Sail Away

Sail away, sail away, sail away. No the song is not called “Sail Away.” It’s actual title is “Orinoco Flow” and it was a #1 hit for Enya in 1988. But you would not be blamed for thinking that was the title since the phrase is repeated very often in the song. Also, the American release of the single was called “Orinoco Flow (Sail Away).” In 1998 a remix single was released. This song is also featured on numerous compilations.

The lyrics are in English but the syllabication tends to make the casual listener think that it is in Latin. The music also tends to give the song an ancient, almost Gregorian, sound. The fact that some Enya songs are in Latin contributes to this impression. The title of the song refers to Orinoco Studios in London as opposed to the Orinoco River in Venezuela. This is because the song was recorded there. At the end of the song, a music executive and a music producer are referred to obliquely. The song has been compiled and sampled numerous times. It has also been featured in a commercial for Volkswagen.

The song mentions the follwing places: the Orinico River, Tripoli, the Yellow Sea, Palau, Bissau, Avalon, Fiji, Tiree, the Isles Of Ebony, Peru, Cebu, Babylon, Bali, Cali, the Coral Sea, Ebudae, Khartoum, Mount Huangshan, and the Island Of The Moon in Madagascar. That’s a lot to get into one song! But Enya pulled it off and in a very memorable manner.

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