The 10 most famous sailing songs
Here are 10 famous sailing songs, with brief descriptions and key lyrics. These songs span genres and eras but share strong nautical themes or evoke the spirit of the sea.
1. “Sailing” – Rod Stewart (1975)
Description: A soulful ballad about longing, freedom, and the journey back home. It’s often associated with spiritual or emotional voyages.
Key Lyrics:
“I am sailing, I am sailing, home again ‘cross the sea…”
2. “Come Sail Away” – Styx (1977)
Description: A progressive rock anthem that starts slow and builds into a powerful voyage metaphor, blending dreams, discovery, and escape.
Key Lyrics:
“Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me, lads…”
3. “Southern Cross” – Crosby, Stills & Nash (1982)
Description: A reflective song about loss and healing while sailing under the Southern Cross in the Pacific Ocean.
Key Lyrics:
“Got out of town on a boat going to southern islands…”
4. “The Downeaster ‘Alexa'” – Billy Joel (1989)
Description: A poignant story of a Long Island fisherman struggling to survive, rich in maritime imagery.
Key Lyrics:
“I’m on the Downeaster ‘Alexa’, and I’m cruising through Block Island Sound…”
5. “Sloop John B” – The Beach Boys (1966)
Description: A traditional West Indies folk song The Beach Boys popularised about a troubled sea voyage and wanting to go home.
Key Lyrics:
“I wanna go home, let me go home, this is the worst trip I’ve ever been on…”
6. “Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)” – Enya (1988)
Description: A dreamy, ethereal song conjures images of sailing through mystical waters to far-off lands.
Key Lyrics:
“Sail away, sail away, sail away…”
7. “Ride Captain Ride” – Blues Image (1970)
Description: A tale of 73 men who sail away to explore a better world, told in a psych-rock style.
Key Lyrics:
“Ride, captain ride upon your mystery ship…”
8. “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” – Looking Glass (1972)
Description: A bittersweet story of a barmaid in love with a sailor who’s forever tied to the sea.
Key Lyrics:
“Brandy, you’re a fine girl, what a good wife you would be, but my life, my love and my lady is the sea…”
9. “Ship to Wreck” – Florence + The Machine (2015)
Description: A metaphorical take on self-destruction with nautical imagery, powerful and poetic.
Key Lyrics:
“Did I build this ship to wreck?”
10. “Beyond the Sea” – Bobby Darin (1959)
Description: A classic swing-era tune romanticising a distant lover across the ocean.
Key Lyrics:
“Somewhere beyond the sea, she’s there watching for me…”
