Song Lyric Sunday was created by Helen Vahdati from This Thing Called Life One Word at a Time and author Jim Adams from A Unique Title For Me is our current guest host. For complete rules or to join in the fun, click here.
The theme for Song Lyric Sunday this week is “Home Town or City where you were born, or where lived in, or some place that you relate to.”
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A place I relate to isn’t a home town or city.
It’s the water.
The water has always been my safe place. Regardless of whether I was in it, on it, or sitting on a bank or a beach, water not only calmed me and gave me clarity, it rejuvenated me. All my life I’ve lived near a pond, lake, or ocean that gave me peace of mind and energy during my darkest times.
Except now. Now I call Arizona home, and me and the desert… we’re not friends. I’d planned a trip to Cali this summer, but coVID19 has scrubbed those plans.
So for now, it’s just me and playlists of oceantides and seascapes; great songs like CSN’s Southern Cross, which I featured a few weeks ago, and this great hit from 1980.
Sailing was the second single from the self-titled debut album of Christopher Cross. The song was a success in the United States, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on August 30, 1980, where it stayed for one week, and it also won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Arrangement of the Year, and helped Cross win the Best New Artist award. VH1 named Sailing the most “softsational soft rock” song of all time.
FUN FACT:
- In his Grammy acceptance speech, Cross acknowledged Sailing as his favorite song on the album and that originally it was not meant to be a single.
- Cross had another number one song the very next year with Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do) (from the 1981 film Arthur), which also won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1981 (with co-composers Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen).
The video is a live appearance from 1999 and Cross and company deliver a performance almost as smooth as the original recording twenty years earlier.
Enjoy!
See my Song Lyric Sunday selection for Nesie’s Place!
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Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.
Sailing
And if the wind is right you can sail away and find tranquility
Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see.
Believe me.
And if the wind is right you can find the joy of innocence again
Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see.
Believe me.
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free
When I’m sailing
All caught up in the reverie, every word is a symphony
Won’t you believe me?
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free
And if the wind is right you can sail away and find serenity
Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see.
Believe me.
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free
Felicia Denise, Author 
I have this guy’s Greatest Hits but only ever listened to Arthur, so it is nice today to be introduced to another. You’re right, it is very smooth.
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Glad you enjoyed it! I have one of his greatest hits releases too. Good music! ☺
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A mellow way to start off my day.
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Thanks for stopping by! ☺
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This is such a pretty song that still gets a lot of airplay 🙂 Thanks for sharing today Felicia 💕
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The classics never go away…thank goodness!
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This takes me back to my freshman year in high school. Our choreographer would put this song on after a vigorous dance practice to cool down and stretch to. I’ve always related this song to those moments in time. Thanks for the trip down memory lane again today Felicia! 🙂
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You’re welcome, Lisa! It is a great song that takes you to a good place! ☺
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Yes it is. He was on CBS Sunday Morning not too long ago.
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The song is smooth, like sailing, and his voice is just right for this song. I understand about always living near water. How did you end up in the desert??? I have been to AZ and it is a beautiful place.
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We left Cali for Michigan to help take care of my dad. We came here 8 years ago to help take care of my mother-in-law. Now they’re all gone and I haven’t worked up the strength yet to move.
Christopher’s voice is perfect for the song. Others have covered Sailing, but don’t even come close. ☺
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Sad that his career went belly-up because he didn’t have the looks for MTV. He had an amazing voice and wrote some beautiful songs.
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Agreed! And if the same circumstances played out today, he’d be celebrated for overcoming adversity and returning to the industry. Humans are strange ducks.
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Watching the video of him singing live was a special treat to me. Better than the studio version. This song was a favorite back in day that’s for sure. Thanks fo sharing and bring up those wonderful memories.
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