Sergio Messina Fly Away (2021)
Dragonflies have a lineage dating back over 300 million years, which means they were already around before dinosaurs existed (!). Back in the days these insects were quite big. Fossil records show that certain prehistoric dragonflies had wingspans of around 2.3 feet (70 cm), making them some of the largest insects ever to have lived.
These days, dragonflies—whose name in English refers to the legendary creatures known from myths, folklore and literature—are much smaller, yet their attributes are still quite impressive: their eyes are among the most advanced in the insect world. The gluttonous predators nearly have 360-degree vision, which allows them to detect prey from far away. They are also incredibly agile aviators, being able to move in any direction—up, down, forward, backward and can even hover—achieving speeds of over 30 mp/h (50 km/h).
The dragonfly’s aerial skills seem to have made a lasting impression on sex symbol and musician Lenny Kravitz, who sang in one of his most successful songs: “I wish that I could fly, Into the sky, So very high, Just like a dragonfly.” If Kravitz isn’t exactly your cup of tea: there have been numerous artists covering his 1998 hit “Fly Away” over the years. A recent example—an outstanding one in our eyes—is the vocoder-heavy version of Italian musician and lecturer Sergio Messina. It is today’s song.
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