Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest revisions: July 23, 2025
This pancocojams post presents some comments about how "I Believe I Can Fly" parodies were known throughout Black American communities before the internet age.
The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, socio-cultural, and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
This post replaces the pancocojams post about Black American radio deejays incorporated parodies of recorded songs -including "I Believe I Can Fly" as part of their on air chatter. Instead of a separate post, that content is included in this post.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/07/archived-links-for-pancocojams-posts.html for a hyperlinked archive of pancocojams posts on "I Believe I Can Fly" children's parodies.
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTES
MY STATEMENT ABOUT R. KELLY
Please read my comment in https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/07/i-believe-i-can-fly-parodies- about R. Kelly. Here's part of that comment:
"This post and other pancocojams posts on parodies of R.Kelly's inspirational Rhythm & Blues song "I Believe I Can Fly" should not be taken as disregarding or condoning R. Kelly's actions apart from his musical compositions and musical performances."
****
BLACK AMERICANS AREN'T THE ONLY ONES WHO SUNG (OR WHO STILL SING)
"i BELIEVE I CAN FLY" PARODIES
The title and the content of this post doesn't mean to imply or state that Black Americans were the only people in the United States that knew the "I Believe I Can Fly" parody in the 1990s.
Although no composers of "I Believe I Can Fly" parody have been identified, based on these parodies' words, and based on demographic information that can be gleaned from anecdotal information such as the comments that are archived in this pancocojams post, I have concluded that these parodies originated with African Americans and were most often composed and chanted by African Americans.
"i Believe I Can Fly" parodies appear to be called "remixes" in a number of Black American online commenters that I've come across.
Read the section below about my direct experiences with "I Believe I Can Fly" parodies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
**
MY TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF "I BELIEVE I CAN FLY" PARODIES
These examples appear to follow a relatively set rhyming structure that always begins with the first two lines of these parodies and not of the original song:
I believe I can fly. I got shot by the FBI."
"I believe I can fly" is the title and the first words that are sung in the chorus of R. Kelly's record. Some of the longer versions of these parodies include a play on the other lines in the lyrics for the chorus of R. Kelly's song:
"I believe I can flyI believe I can touch the skyI think about it every night and daySpread my wings and fly awayI believe I can soarI see me running through that open doorI believe I can flyI believe I can flyI believe I can fly (whoo)"...
https://genius.com/R-kelly-i-believe-i-can-fly-lyrics
**
All of the "I Believe I Can Fly" parodies that I have across online mention "chicken wings" and usually mention other soul food, and other food, desserts, and much less often some beverage. These foods etc are mentioned usually in relationship with the fast food restaurant "Burger King". "Burger King" doesn't sell "chicken wings" although it does sell chicken sandwiches. But "Burge King" is a part of these parodies because the word "king" rhymes with more words than KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) which actually does sell chicken wings.
The tune and moderate tempo for "I Believe I Can Fly" parodies are the same or very similar to R. Kelly's recorded song.
****
MY DIRECT COLLECTION EXPERIENES WITH THIS SONG
I collected a few examples of "I Beliee I Can Fly" in the late 1990s in my direct collection experiences in many of the mostly Black neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and some of the Black neighborhoods surrounding Pittsburgh. These examples were usually the either the result of me beginning a rhyme/singing game session by asking an assembled after-school program's attendees of girls and boys (around 6-13 years of age) what rhyme or song did they know. My recollection of these groups (which were held from around 1997 to the early 2000s when I changed the format of my outreach programs) was that children were at first reluctant to share any examples of recreational rhymes and songs with me. I believe that this was because they were used to adults stifling their creativity when it can to not always socially correct examples. (Two other examples of this that I collected from Pittsburgh area Black children from around 2000 to 2009 were "Rockin Robin [also known as "Twee Lee Lee"] and "See that house upon a hill" verses to some versions of "Uno Dos Siesta" rhymes.)
I recall in my initial game song and children's rhymes programming with groups of children I had to assure the children's that it was okay to share the examples that they knew. and then asked them what songs or rhymes did they sing for fun. Usually even more boys than girls would holler out "I Believe I Can Fly" and then enthusiastically sing what I now consider to be a short form of that song:
"I believe I can fly
I got shot by the FBI
It's all because of that chicken wing
That I bought at Burger King.
I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly.
I believe I can fly."
-end of song-
In my later outreach programming up to around 2000s* as a means of initiating group involvement, I would start the sessions by asking the group if they knew songs like "I Believe I Can Fly" and/or rhymes such as "Miss Mary Mack" and/or "Rockin Robin". In my experiences, Black children from Pittsburgh were sure to know those three examples.
