Sailing by Christopher Cross
Artist: Christopher Cross Weeks at #1: 1 week Chart dates: August 30, 1980
About
A gentle yet emotionally powerful song, “Sailing” was released as a the second single from Cross' debut album (after “Ride Like The Wind”). Originally “I Really Don’t Know Anymore” was considered for Cross' second release, but Michael McDonaId’s management company did not like using two songs in a row featuring McDonald’s backing vocals. “Sailing” became Cross' first chart-topper in the United States and Canada, hitting #1 in the summer of 1980, and won Grammy Awards both Song Of The Year and Arrangement Of The Year. While the initial melody came quickly to Cross when writing “Sailing”, the bridge took about 2 years to come up with. In 2007, VH1 named “Sailing” the most “softsational soft rock” song of all time. Many other artists have covered the song including Barry Manilow and boy band N'Sync.
