What Was Rod Stewart Song Sailing About?

Sailing is a timeless ballad composed by Gavin Sutherland of the Sutherland Brothers in 1972, best known as a 1975 international hit for Rod Stewart. The song is a poignant reflection on the pursuit of freedom and the longing to be reunited with a loved one. It was originally produced by the Sutherland Brothers on their Lifeboat album in 1972 and written by their bassist Gavin Sutherland.

Sailing is a heartfelt exploration of longing, freedom, and the power of love. It invites listeners to reflect on their own desires for connection. The lyrics paint a picture of a person on a journey across the sea, metaphorically representing the emotional distance between them and the one they love. The song describes a journey of someone telling their partner that they are crossing the Atlantic to be with them.

The lyrics now are very simple, borderline nursery rhyme: I am sailing, I am sailing, Home again, Cross the sea He’s sailing, he’s flying,

The song describes a journey of someone telling their partner that they are crossing the Atlantic to be with them. While it is superficial and flimsy, Sutherland said it was an account of mankind’s spiritual odyssey through the journey of life. The Sutherland Brothers version of the song has more depth and emotion than the original version.

Who wrote and sang the song Sailing?

“Sailing” is a 1979 soft rock song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Christopher Cross. It was released in June 1980 as the second single from his self-titled debut album, which was already certified gold by this time. 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. The song also won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and 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.

The song was recorded in 1979, utilizing the 3M Digital Recording System, making it one of the first digitally recorded songs to chart. 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. The song was later identified as an archetype of the style that later became known as yacht rock (at the time, Cross and similar artists referred to the style as the West Coast sound).

Cross has said in interviews that the song’s inspiration was his friendship with an older friend from his high school, Al Glasscock, who would take him sailing as a teenager, just to get away from the trials and tribulations of being a teenager. Glasscock functioned as a surrogate older brother during a tough time for Cross emotionally. Although Cross lost touch with Glasscock, The Howard Stern Show in April 1995 reunited the two after 28 years. Cross acknowledged on the show that his sailing trips with Glasscock had been the inspiration for the song. After that reunion, Cross sent Glasscock a copy of the platinum record he earned for selling more than five million copies of “Sailing.”

Why did Rod Stewart stop singing?

The “Hot Legs” singer reacted and said, “I am actually stopping.”

“I’m not retiring but I want to move on,” Stewart noted. “I had great success with The Great American Songbook… and I’ve just done a swing album with Jools Holland, which is going to come out next year, so I want to go in that direction.”

“Maggie May” singer Rod Stewart noted that he’s not retiring. (Sam Tabone/WireImage)

Stewart, 78, continued to explain his decision for leaving the rock genre ahead of his tour with Boy George, who joined him for the interview.

What was Sailing the theme tune for?

Stewart’s “Sailing” had a UK chart revival in 1976 as a result of the track being utilized as theme song for Sailor a documentary series on HMSArk Royal which BBC1 aired for ten weeks from 5 August 1976: “Sailing” ranked at No. 50 on the UK chart dated 4 September 1976 and the track’s renewed popularity continued even after the 7 October 1976 finale of the Sailor TV series, as “Sailing” reached its 1976 chart peak of No. 3 on the UK charts dated 16 – 23 October 1976, with the track remaining in the UK Top 50 into January 1977. Stewart performed “Sailing” live on the Top of the Pops broadcast of 23 September 1976. “Sailing” remains Stewart’s biggest-selling single in the UK: in November 2012 it was reported that “Sailing” by Rod Stewart had sold 1.12 million units in the UK with a resultant ranking at No. 112 of the 123 UK million-selling singles.

In the US, where Atlantic Crossing had been issued in August 1975 without a single release, “Sailing” was issued as the album’s lead single in October 1975 but failed to reach the Top 40 of Billboard, attaining a Hot 100 peak of No. 58. Overall “Sailing” did afford Stewart a major international success reaching No.1 in Ireland, the Netherlands, and Norway; No. 2 in Australia, Belgium’s Flemish Region, South Africa and Switzerland; No. 3 in New Zealand; No. 4 in Germany; No. 7 in Austria; No. 13 in Sweden.

The first music video for “Sailing” was filmed in the Port of Dublin and also featured footage shot on the major Dublin thoroughfare Moore Street: featuring Stewart and his partner Britt Ekland, the video aired on the Top of the Pops broadcast of 28 August 1975. Another music video for “Sailing” was shot in New York Harbor in 1978, and would become one of the first to be aired on MTV when it launched on 1 August 1981.

Did Rod Stewart ever write a song?

Did Rod Stewart write the song “Maggie May”? Yes. Rod Stewart co-wrote the song Maggie May with Martin Quittenton, that was released in May 1971.

What song made Rod Stewart famous?

