing, Burned, Expecting to Fly, Bluebird, Rock and Roll Woman, Broken Arrow and their big hit For What It’s Worth…

Ritchie Furay and Steven Stills had played together in the Au Go Go Singers. Bruce Palmer and Neil Young had played together in the Mynah Birds. That band featured Rick James on lead vocals and was signed to Motown.

It was written by Neil Young. The song peaked at #98 in the Billboard 100 in 1968.

 

Expecting to Fly

There you stood on the edge of your feather,
Expecting to fly.
While I laughed, I wondered whether
I could wave goodbye,
Knowin’ that you’d gone.
By the summer it was healing,
We had said goodbye.
All the years we’d spent with feeling
Ended with a cry,
Babe, ended with a cry,
Babe, ended with a cry.

I tried so hard to stand
As I stumbled and fell to the ground.
So hard to laugh as I fumbled
And reached for the love I found,
Knowin’ it was gone.
If I never lived without you,
Now you know I’d die.
If I never said I loved you,
Now you know I’d try,
Babe, now you know I’d try.
Babe, now you know I’d try,
Babe.

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

23 thoughts on “Buffalo Springfield – Expecting To Fly”

    1. This one and Broken Arrow are my top two. It’s the escapism in this song that does it for me…it’s one of those transport songs.

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  5. I had not known that tune. Calling myself a Neil Young fan, especially of his late ’60s and ’70s output, I feel I should definitely know more about Buffalo Springfield.

    I guess my current knowledge essentially comes down to “For What It’s Worth”, “Mr. Soul”, “Broken Arrow” and “I’m a Child.” Well, now, I suppose I can add “Expecting to Fly”, a 25% increase! 🙂

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    1. Buffalo Springfield Again (their second album from 1967) has most of their best stuff IMO. You get some great Stills tracks like ‘Rock N Roll Woman’, ‘Hung Upside Down’, and ‘Bluebird’.

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    2. LOL…I love Broken Arrow. You can tell both that one and this one was around the same time as Sgt Pepper.
      I wish that band would have made more.

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    1. Oh cool…I remember that now. I don’t know why I haven’t posted it until now. Broken Arrow is probably my top one with this one coming in second…some good songs though. Mr. Soul and Bluebird are pretty good also.

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  7. One of my favourite songs from the period (even though I’m not the greatest fan of Neil Young). I play this one a lot – it’s also part of quite a few of my compilations (and a playlist or two…) Thanks, Max.

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