Fliege mit mir in die Heimat (German for “Fly home with me”), also known as Am Strande von Rio, was composed by Franz Winkler from Tyrol, Austria, and initially released in the 1940s. Over the years, this beloved song has been adapted into several languages, including: English: “Forever and Ever”, French: “Étoile des Neiges” and Slovenian: “Ko v jutranjem soncu planine žare” (which translates to “When the Mountains Glow in the Morning Sun”). The original German lyrics convey a sense of homesickness and a romantic invitation to a loved one to fly back home together.
This waltz commonly features in Alpine folk music, frequently performed by groups from Austria and Germany. It gained international popularity with various renditions by vocalists and bands, charting in the UK and USA during the late 1940s and 1950s, as well as France in the 1980s. It is also considered a folk song, well-known among German-speaking communities worldwide, and a highly recommended waltz to add to accordionists’ Oktoberfest or Alpine folk music repertoires.
Sheet music
📝 Sheet music pdf (F major)