Sailing (Christopher Cross song)

"Sailing"
Single by Christopher Cross
from the album Christopher Cross
B-side "Poor Shirley"
Released June 15, 1980
Format 7" single
Recorded 1979
Genre Soft rock
Length 4:14
Label Warner Bros.
Writer(s) Christopher Cross
Producer(s) Michael Omartian
Christopher Cross singles chronology
"Ride Like the Wind"
(1980)
"Sailing"
(1980)
"Never Be the Same"
(1980)
Audio sample
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"Sailing" is a song written and recorded by American artist Christopher Cross. It was released in June 1980 as the second single from his eponymous debut album. The song was a success in the USA, winning Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Arrangement of the Year, and helping Cross win the Best New Artist award. VH1 named this the greatest "softsational soft rock" song of all time.[1]

It was a number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, reaching that position on August 30, 1980, for one week.[2] Since its debut, it has been covered by many artists, including Avant, Barry Manilow, Greenskeepers, N'Sync, Phajja, Patrick Yandall and, as a duo, Moya Brennan & Cormac de Barra. Recorded in 1979, the song was one of the first digitally recorded songs to chart, utilizing the 3M Digital Recording System.[3] 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.[4]

The song is also played frequently at Walt Disney World and Disneyland resorts.

Cross' version is heard in a 2016 TV commercial for Hyundai.

Charts

Chart (1980–81) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) 46
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5] 38
Canadian Adult Contemporary (RPM) 1
Canadian Top Singles (RPM) 1
Ireland (IRMA)[6] 21
Italy (FIMI)[7] 12
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[8] 18
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9] 8
Spain (AFYVE)[10] 24
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) 48
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 1
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary 10

Year-end charts

Chart (1980) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100 32

Chart successions

Preceded by
"Magic" by Olivia Newton-John
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
August 30, 1980 (1 week)
Succeeded by
"Upside Down" by Diana Ross
Preceded by
"Magic" by Olivia Newton-John
Canadian RPM number-one single
October 11, 1980 – October 18, 1980 (2 weeks)
Succeeded by
"Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen

See also

References

  1. VH1′s 40 Most Softsational Soft-Rock Songs, stereogum.com
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2010). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (rev. and expanded 9th ed.). New York: Billboard Books. pp. 162, 889. ISBN 9780823085545.
  3. Jim McCullaugh (November 1, 1980), "Digital the Major Topic For N.Y. AES Parley", Billboard "The Christopher Cross LP, at number 32, uses the 3M digital technology"
  4. Video on YouTube
  5. "Ultratop.be – Christopher Cross – Sailing" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  6. "Irish Singles Chart – Search for song". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
  7. "Hit Parade Italia - Indice per Interprete: C". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  8. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Christopher Cross search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
  9. "Charts.org.nz – Christopher Cross – Sailing". Top 40 Singles.
  10. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
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