| "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 | Michael Omartian | ||||||||
| Christopher Cross singles chronology | |||||||||
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"Sailing" is a number-one single, released in July 1980, written and performed by Christopher Cross and appeared on his 1979 eponymous debut album. The song was a phenomenal success, 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" music song of all time.
It was a number-one rated single in the United States. Since its debut, it has been covered by many artists, including Avant, Barry Manilow, Big Bub, 'N Sync, Phajja, and Patrick Yandall.
The song was one of the first digitally recorded songs, utilizing the 3M digital recording system.[1]
The Mexican airline AeroMéxico used the theme during the middle 1980s as a jingle for its advertisements; it was also used for the cigarette brand Winston.
Dr. Octagon refers to the lyrics in the song "Blue Flowers Revisited" on the album Dr. Octagonecologyst.
It was also sampled for the Chris Brown song Can't Let You Go.
| Chart (1980/1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report | 46 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top 100 | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 18 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 21 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 12 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 8 |
| U.K. Singles Chart | 48 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 10 |
| Preceded by "Magic" by Olivia Newton-John |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single August 30, 1980 |
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 |
Succeeded by "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen |
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