"Sail On, Sailor" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1973 album Holland. It was written by Brian Wilson, Ray Kennedy, Tandyn Almer, Jack Rieley, and Van Dyke Parks. It was released as a single in 1973, backed with "Only with You", and peaked at number 79 on the American singles charts. A 1975 reissue (also backed with "Only with You") charted higher, at number 49. According to Jon Stebbins, "It is perhaps the only perennial Beach Boys favorite to still thrive in the classic rock and album rock FM radio formats of the present."
Video Sail On, Sailor
Writing
Van Dyke Parks elaborated upon Wilson's role in the compositional process: "I went over to Brian's with my new Walkman and told him the name of the tune and sang those intervals, and he pumped out the rest of that song." He explains: "That was a tough moment for both Brian and me. I just went over to see how he was, and he wasn't good. Of course, you couldn't tell that from this song, because it represents such hope, but it came out of a very difficult time." Wilson has said of the track: "Van Dyke really inspired this one. We worked on it originally; then, the other collaborators contributed some different lyrics. By the time the Beach Boys recorded it, the lyrics were all over the place. But I love how this song rocks."
In the liner notes written for the 2000 reissue of Holland, Scott McCaughey asserted that the song was originally written by Wilson with his friends Tandyn Almer and Ray Kennedy, and that Parks "structur[ed] the song and add[ed] a middle-eight" before Rieley contributed a last minute lyric revision. In 2015, Wilson remembered "writing 'Sail On, Sailor' with a guy named Ray Kennedy. I wrote the music and he wrote the lyrics." However, Parks has said that he developed much of the song without Wilson's assistance: "I came up with that lyric when I was working with Brian, as well as the musical pitches those words reside on. ... On the tape, it's clear from the contents that I authored the words and the musical intervals to "Sail on Sailor." It's also clear that I composed the bridge, played them, and taught them to Brian."
Brian Wilson biographer Peter Ames Carlin has corroborated Wilson's 2002 account of the song's gestation, stating that the song was essentially co-written by Wilson and Parks in 1971, with Kennedy and Almer's lyrical contributions dating from impromptu sessions at Danny Hutton's house during the epoch. Kennedy commented on the subject in 2005, affirming that "Sail On, Sailor" had originally been intended by Wilson for Three Dog Night, and that Kennedy had written the song with Wilson over the course of three days in 1970: "We went in and cut the basic tracks with Three Dog Night; we hadn't slept in about a week. Then Brian got up with a razor blade and cut the tapes and said, 'Only Ray Kennedy or Van Dyke Parks can do this song.' And he left. We all stood there looking at each other going, 'What?' He called me every day after that, and I wouldn't talk to him. Three or four years later, I heard it on the radio and went, 'Who's that?'".
When the Beach Boys submitted the original version of Holland to Warner Brothers in October 1972, the album was rejected by the company for lacking a potential hit single. After discussion among Warner executives, Parks (who was then director of audio-visual services at the label) said that he had a tape of a song that he had recently co-written with Brian Wilson, "Sail On, Sailor". The label then enjoined the Beach Boys to drop what the company perceived as the weakest track ("We Got Love") and replace it with the song. Parks adds: "I did nothing with that tape until I saw The Beach Boys' crisis at the company where I was working, earning $350 a week. Well, they recorded ["Sail on Sailor"], and it was a hit. And I'm glad that every one came out of their little rooms to claim co-writing credit on that song. But I never questioned it, just as I never questioned the various claims on the residuals."
Maps Sail On, Sailor
Recording
Vocals for "Sail On, Sailor" were recorded in late October 1972, some time after the Beach Boys had left Holland. According to Steven Gaines, Wilson initially "tinker[ed] with the song, trying to make it perfect as he had with 'Good Vibrations' and Smile"; following this bout of "procrastination," his bandmates "did not allow [him] to work on it at all." This development left the basic track to be recorded by Brian's brother Carl and ex-Flame and then-Beach Boys members Ricky Fataar and Blondie Chaplin. The lead vocal was first attempted by Dennis Wilson, who sang the vocal once before leaving to go surfing. Carl was the next to attempt a vocal, but he then suggested that Chaplin make an attempt. After two takes, Carl decided that Chaplin's vocal would feature as the lead. Brian acknowledged himself being "grossly incompetent" with the song, failing to show up at its backing vocals session, but giving some instructions by phone.
Personnel
Sourced from Scott McCaughey.
- The Beach Boys
- Blondie Chaplin - lead vocals, bass
- Ricky Fataar - drums
- Carl Wilson - electric piano
- Additional musicians
- Gerry Beckley - backing vocals
- Billy Hinsche - backing vocals
- Tony Martin - backing vocals
Use in media
The song was featured in Martin Scorsese's Academy Award-winning film The Departed, and on the motion picture soundtrack CD.
Cover versions
- 1976 - KGB, KGB (Ray Kennedy on lead vocals)
- 1977 - Steve Hunter, Swept Away.
- 1980 - Ray Kennedy, Ray Kennedy
- 1995 - Golden Earring, Love Sweat
- 1996 - Shawn Colvin, Head Above Water
- 2001 - Darius Rucker and Matthew Sweet, An All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson
- 2002 - The Bluetones, "After Hours"
- 2002 - Sting with Lulu, Together
- 2003 - Jimmy Buffett, Meet Me In Margaritaville: The Ultimate Collection.
- Live performances
- 1979 - Rick Danko on bass and Paul Butterfield on harmonica during their Danko/Butterfield Band tour with Blondie Chaplin on lead vocals. Danko and Butterfield also contributed backup harmonies. It was performed again in the 1980 Danko/Richard Manuel tour
- 1985 - Gene Clark and Friends tour which included Chaplin, Gene Clark, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Michael Clarke.
- 1987 - Ray Charles at the Beach Boys' 25th anniversary in Hawaii.
- 2007 - Mark Ronson with Sean Lennon at the BBC Electric Proms.
- 2012 - Chris Robinson Brotherhood on tour.
- 2012 - Shy Nobleman on tour.
Notes
- References
External links
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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