Stewart’s 1971 solo album Every Picture Tells a Story made him a household name when the B-side of his minor hit “Reason to Believe”, “Maggie May”, (co-written with Martin Quittenton) started to receive radio play. The album and the single occupied the number one chart position simultaneously in the UK, US, Canada and Australia, a chart first, in September. Maggie May topped the single chart for five weeks in the US, and the UK and four weeks in Australia. Set off by a striking mandolin part (by Ray Jackson of Lindisfarne), “Maggie May” was also named in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The rest of the album was equally strong, with “Mandolin Wind” again showcasing that instrument; “(I Know) I’m Losing You” adding hard-edged soul to the mix; and “Tomorrow Is a Long Time”, a cover of a Bob Dylan song. But the ultimate manifestation of the early Stewart solo style was the Stewart-Wood-penned “Every Picture Tells a Story” itself: powered by Mick Waller’s drumming, Pete Sears’s piano and Wood’s guitar work in a largely acoustic arrangement; it is a song relating to the picaresque adventures of the singer.(citation needed)

The second Faces album, Long Player, was released in early 1971 and enjoyed greater chart success than First Step. Faces also got their only US Top 40 hit with “Stay With Me” from their third album A Nod Is as Good as a Wink…To a Blind Horse released in late 1971. This album reached the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic on the back of the success of Every Picture Tells A Story. Steve Jones from The Sex Pistols regarded the Faces highly and named them as a main influence on the British punk rock movement.

The Faces toured extensively in 1972 with growing tension in the band over Stewart’s solo career enjoying more success than the band’s. Stewart released Never a Dull Moment in the same year. Repeating the Every Picture formula, for the most part, it reached number two on the US album charts and number one in the UK, and enjoyed further good notices from reviewers. “You Wear It Well” was a hit single that reached number 13 in the US and went to number one in the UK, while “Twisting the Night Away” made explicit Stewart’s debt to Sam Cooke.

What does sailing symbolize?

Sailboat. Sailboats symbolize journey and adventure. They also are associated with being carried along by the “breath of life,” as its primary form of momentum is gained through the wind in its sails. For these reasons, sailboats seem to carry a vivacious yet laidback “roll with the punches” theme—a perfect cutout design for shutters hanging upon the home of an adventurous spirit.

Shell. It makes sense that seashells symbolize protection, as their primary purpose is to function as a barrier between soft-bodied aquatic life and their predators. But a seashell also represents hidden potential or treasure waiting to be found. A clever design choice for shutters on tucked-away seaside homes, or for anyone who loves the ocean and seashell designs.

Seahorse. Seahorses are considered good luck and have a variety of other connotations drawn from their unique traits. They are some of the slowest swimmers in the ocean, content to ride the waves and be in the present—which reminds us to live in the now. When rocky waters sweep through, they hold tight using their curled tails, representing tenacity and persistence. These cutouts could easily be paired with some seahorse tiebacks to match the look!

Where was Rod Stewart Sailing filmed?

The first music video for “Sailing” was filmed in the Port of Dublin and also featured footage shot on the major Dublin thoroughfare Moore Street: featuring Stewart and his partner Britt Ekl… Read allThe first music video for “Sailing” was filmed in the Port of Dublin and also featured footage shot on the major Dublin thoroughfare Moore Street: featuring Stewart and his partner Britt Ekland, the video aired on the Top of the Pops broadcast of 28 August 1975.The first music video for “Sailing” was filmed in the Port of Dublin and also featured footage shot on the major Dublin thoroughfare Moore Street: featuring Stewart and his partner Britt Ekland, the video aired on the Top of the Pops broadcast of 28 August 1975.

What do you know about Sailing?

Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the water (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ice (iceboat) or on land (land yacht) over a chosen course, which is often part of a larger plan of navigation.

From prehistory until the second half of the 19th century, sailing craft were the primary means of maritime trade and transportation; exploration across the seas and oceans was reliant on sail for anything other than the shortest distances. Naval power in this period used sail to varying degrees depending on the current technology, culminating in the gun-armed sailing warships of the Age of Sail. Sail was slowly replaced by steam as the method of propulsion for ships over the latter part of the 19th century – seeing a gradual improvement in the technology of steam through a number of stepwise developments. Steam allowed scheduled services that ran at higher average speeds than sailing vessels. Large improvements in fuel economy allowed steam to progressively outcompete sail in, ultimately, all commercial situations, giving ship-owning investors a better return on capital.: 9, 16.

In the 21st century, most sailing represents a form of recreation or sport. Recreational sailing or yachting can be divided into racing and cruising. Cruising can include extended offshore and ocean-crossing trips, coastal sailing within sight of land, and daysailing.

What is the story behind sail on?

In the song “Sail On” by the Commodores of which Lionel Richie was a member, it is about the breakdown of a relationship and he is telling the woman that he is giving back her (maiden name) that is, he is divorcing her and she can go back to using her own surname again .