Sailing was recorded in 1979, utilizing the 3M Digital Recording System, making it one of the first digitally recorded songs to chart. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on August 30, 1980. The song won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Arrangement of the Year, and helped Cross win the Best New Artist award. Produced by Michael Omartian, it features Tommy Taylor on drums, Andy Salmon on bass, Rob Meurer on electric piano, and Victor Feldman on percussion. In 1980, Sailing was released as a single in Latin America under the translated (en español) title "Navegando".
On the Howard Stern radio show, Cross explained that sailing with his friend got him away from the trials and tribulations of being a teenager. Cross said that if the guy had taken him bowling and he enjoyed it, the song could have become "Bowling."
This live video was recorded at Warner Amigo Studios in 1980 and featured a live audio cut (different from the one featured in this upload) for use where the band would be lip-syncing on television, to be more realistic than the missing orchestra. This footage has been digitally enhanced to HD quality and features audio from the 2019 remaster of Cross' 1979 debut self-titled album:
Christopher Cross’ music video for “Sailing”, published 20 April 2023 on Christopher Cross. 4:18 in HD, 137,105,977 plays and 691,066 likes on YouTube. Filed under Pop and Rock.