After around 2000 to around 2009 I changed my structure of my programs to focus more on smaller groups of girls and the collection/group's performance foot stomping cheers.
When I casually asked my adult daughter (whose childhood was in the mid 1970s and teen years were in the 1980s whether she knew "I Believe I Can Fly" parodies, she said "no" My daughter was an elementary school teacher in Pittsburgh public schools beginning around the late 1990s. However, she didn't recall hearing children sing this song during recess or at any other times during "down" time before school.
By the way, my daughter didn't like this song because of its association with convicted and incarcerated sex offender R.Kelly. She wondered why I would focus on this song given R. Kelly (the composer of the original song)'s awful history. I shared my folkloric/socio-cultural reasons.
When I casually asked my 11 ear old granddaughter is she had ever heard the parody song "I Believe I Can Fly (I got shot by the FBI), she said "no".
A few online comments that I've come across suggest that these parodies are no longer known among Black children, youth, and adults beyond those of that particular age cohort from 1996 when R. Kelly's recorded song "I Believe I Can Fly" came out to sometime in the early 200s (before R. Kelly started having criminal allegations, arrests, and incarceration because of his sexual charges.
I've no doubt that R. Kelly's past has negatively impacted people's acceptance of these parodies. I'm curious what past and current experiences readers of these pancocojams posts on "I Believe I Can Fly" parodies have had with these parodies.
****
COMMENTS ABOUT HOW "I BELIEVE I CAN FLY" PARODIES WERE KNOWN THROUGHOUT BLACK AMERICAN COMMUNITIES BEFORE THE INTERNET AGE
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
Source #1
Selected comments from
https://www.tiktok.com/@xennialdee/video/7521518343812025631 published by XennialDee, 6-29, 2025, @richiegattztv In the 90s, @richiegattztv
[Here's the summary comment from that video]
"In the 90s, we could turn any song into a
chaotic anthem — including the inspirational “I Believe I Can Fly.” If you were
on a school bus or at recess, chances are you sang the remix: “I got shot by
the FBI…” π This was peak 90s kid energy — turning
serious songs into wild parodies involving fast food, random violence, and pure
nonsense.
1. "all i wanted was some chicken wings, from KFC or
Burger King". is what i grew up on lol"
-DOPELEFIRE, 6-29-2025
**
3. 'Ikr we all had a different variation"
-Jacob Baker225, 6-29-2025
**
4."yea its mad! and way b4 home internet too π€£"
--DOPELEFIRE, 6-29-2025
**
5."Just barely. Call them regional variants π€£"
-
6. "We used to sing “all I wanted was chicken wings from McDonald’s or Burger King” π even though they didn’t have chicken wings ☠️"
-lala loopsy, 6-30-2025
**
7. "πππ where we get that from"
-π π΅ππππ❀π πΈ, 6-30- 2025
**
8. "how did it get everywhere to ππ"
-hope .johnson, 6-30-2025
**
9. "How did we all know this song?"
- anonymous loser", 6-30-2025
**
10. "How did ALL of us know this though? This was pre-internet."
-Sonja Gallegos, 6-30-2025
**
11. "The better question is how we all knew the same song in different states"
-yungtgetta, 6-30- 2025
**
12."We couldn't help it. We made up words, and went with it. π€£π€£π€£π€£π€£π€£"
-Octavius Brandell Mosley, 6-30-2025
**
13. Crazy how just word of mouth and just
talking works
-Will Jacobs, 6-30-2025
**
14. "lol we lived the same lives"
-Porcelain Doll. 6-30-2025
**
15. "I’m pretty sure we all had different
versions, but yeah basically."
-[No name given], 6-30-2025
**
16. "because we were just as unserious as 90s
kids as we are now. π"
-π§‘SarahπSkullsπ€, 6-30-2025
**
17. "because we all where cool"
-Dragonballfan, 6-30-2025
**
18. "I'm sure the one we sang in the UK was
very different π€£π€£"
-Colette, 6-30-2025
**
19. "We was just rhyming anything with that
songπ€£π€£π€£π€£π©π©π©π©"
-Lelebaby❤️, 6-30-2025
**
20. "and this was before everyone had the internet π"
-MaggieKatJuarez, 6-30-2025
**
21. "Y'all ain wanna hear the Charleston versionπ"
-Blakk Goddess, 6-30-2025
**
22. "
-The Daniel Collective, 6-30-2025
**
23. "How did we all know this song?"
-anonymous loser, 6-30-2025
**
24. "πππ where we get
that from"
-
**
25. "No, for real, how do we all know this!? Where did it originate!?"
