Sail On – Commodores | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#4) & R&B (#8); 1979
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Except for an occasional up-tempo tune that harkened back to the Commodores days as a bona vide funk band, by 1979 their hits were smooth ballads penned by Lionel Richie. Sweet Love marked the onset of the transition, then R&B/Pop smashes such as Easy and Three Times A Lady.
Sail On was next in line. The origins of Sail On lay in a hours-long conversation between Lionel and his boyhood buddy, William “Smitty” Smith. Smitty’s marriage was falling apart and Lionel provided a supportive ear and shoulder.
Six months after that fateful talk, Lionel forwarded Smitty a copy of Sail On. Every line in the lyrics referred to something the old friends had talked about.
The inspiration for the Commodores next single, Still, also came from a marital breakup of friends of Lionel’s. Ironically, shortly after recording his ode to Endless Love with Diana Ross, Lionel would undergo a break-up of his own: from the Commodores.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- James Anthony Carmichael
- Commodores
Lyrics Written by:
- Lionel Richie
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).