“Sailing” is a song written by Gavin Sutherland and recorded by The Sutherland Bros. Band (featuring the Sutherland Brothers Gavin and Iain). Released in June 1972, it can be found on their album ‘Lifeboat’ released in the same year. Rod Stewart recorded the song at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, for his 1975 album Atlantic Crossing, and it was subsequently a number one hit in the UK in September 1975 for four weeks. The single returned to the UK top ten a year later when used as the theme music for the BBC documentary series Sailor, about HMS Ark Royal. Having been a hit twice, it remains Stewart’s biggest-selling single in the UK, with sales of over a million copies. The song was re-released by Stewart as a charity single after the Zeebrugge ferry disaster in 1987,and was reworked by a group of musicians led by Steve Hackett as a protest song against the repatriation of Vietnamese boat people by Hong Kong in 1990.Stewart performed the song at the Concert for Diana (a concert in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, who had died 10 years earlier) at Wembley stadium on 1 July 2007. Robin Trower covered the song for his “Long Misty Days” album. The melody has been used for the chant “No one likes us, we don’t care”. Wikipedia®.
Sailing Rod Stewart
Stewart related to the song’s theme of homesickness (the high rate of tax in the UK had forced him to move to America) and he recorded his version at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama with a choir assembled by Bob Crewe, the Four Seasons’ producer. It became his third UK chart-topper and the following year, it was revived following it’s use as the theme music for a BBC TV documentary series about the HMS Ark Royal, this time peaking at #3. The combined sales of the 2 releases meant this is Stewart’s biggest ever selling single in the UK with 955,111 copies sold. Songfacts®.
Rod Stewart – Sailing Lyrics:
I am sailing.
I am sailing.
home again ‘cross the sea.
I am sailing stormy waters.
to be near you to be free.
I am flying.
I am flying like a bird ‘cross the sky.
I am flying passing high clouds to be with you to be free.
Can you hear me.
can you hear me thro’ the dark night far away..
I am dying forever trying to be with you who can say.
Can you hear me.
can you hear me thro’ the dark night far away.
I am dying forever trying to be with you who can say.
We are sailing.
we are sailing home again ‘cross the sea..
VVe are sailing stormy waters to be near you to be free.
Oh Lord to be near you to be free.
Oh Lord to be near you to be free . . .
Writer(s): Gavin Maurice Sutherland, Ronald David Wood
Copyright: Chappell & Co. Inc., Island Music Ltd., WB Music Corp.
