Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 19:00, 9 November 2016

"Orinoco Flow", also released as "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)", is a song by the Irish singer-songwriter and musician Enya, released in October 1988 on Warner Music internationally and Geffen Records in the United States. It was released as the lead single from her second studio album, Watermark (1988). It topped the UK singles chart for three weeks.

Background

The song was released as the lead single from Enya's second studio album, Watermark, in October 1988. It became a global success, reaching #1 in several countries, including the United Kingdom, where it stayed at the top of the music charts for three weeks. In the United States, the song peaked at #24 in the spring of 1989. The song was also highly popular in the early 1990s and was featured on many pop music compilations.

In 1994, the song was licensed to Virgin Records for the best-selling new-age music compilation album Pure Moods, and in 1998 a special-edition 10th-anniversary remix single was released. Part of its name is derived from Orinoco Studios (now Miloco Studios), where it was recorded, and its pizzicato chords (generated by altering the Roland D-50 synthesizer's "Pizzagogo"/"Fantasia" patches) are highly recognizable. Signed to WEA by Rob Dickins, who served as executive producer of Watermark, "Orinoco Flow" was inspired by the Venezuelan river, and it paid homage to Dickins in the line "with Rob Dickins at the wheel."

Locations and people referenced

• Orinoco River, Venezuela and Colombia
• Tripoli, Libya
• Yellow Sea
• Bissau
• Palau
• Avalon
• Fiji
• Tiree
• Isles of Ebony
• Peru
• Cebu, Philippines
• Babylon
• Bali
• Cali
• Coral Sea
• Ebudae (also the title of another Enya song)
• Khartoum
• The Sea of Clouds (possibly Mount Huangshan, China)
• Island of the Moon (Madagascar; also an island in Lake Titicaca or Isle Maree)
• Rob Dickins, head of Warner Music UK at the time of recording and executive producer of the source album, Watermark
• Ross Dependency

Uses in popular culture

In 1989, iris breeder Cy Bartlett named a cultivar Orinoco Flow.

Samples of the backing track are used in Rebel MC's hit single "Tribal Bass" (1991).

The song featured in an advert for Dulux paint in 1991.

In the 1997 South Park episode "Death," Stan's grandfather locks Stan in a room and plays a parody of the song performed by Toddy Walters to illustrate what it feels like to be old.

In the 2002 I'm Alan Partridge episode "The Talented Mr. Alan," Alan is caught singing the song to himself.

The song plays over the end credits of an episode of Peep Show and the music video is shown during the episode. Jeremy also talks about Enya during the episode.

The song is played during Rumpelstiltskin's announcement scene in the 2010 film Shrek Forever After.

The song is featured during a sequence in David Fincher's 2011 adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, in which Daniel Craig is tortured while his torturer listens to the song.

A version of the song is performed by the main character of Moone Boy when he and his friend are sailing on a homemade raft.

The song was referenced to as "Sarah Way" in Peter Kay's 2015 Sitcom Car Share.

The song was played in the first season of Cougar Town.

YouTuber Seananners references the Sail Away lyrics on occasion, notably while playing Gang Beasts, and is partial to the Pure Moods card in Cards Against Humanity due to this song being on that album.

Season 3 Episode 6 of Black Mirror features this song as a character listens to it to relax.

Australian television show Please Like Me features this song in the opening scene of the first episode of it's fourth season.

Track listings

Cover versions

• Celtic Woman – Celtic Woman and Celtic Woman: A New Journey and Celtic Woman: Emerald - Musical Gems and Celtic Woman: Destiny
• Libera – New Dawn
• Sarah McCaldwin – Destiny

Charts

References

1. "Enya – Orinoco Flow". Discogs. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 494. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
3. Paolo Di Nicolantonio. "Famous Sounds". Synth Mania. Paolo Di Nicolantonio. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
4. "YouTube". Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
5. Philip Coppens. "Feature Articles - The sacred island of the Moon". Philip Coppens. Philip Coppens. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
6. Orinoco Flow, at WorldIris.com; published 2004; retrieved 30 September 2012
7. "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away) (12" single at Discogs)". Retrieved 7 August 2010.
8. ^ "Orinoco Flow", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved 10 April 2008)
9. "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 48, 1988". Retrieved 26 March 2008.
10. German Singles Chart Charts-surfer.de Template:Webcite (Retrieved 10 April 2008)
11. Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie Template:Webcite (Retrieved 10 April 2008)
12. UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved 10 April 2008)
13. ^ Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved 5 September 2008)
14. id MUST BE PROVIDED for UK CERTIFICATION.
15. 1989 Australian Singles Chart aria.com (Retrieved 5 September 2008)
16. 1989 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved 3 September 2008)

External links

• Template:MetroLyrics song
• "Orinoco Flow" at Discogs (list of releases)

• Cite certification used for United Kingdom without ID
• Use dmy dates from September 2011
• 1988 singles
• 1989 singles
• Enya songs
• European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles
• Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
• Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
• Number-one singles in Switzerland
• UK Singles Chart number-one singles
• Songs with lyrics by Roma Ryan
• Songs with music by Enya
• Reprise Records singles
• Warner Music Group singles
• 1988 songs