‘Come Sail Away’ is a song by American progressive rock group Styx, written and sung by singer and songwriter Dennis DeYoung and featured on the band's seventh album The Grand Illusion (1977). Upon its release as the lead single from the album, ‘Come Sail Away’ peaked at #8 in January 1978 on the Billboard Hot 100, and spent two weeks at #9 on Cash Box, which helped The Grand Illusion album achieve multi-platinum sales in 1978. It is one of the biggest hits of Styx's career. On superstation WLS-AM in their home city of Chicago, the song spent two weeks at # and was ranked at #26 for the year.
Lyrically, the song uses sailing as a metaphor to achieve one's dreams. The lyrics touch on nostalgia of "childhood friends," escapism, and a religious thematic symbolized by "a gathering of angels" singing "a song of hope." The ending lyrics explain a transition from a sailing ship into a starship, by narrating that "they climbed aboard their starship and headed for the skies". In a 2020 interview with Dennis DeYoung, he talked about the meaning behind this song. "'Come Sail Away' is a song about yearning to be in a better place," he said. "How do you get there? You go on a boat, on a ship, angels waving their wings as you ascend to heaven with them. Is there something going on? A starship to the stars? Are they aliens? Is it Captain Kirk? You tell me."
DeYoung revealed on In the Studio with Redbeard (which devoted an entire episode to the making of The Grand Illusion), that he was depressed when he wrote the track after Styx's first two A&M offerings, Equinox and Crystal Ball, sold fewer units than expected after the success of the single ‘Lady’. Cash Box reviewed ‘Come Sail Away’ saying that "a solitary voice introduces the melody to light piano accompaniment" and that then "the pure fury of the drum, guitar and vocal explosion that follows will pleasantly startle expectations." Record World said that "The melody here is most appealing; the message of escape seems just right for the spirit of the seventies."
The song appears on trailers and TV spots for the films Atlantis: The Lost Empire, The Wild, and Big Daddy. It also appeared as a cover by "The Trophy Fire" in the 2012 movie Nitro Circus: The Movie, and in the 2017 animated movie My Little Pony: The Movie. In the 2018 Netflix release Like Father the song is the choice of the main characters Rachel and Harry for their winning performance in the cruise karaoke championship. In the 2019 film, Stuber, the song is used during an action sequence later on in the film. It is referenced earlier in the film as well. The song was used in the homecoming dance scene of The Virgin Suicides. The song appears as a plot point to the South Park episode "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut."
Label – A&M
Songwriter – Dennis DeYoung
Producers – Styx
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]I'm sailing away
Set an open course for the Virgin Sea
'Cause I've got to be free
Free to face the life that's ahead of me
[Refrain]
On board I'm the captain
So climb aboard
We'll search for tomorrow
On every shore
And I'll try, oh Lord I'll try
To carry on
[Verse 2]
I look to the sea
Reflections in the waves spark my memory
Some happy, some sad
I think of childhood friends, and the dreams we had
[Refrain]
We lived happily forever
So the story goes
But somehow we missed out
On the pot of gold
But we'll try best that we can
To carry on
[Pre-Chorus]
A gathering of angels
Appeared above my head
They sang to me this song of hope
And this is what they said
[Chorus]
They said, "Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me, lads
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me, babe
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me"
[Instrumental Break 03:20-04:41]
[Keyboard Solo]
[Guitar Solo]
[Pre-Chorus]
I thought that they were angels
But to my surprise
We climbed aboard their starship
We headed for the skies
[Chorus/Outro]
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail with me, lads
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me