SAIL ON, SAILOR
“Sail On, Sailor” is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1973 album Holland. It was written by Brian Wilson, Ray Kennedy, Tandyn Almer, Jack Rieley, and Van Dyke Parks. It was released as a single in 1973, backed with “Only with You”, and peaked at number 79 on the American singles charts. A 1975 reissue (also backed with “Only with You”) charted higher, at number 49. According to Jon Stebbins: “It is perhaps the only perennial Beach Boys favorite to still thrive in the classic rock and album rock FM radio formats of the present.” (More from Wikipedia)
The Beach Boys soldiered on and became one of America’s most beloved rock bands, with President Ronald Reagan dubbing them “America’s band” in 1983. Over this period, some pieces of what would have been the SMiLE album – authorized and otherwise – began dribbling out. “Sail on, Sailor” was released in 1973 and was the only Beach Boys single to crack the Top 50 for nearly a decade (between 1968 and 1976).
(June 2013/2)