-William V Richard, 6-30-2025
**
26. "how did it get everywhere to ππ"
-hope .johnson, 6-30-2025
**
27. "No internet and word still spread π"
-frostie904, 6-30-2025
**
28. "@come to think of it. who da he'll made it up"
-ChadAl, 6-30-2025
**
29. "Thought this was just me and friends lol. It’s a simulation and we all lived the same lives lol"
-Zolow95, 6-30-2025
**
30. "So we all was singing the same song"
-Hi [screen name], 6-30-2025
**
31. "Because we used our imagination and grew up in the remix era"
-TPZay89. 6-30-2025
**
32. "ππππππ
Cuz it was fun and funny"
-mialove4lyfe1, 6-30-2025
**
33. "is this why to this day I still make up my own lyrics to songs π€£"
-°°Shorty°°, 6-30-2025
**
34. "We was sick of that song so we had to remix it ππ€£. Just like Power Rangers"
-Ashley Tanyale, 6-30-2025
**
35. "Damn I though that was just in my hood"
- Stanley Yelnats, 6-30-2025
-snip-
"Though" is probably a typo for the word "thought".
**
36. "I now believe the internet was created because they knew we
were tapped in and in sync cuz how we all know that song but not where it came
from."
-Hymn&nem, 6-30-2025
**
37. "πππ that was good times making up songs ππ"
-Mrs. A. Burrell, 6-30-2025
**
38."Because Weird Al was our muse!"
-Leslie Ashcraft!, 6-30-20255
**
Reply
39."Wasn’t that Weird AL ?"
-
-snip-
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22Weird_Al%22_Yankovic for information about the White American performer "Weird Al" Yankovic, Here's a quote from his Wikipedia page: "Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic...born October 23, 1959) is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing comedy songs that often parody specific songs by contemporary musicians."...
-end of quote-
"I Believe I Can Fly" parodies certainly seems like something "Weird Al" Yankovic would have done, but they aren't part of his body of work. Also, creating parodies of existing songs is part of African American music traditions, although that custom doesn't appear to have been formally studied that much.
**
40. "I’m from the south so I’m sure that’s why it’s different π"
-XennialDee (Creator of that video), 6-30-30
**
Reply
41. lol once I heard your lyrics I knew you were from the south"
-letticia church, 6-30-2025
**
42. "It was our anthem if you grew up in the 90s"
-shane, 6-30-2025
**
43. "π€£π€£π€£π€£π€£π€£ and the radio djs in Chicago didn't make it no better!"
-blackmajesity,7-1-2025
**
44. "Crazy how all the kids are all over the United States knew the remix but not each other ππ"
-
**
45. "even city had their own version π"
-Simply_Jay29, 7-1-2025
-snip-
"Even" is probably a typo for the word "every".
**
46.. "πππ What
about the Barney song we remixed π"
-Q Crockett, 7-1-2025
**
47. "πππI
needed this bc we had some remixes for days. I forgot all about this"
-Queen, 7-1-2025
**
48. "collectively too. like everyone just knew. no YouTube or tiktok lol... solid 90s"
-TheeTrishaMilitia, 7-1-2025
****
Source #2
Selected comments from
https://www.facebook.com/rezzybop/posts/remember-in-elementary-when-kids-would-sing-i-believe-i-can-fly-i-just-got-shot-/10171582782720504/ "Remember When Kids Used To Sing I Believe I Can Fly I Got Shot By The FBI, June 2025
1. CashFkowManifessto
@WhoDatBoi_Mall, June 2025
"Yall remember as kids we used to remix R&B songs like I Believe I Can Fly, I got S[blood emoji] by the FBI. These remixes spread all around the country. We was going viral way before social media 80s/90s babies know."
**
2. DARWAV, June 2025
"All I wanted was some chicken wings π©Childhood memory unlocked π I often wonder how did stuff like this spread across the country before social media π€ …. Who came up with this stuff and how did we all hear about it state to state π€§"
**
3. Vanessa Bachelor, June 2023
"Wow and all these versions SLAAP
What a time to be alive! No social media but collectively had the first part down."
**
4. Eva Spivey, June 2023
"Even more impressive is that this spread without social media"
**
5. Micheala N Yates, June 2025
"To go with my collard greensssss π€£π€£π€£π€£
when the radio use to be cracking. They
use to remix everything and they were great"
-snip-
The word "they" in this
comment refers to Black American radio deejays [in the 1980s and 1990s.].
**
6. Courtney Morgenroth, June 2025
"And we had No Internet back then!!! So how the heck did we all know this!!!"
**
7. Richard Nwabuzor, June 2025
"They went viral due to radio &
TV"
-snip-
"They" in this comment refers
to the song parodies.
**
8. SaBΔrah
Sa'Birah, June 2025
"Used to be on the radio shows π€£"
-snip-
This comment refers to the song
parodies.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment