How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

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About

Genius Annotation

The song that helped make Kravitz a ‘90s superstar, “Are You Gonna Go My Way” is the lead single & title song from Lenny Kravitz’s third album. The song topped Billboard’s Album Rock Tracks chart and #2 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1993. Lenny takes on the character of a messianic figure who calls on all people to go “his way” so that love prevails and violence will end.

In the reissued album’s booklet, Kravitz recalled creating the song:

The day the title track was conceived…I was on the drums, Tony Breit was on bass and Craig [Ross] on guitar. Craig started noodling with the riff, I began to play and then Craig and I telepathically put the song into form. It was a flash and when we finished the one-take performance.

When I got home later that night, I put the cassette of “Are You Gonna Go My Way” on my boom box and blasted it and began hearing the melody. I quickly wrote the lyrics on an old paper bag and the next day went into the studio and sang the vocal. It was explosive, but I had no idea it would become such a major signature for me, and it was so different from everything on the radio at the time. It was so raw. Eventually, when it came out, the record label struggled with it and radio had no idea what to do with it I was promoted for months and months and seemed like it was going nowhere until the fuse finally lit.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Lenny Kravitz say about "Are You Gonna Go My Way"?
Genius Answer

Kravitz said,

You know, I was jamming with Craig Ross … It was one of those songs that happened in five minutes. We were jamming. I thought there was something happening. I told Henry [Hirsch] to turn the tape machines on, and we played it. And that was it. And then I went and wrote the lyrics on a brown paper bag.

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