In a few hours I’ll be catching another flight out of town and although that may sound rather pedestrian, there are still remote places on this earth (and numerous others within living memory) where further explanation about what is meant by “flight” as a means of transportation would be required.

Any half-baked rundown would have to include Buoyant Flight, the stuff of airships and hot air balloons, which has been with us since the 18th Century. Then there’s Aerodynamic Flight…both Unpowered, as with gliders, kites and flying animals…and Powered, which incorporates a plethora of manmade machines ranging from simple fixed-wing Prop Propulsion contraptions to Supersonic, Hypersonic, Ballistic and Astronautic marvels.

If you really want to take the explanation to an extreme you can also include Transvection, which is the supernatural act of floating or flying.  Mighty Mouse and Captain Kirk are known to be frequent Transvection fliers, as are witches on broomsticks, Aladdin on his carpet, flying saints and angels who have earned their wings. Although reassuring, it is also slightly disheartening to learn that most contemporary Neo-Pagans agree that any account of religious or spiritual levitation has been arrived at through the use of entheogens, i.e. psychoactive substances…or through chemical imbalance.

That’s not to say that magical flight isn’t a wonderful theme for a love song…or for an award winning stop-action video by a multi-talented artist.  Even if you don’t know her by name, you will no doubt recognize Annie Little.  She’s the stunning blond actress who starred in a series of Amazon Kindle commercials a few years back. She was also the singer, songwriter, musician and co-creator of those videos.

A one-woman show in “Fly Me Away,” the initial stop-action effort, Little’s future husband, Marcus Ashley (the songwriting duo is known as Little & Ashley) joined her in the next one, “Stole My Heart,” which was followed by “Come On Let’s Go” and “Winter Night”.

Raised in Salt Lake City, Little attended the University of Utah on scholarship for vocal performance, before going on to work and live in Milan, Tokyo and Sydney as a fashion model.  While continuing to land modeling gigs she then moved to Los Angeles to fulfill her creative side…as an actress, with roles in “Mad Men” (as a flight attendent) “CSI” “90210” “The Mentalist” “Dexter” “Scrubs” “Desperate Housewives” and over 40 national commercials… as a musician/performer/producer (that “Fly Me Away” piece was shot in a single, seven hour day)… and as a singer/songwriter (Little & Ashley have released three EPs and an album, and “Stole My Heart” was Amazon’s most popular MP3 download in 2010).

“If you’re young and talented, it’s like you have wings,” says Japanese writer, Haruki Murakami, who would assuredly agree that while most of us must resort to mechanical or ethogenic means to reach the sky, Annie Little demonstrably has “a million different ways to go.”

LISTEN TO TODAY’S SELECTION – Thursday 30 August

Fly Me Away

Silver Moons and paper chains

Faded maps and shiny things

You’re my favorite one-man show

A million different ways to go

Will you fly me away?

Take me away with you

My love

 Painted scenes, I’m up all night

Slaying monsters, flying kites

Speak to me in foreign tongues

And share your secrets one by one

 Will you fly me away?

Take me away with you,

My love

 Now I can’t think what life was like

Before I had you by my side

Can’t say what I’d do without you

Knowing what its like to have you

Hidden walkways back in time

Endless stories, lovers cry

In my mind I’ve been set free

Will you take this journey?

You and Me

 Will you fly me away?

Take me away with you,

My love

Fly me away with you,

My Love

 Take me away with you,

My Love