09/05/2010 - Come Sail Away - Styx - 1977

A Note From the Author: 
I did FULLY intend to get this posted before midnight of last night and the evening got away from me. 
It's my goal to have these written ahead so that I can just choose the song, add some "daily" thoughts and post them every

morning at 6am like clockwork.  I promise, we're almost there :)

For those of you who are reading along on a regular basis, I'm open to your suggestions, thoughts and feedback regarding the Ocho-rific Song o the Day and things you'd like to see featured ... you can address them to kjackson808@comcast.net. Please put "Ocho-rific", "Song of the day", etc in the subject line.

I do want to assure you that the Ocho-rific Song o the Day will return to it's usual WIDE variety of music just as soon as my "Styx Fever" has worn off.  :)   In fact, I'll go ahead and promise you now that tomorrow WON'T be Styx.  For those of you who can't get enough of Styx, please don't panic ... we'll revisit them soon ... :)

And now, for today's

Ocho-rific
Song o the Day...
Come Sail Away-from The Grand Illusion album,
which was once referred to as
a "parking lot full of whale vomit", by critics!
Styx
1977

::from SongMeanings.net::

I'm sailing away, set an open course for the virgin sea

I've got to be free, free to face the life that's ahead of me

On board, I'm the captain, so climb aboard

We'll search for tomorrow on every shore

And I'll try, oh Lord, I'll try to carry on

I look to the sea, reflections in the waves spark my memory

Some happy, some sad

I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had

We live happily forever, so the story goes

But somehow we missed out on that pot of gold

But we'll try best that we can to carry on

A gathering of angels appeared above my head

They sang to me this song of hope, and this is what they said

They said come sail away, come sail away

Come sail away with me

Come sail away, come sail away

Come sail away with me

I thought that they were angels, but to my surprise

They climbed aboard their starship and headed for the skies

Singing come sail away, come sail away

Come sail away with me

Come sail away, come sail away

Come sail away with me [repeat and fade...]

-A Profound Quote from the Comments section -

"ttwiv - 03-29-2005 - This song proves that Dennis De Young is a true profit. He wrote it in the mid 70's, yet it accurately predicts the 1997 plight of the "Heaven's Gate" cult -- who poisoned themselves so that they could join the aliens traveling in the wake of commit Hale-Bopp. At one time Heaven's Gate thought that they were angles, but to their surprise.... yep, that's right, they (the commit people) were actually aliens -- and Heaven's Gate took the call to sail away with them.  So now that we know DeYoung is a profit -- we must also understand that soon the world will be controlled my Robotos." 

::WIKI "FACTS"::

*From the Grand Illusion album, 1977.chart and helped The Grand Illusion to reach multi-latinum sales in 1978.*Eric Cartman covered Come Sail Away ... "The South Park version is part of a running gag – according to "Cartman's Mom Is Still A Dirty Slut," whenever Cartman hears the first part of the song, he is compelled to sing the rest of it. His friend Kyle takes advantage of this by singing the opening lines "I'm sailing away...... Settin' open course for the Virgin Sea," to which Cartman replies by finishing off the rest of the song in 37 seconds flat when pressured as such. When he sings it (the full album version) he sings it slightly faster than the original.

• 
  
  A Styx Anthology entitled Come Sail Away was released in May of 2004. It is a compilation consisting of two compact discs and contains a thorough history of the band. The album encompasses many of the band's most popular and significant songs, ranging from the band's first single, "Best Thing", through the song "One with Everything", a track included on Styx's most recent album at the time of release, Cyclorama. The most notable omission from the compilation is "Don't Let It End", a top-ten single from their 1983 album, Kilroy Was Here.
  
  
  
  ::from SongFacts.com::
• 
  
  This contains an allusion to the Bible verse of Ezekiel chapter 1:1-28 where a large wheel/cloud (depending on text) appears to Ezekiel and gives him instructions from God: "A gathering of angels appeared above my head. They sang to me this song of hope, and this is what they said... (later in song)... I thought that they were angels, but to my surprise, they climbed aboard their starship and headed for the skies." Some people believe the figure Ezekiel saw was not a messenger sent from God but an alien space craft or a time machine from the future. (thanks, tommy - indianapolis, IN)
   

*Taken by me @ Thursday Night's Styx show in DuQuoin*
-l to r: Ricky Phillips (formerly of Bad English :) ), James "JY" Young and Tommy Shaw

::Extra Goodies::You can "LIKE" 'Come Sail Away' on Facebook by clicking HERE!
(548 people "like" it as of now, somehow I feel like that's a little 'off')

You can "LIKE" The Grand Illusion Album on FB by clicking HERE!
(44 likers at the time of posting)

-MORE on Come Sail Away from VH-1's Behind the Music-In the video clip below, the banter on The Grand Illusion album begins at about 3:50.  The story of Come Sail Away, specifically is that it stalled on the charts at #28.  Promotions director, Jim Cahill kicked up promotions ;)...details in the video ... The song began to climb and topped out at #8.

Until next time...

Have a Grand and Groovy Day!!

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