It’s Sunday night and I’m having a hard time trying to figure out which song was consistently stuck in my head all week. There are a few of them that kept popping up every now and then throughout the last seven days, but none that really stuck out like last week. So I’m gonna go with what’s fresh in my mind right now: Pretty Wings by Maxwell. I remember humming the tune for a few days and singing the one line that I know, “Pretty Wings, your Pretty Wings around” over and over and over again. (Like so many other songs that stick to me, I don't know all the words to this one.)
Although this song is sung and written by Maxwell, I’ve never actually heard his rendition of it. The first and only version I’ve heard was from this guy:
His name is Leroy Bejarano, and this boy can sing... seriously. I can't remember exactly how I found him, but he’s apparently all over tumblr (which I don't have) and has popped up on Facebook a little here and there since I’ve discovered him. The first song I ever listened to him sing was Love On Top by Beyonce. He absolutely blew me away with this song. Key changes? No sweat. He’s not even tying in his video; he’s totally just playing around and having fun. The link is right there for you to listen to (if you want to) so you'll see what I mean.
But let’s get back to Pretty Wings. After looking around on the Internet, I found out that this song was written and produced by Maxwell and Hod David. It won a Grammy Award for “Best Male R&B Vocal Performance” and was nominated for “Song of the Year” and "Best R&B Song." Maxwell described Pretty Wings as “a bittersweet love song about meeting the right girl at the wrong time.” Like almost all the love songs in the world, his inspiration came from a relationship with a girl that didn't really work out, but whom he still respects. Here are the lyrics:
Time will bring the real end of our trial
One day they'll be no remnants
No trace, no residual feelings within ya
One day you won't remember me
Your face will be the reason I smile
But I will not see what I cannot have forever
I'll always love ya, I hope you feel the same
Oh you played me dirty, your game was so bad
You toyed with my affliction
Had to fill out my prescription
Found the remedy, I had to set you free
Away from me
To see clearly the way that love can be
When you are not with me
I had to leave, I have to live
I had to lead, I had to live
If I can't have you, let love set you free
To fly your Pretty Wings around
Pretty Wings, your Pretty Wings
Your Pretty Wings around
I came wrong you were right
Transformed your love into light
Baby believe me I'm sorry I told you lies
I turned day into night
Sleep till I died a thousand times
I should’ve showed you
Better night better times better days
I miss you more, more
If I can't have you, let love set you free
To fly your Pretty Wings around
Pretty Wings, your Pretty Wings
Your Pretty Wings around
Now that I’ve learned a little more about the song, I feel obligated to add Maxwell’s version to this post. So here’s the link if you’d like to listen to it:
But this post isn’t about Maxwell’s version of Pretty Wings being stuck in my head all week. This is about Leroy’s.
From what I’ve found, Leroy Bejarano grew up in Spain in the city of Vitoria. After watching so many people around the world singing and sharing their own versions of songs, he decided to give it a try. He did it for fun; he wanted to find out what people thought of his music. After a few uploads, watchers began to noticed how talented he was and he became a YouTube sensation. His videos reached the U.S. and he got a call from Beyonce’s producer about the possibility of recording an album. Leroy is now 20 years old and is due to record that first album soon.
So look out for his name and listen for this voice. Here’s Leroy’s rendition of Pretty Wings:
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