Song Sunday: Sail On (Commodores)
Returning to my Samsung playlist…submitted for your approval. ~Vic
“I know it’s a shame but, I’m giving you back your name…”
Written by Lionel Richie and, produced by James Anthony Carmichael & the Comodores, this was released on July 27, 1979. I was 12 years old and it was the summer before 8th grade. I loved it as soon as I heard it on the radio.
The 8th track from the album Midnight Magic, it was the first single released from the album and it entered the Hot 100 on August 11, peaking at #4. It did very well in the Netherlands, New Zealand and the UK. Richie re-recorded the song with Tim McGraw for his tenth album Tuskegee.
Additional:
♦ The Commodores~Sail On (Saved on the Internet Archive)
♦ Cash Box: A Sparkling Ballad (World Radio History/August 11, 1979)
♦ Billboard: A Surprising Country Flavored Ballad (World Radio History/August 11, 1979)
♦ Record World: A Beautiful Country-Colored Ballad (World Radio History/August 11, 1979)
♦ Real Reason Why Richie Left (Grunge/A. C. Grimes/March 30, 2020)
♦ The Commodores (Encyclopedia of Alabama/Ben Berntson/July 3, 2012)
♦ Commodores Official Website
Full Version
Richie & McGraw
Cosmic-Observation 
May 21, 2023 at 5:55 PM
I love it too. I was 28.
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May 21, 2023 at 6:26 PM
Ever see them live?
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May 22, 2023 at 5:46 PM
No. We are to far from anything like that
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May 22, 2023 at 1:56 PM
I was too young. They had split with Richie by the time I was teen.
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May 22, 2023 at 1:52 PM
Lionel’s best song this one, love it. Country soul and happy memories of touring California when it was in the charts and the radio
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May 22, 2023 at 2:07 PM
Another fave of mine is “Oh, No”, his last hit with them.
You were touring California in 1979?
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May 24, 2023 at 11:28 AM
Yes I was at university and a group of us bought cheap air tickets on the new Laker Airways which broke air ticket monopolies. Arrived at LAX hired a car rented a tent and off we went to Grand Canyon San Francisco and other great places!
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May 24, 2023 at 12:47 PM
Sounds like fun!
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May 23, 2023 at 3:45 PM
They had some good songs…I liked the Coomodors more than just Ritchie by himself…I probably wouldn’t buy anything but their songs were nice enough to listen to.
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May 24, 2023 at 1:20 AM
When Richie went solo, he was kind of boring. Billy Ocean was better.
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May 24, 2023 at 8:46 AM
He lost his soul when he quit the band. He turned into a pure ballad singer.
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May 24, 2023 at 9:17 AM
Yep! yawn
He got rich, tho…
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May 24, 2023 at 9:21 AM
Oh yea…can’t fault him for that…the one I remember the most… Hello….over and over again.
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May 24, 2023 at 10:56 AM
I got tired of that one. All Night Long was catchy.
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May 24, 2023 at 3:14 PM
HIs music wasn’t something I turned off…I just tuned out for the most part. Didn’t hate it by no means…
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May 24, 2023 at 11:17 AM
Yeah. Background music.
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May 24, 2023 at 3:40 AM
Soooo smooth. Commodores were fading out as I was coming up and this along with Lady were huge, but my brothers already had me turned into a full throttle Rolling Stones addict – I was an old soul in a young body ha. Cringed when I watched the second video and saw the two girls with the cell phones out – live in the moment people!!
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May 24, 2023 at 1:29 AM
LOL!
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July 12, 2023 at 2:26 PM
I had many of albums on vinyl. The Commodores were great! Brings back a lot of good memories.
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