Lenny Kravitz opens up about the night that changed his life forever: “The words just came out”

The music industry is notoriously tough. Success often feels like winning the lottery or finding a needle in a haystack. Crafting a hit song with a killer hook that sticks? That’s no easy feat. But Lenny Kravitz pulled it off—and in the most unexpected way.

Hit song suddenly comes to Kravitz late one night

Back in 1992, Kravitz was living in a chaotic loft at the corner of Broome and Mercer in New York City, surrounded by fellow musicians. “It was late, and I was probably high,” he recalled in an interview. “Suddenly, I heard the song—melody, lyrics, everything. But I couldn’t find a scrap of paper to save my life.”

Desperate to capture the moment, Kravitz tore open a brown paper bag someone had used to bring home Chinese food, flattened it on the kitchen counter, and grabbed an old pen. “The words just poured out,” he said. “I still have that bag somewhere.”

That impromptu scribble became the foundation for Are You Gonna Go My Way, a track that would catapult Kravitz into global stardom. “We were just jamming when it happened,” he said. “We didn’t know what it was for, but it sounded great. We recorded it in one take, like we always did. It had a killer riff.”

At the time, Kravitz had already released two albums and scored a hit with It Ain’t Over ’Til It’s Over. But even while recording Mama Said, he was still taking the subway to the studio. “When we laid down Are You Gonna Go My Way, I had no clue it would blow up,” he admitted. “Sometimes you get a feeling when you record something. This wasn’t one of those times. Compared to what was on the radio, it sounded raw, kind of strange.”

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The song didn’t just elevate Kravitz—it also showcased the talents of guitarist Craig Ross, who co-wrote the track and played every guitar part. Yet Ross remained largely behind the scenes. “I’m proud of what I did, and I know I did it,” Ross said in a 2009 interview. “But it’s frustrating not being as ‘known’ as others.”

Worldwide fame

Once Are You Gonna Go My Way hit the airwaves, everything changed. “People were starting to recognize me, and things were getting hectic,” Kravitz said. “Then that song dropped, and nothing was the same. I had to adjust my whole life.”

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The track became a global anthem, heard in clubs, remixed into dance sets, and embraced across genres. The music video, directed by Mark Romanek, played a huge role in its success. “It showed you could dance to it—it had real swing,” Kravitz said.

More than three decades later, Are You Gonna Go My Way remains a defining moment in rock history—and a reminder that sometimes, greatness starts with a torn-up takeout bag and a flash of inspiration.

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