Sailing to Philadelphia

Sailing to Philadelphia is the second solo album by Mark Knopfler, released on 26 September 2000.^[3] The title track is drawn from Thomas Pynchon's novel about Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon,^[4] the two English surveyors who established the border between Pennsylvania and Maryland, Delaware and Virginia in the 1760s. The border later became known as the Mason-Dixon Line and has been used since the 1820s to denote the border between the Southern United States and the Northern United States. The album contains featured vocal appearances by James Taylor, Van Morrison, and Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford.

By 2002, the album had sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide.^[5][6] In some territories—Western Europe for example—the album was released as an HDCD and a 5.1 Surround Sound DVD-A.

Track listing

All songs were written by Mark Knopfler, except where noted.^[3]

International release

1. "What It Is" – 4:57
2. "Sailing to Philadelphia" – 5:29 (Mark Knopfler, James Taylor)
3. "Who's Your Baby Now" – 3:05
4. "Baloney Again" – 5:09
5. "The Last Laugh" – 3:22
6. "Silvertown Blues" – 5:32
7. "El Macho" – 5:29
8. "Prairie Wedding" – 4:26
9. "Wanderlust" – 3:52
10. "Speedway at Nazareth" – 6:23
11. "Junkie Doll" – 4:34
12. "Sands of Nevada" – 3:56
13. "One More Matinee" – 3:57

UK release

1. "What It Is" – 4:57
2. "Sailing to Philadelphia" – 5:29 (Mark Knopfler, James Taylor)
3. "Who's Your Baby Now" – 3:05
4. "Baloney Again" – 5:09
5. "The Last Laugh" – 3:22
6. "Do America" – 4:11
7. "Silvertown Blues" – 5:32
8. "El Macho" – 5:29
9. "Prairie Wedding" – 4:26
10. "Wanderlust" – 3:52
11. "Speedway at Nazareth" – 6:23
12. "Junkie Doll" – 4:34
13. "Sands of Nevada" – 3:56
14. "One More Matinee" – 3:57

North American release

1. "What It Is" – 4:57
2. "Sailing to Philadelphia" – 5:29 (Mark Knopfler, James Taylor)
3. "Who's Your Baby Now" – 3:05
4. "Baloney Again" – 5:09
5. "The Last Laugh" – 3:22
6. "Do America" – 4:11
7. "El Macho" – 5:29
8. "Prairie Wedding" – 4:26
9. "Wanderlust" – 3:52
10. "Speedway at Nazareth" – 6:23
11. "Junkie Doll" – 4:34
12. "Silvertown Blues" – 5:32
13. "Sands of Nevada" – 3:56

Credits

Music

• Mark Knopfler – vocals, guitar, producer
• Richard Bennett – guitars, string instruments
• Jim Cox – piano, Hammond organ
• Guy Fletcher – keyboard, backing vocals
• Glenn Worf – bass guitar
• Chad Cromwell – drums
• James Taylor – vocals (on "Sailing to Philadelphia")
• Van Morrison – vocals (on "The Last Laugh")
• Gillian Welch and David Rawlings – vocals (on "Prairie Wedding" and "Speedway at Nazareth")
• Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford – vocals (on "Silvertown Blues")
• Aubrey Haynie – violin (on "What It Is" and "Speedway at Nazareth")
• Paul Franklin – pedal steel guitar, lap steel guitar
• Danny Cummings – percussion
• Mike Haynes – flugelhorn
• Jim Hoke – autoharp, harmonica
• Jim Horn – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone
• Wayne Jackson – trumpet
• Harvey Thompson - tenor saxophone
• Frank Ricotti - marimba
• Duane Starling - vocals
• Gillian Welch - vocals
• Chris Willis – vocals

Production

• Chuck Ainlay – producer, engineer, mixing
• Jon Bailey – assistant engineer
• Graham Lewis – assistant
• Mark Ralston – assistant
• Aaron Swihart - assistant
• Denny Purcell – mastering
• Jonathan Russell - mastering assistant
• Andrew Williams - portrait photography
• Eric Conn – editing^[3]

Charts and certifications

Album charts

Certifications

What It Is

"What It Is" was the first single from the album

CD single

1. "What It Is"
2. "The Long Highway"

Maxi CD single

1. "What It Is"
2. "Let's See You"
3. "The Long Highway"
4. "Camerado"

There appears to be a slightly different version of this song with one change in the lyrics. The standard lyric on the second chorus is : "And it's cold on a tollgate where the Caledonian blues". But on the album "The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations" the lyric is : "And it's cold on a tollgate where the drums beat the tattoo". An extended version of What It Is (released in Mexico) circulates on the internet. It has one additional verse:

And the highwayman stands blowing on his fingers by the green
I've walked inside his shoes before so I always buy his magazine
He's with a local mystery with blood stains on her hands
I like the way she winks at me but I leave her with the highwayman

The instrumental portion of the song serves as the theme music for the CBC Radio One radio show, Dispatches.

Sailing to Philadelphia (single)

"Sailing to Philadelphia" was the second single from the album of the same name by Mark Knopfler. The song is duet between Knopfler and American singer James Taylor.

The song is written in an autobiographical style, and is the story of Jeremiah Dixon and Charlie Mason, a "Geordie boy" and an astronomer, respectively, who sailed to America from the UK. Per the song, Dixon (Mark Knopfler) has predicted that there is the "land of opportunity" to the west, which Mason (James Taylor), the "stargazer" does not believe. Towards the end of the song, the lyrics suggest that Dixon was correct.

CD single

1. "Sailing to Philadelphia" (edit)
2. "Going Home" (live)

Maxi CD single

1. "Sailing to Philadelphia" (edit)
2. "Going Home" (live)
3. "Baloney Again" (live)
4. "El Macho" (live)

Silvertown Blues

"Silvertown Blues" was the third and final single from the album Sailing to Philadelphia by Mark Knopfler. It was released as a commercial single in Holland and Belgium only, but it got some radio airplay in several European countries, notably in France. Oddly, the song was not part of the live set during the Sailing to Philadelphia world tour.

Track listing

1. "Silvertown Blues"
2. "Do America"

References