Orinoco Flow
| "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)" | ||||
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| Single by Enya | ||||
| from the album Watermark | ||||
| Released | 15 October 1988 | |||
| Format | Cassette, CD single, 7" single | |||
| Recorded | 1988 at Orinoco Studios, London | |||
| Genre | New Age | |||
| Length | 4:25 | |||
| Label | Reprise / EMI | |||
| Writer(s) | Enya & Roma Ryan | |||
| Producer | Enya Nicky Ryan |
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| Enya singles chronology | ||||
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"Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)" is a 1988 single written and recorded by Irish singer Enya. It also featured on her second studio album, Watermark.
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[edit] Background
Released as the lead single off her second studio album Watermark in October 1988, the song became Enya's breakthrough hit, becoming a massive success worldwide, peaking at #1 in several countries including the UK, where it stayed at the top of the charts for three weeks. Its altered use of the Roland D-50 synthesizer's Pizzagogo is highly recognizable,[1] along with the rapid arpeggiated harp.
The song is often incorrectly referred to as "Sail Away", a phrase repeated during the chorus. The American version of the single, however, was retitled "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)". It then peaked at #24 in early 1989.
The song was highly popular in the early 1990s and was featured on many pop music compilations. It shares part of its name with Orinoco Studios (now Miloco Studios), where it was recorded.
At the end of the song she pays tribute to Warner Brothers Music UK CEO Rob Dickins and makes a more veiled reference to producer Ross Cullum.[citation needed]
In 1997, the song was licensed to Virgin Records for the best-selling new age compilation album Pure Moods.
In 1998 a special edition 10th anniversary remix single was released.
The song is featured in the 2011 American version of the movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011 film).
[edit] Locations referenced in lyrics (in order of mention)
- Orinoco River, Venezuela; also the original name of the London studio where the song was recorded
- Tripoli, Libya (There are other Tripolis- in Lebanon and Greece, for instance. But the reference to "the shores of Tripoli" seems to indicate that the Libyan one is intended.)
- Yellow Sea, Between Korea and China
- Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
- Palau, islands in Micronesia or Palau, Sardinia in Italy
- Avalon, British Isles
- Fiji, Fiji islands
- Tiree, Scotland
- Isles of Ebony, England
- Peru
- Cebu, Philippines
- Babylon, Iraq
- Bali, Indonesia
- Cali, Colombia
- Coral Sea, Australia
- Ebudae (Inner Hebrides), Scotland; also the title of a later Enya song
- Khartoum, Sudan
- The Sea of Clouds, possibly Mount Huangshan, China
- Island of the Moon (Comoros); also an island on Lake Titicaca, Peru & Bolivia; or Isle Maree (Scotland)[2]
- Ross Dependency, a part of Antarctica; also Ross (region of Scotland)
[edit] Track listings
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[edit] Cover versions
- Celtic Woman - Celtic Woman
- Libera - New Dawn
- Sarah McCaldwin on her album: Destiny.
[edit] Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK[4] | Silver | 1 November 1988 | 200,000 |
[edit] Charts
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[edit] Uses in Popular Culture
The song is played during an episode of Cougar Town.
The song features in the 2010 film Shrek Forever After.
The song is played during a climactic torture sequence in David Fincher's American adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
| Preceded by "Desire" by U2 |
Irish IRMA number-one single 22 October 1988 – 12 November 1988 (4 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Stand Up for Your Love Rights" by Yazz |
| Preceded by "One Moment in Time" by Whitney Houston |
UK number-one single 29 October 1988 – 12 November 1988 (3 weeks) |
Succeeded by "The First Time" by Robin Beck |
| Preceded by "Teardrops" by Womack & Womack |
Dutch number-one single 3 December 1988 – 17 December 1988 (3 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Smooth Criminal" by Michael Jackson |
| Preceded by "A Groovy Kind of Love" by Phil Collins |
Swiss number-one single 11 December 1988 – 8 January 1989 (5 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Bring Me Edelweiss" by Edelweiss |
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.synthmania.com/Famous%20Sounds.htm
- ^ http://www.philipcoppens.com/lochmaree.html
- ^ "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away) (12" single at Discogs)". http://www.discogs.com/Enya-Orinoco-Flow-Sail-Away/release/1447642. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
- ^ UK certifications Bpi.co.uk (Retrieved 5 September 2008)
- ^ a b c d e f "Orinoco Flow," in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved 10 April 2008)
- ^ "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 48, 1988". http://www.radio538.nl/web/show/id=44685/chartid=4893. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
- ^ German Singles Chart Charts-surfer.de (Retrieved 10 April 2008)
- ^ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved 10 April 2008)
- ^ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved 10 April 2008)
- ^ a b c Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved 5 September 2008)
- ^ 1989 Australian Singles Chart aria.com (Retrieved 5 September 2008)
- ^ 1989 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved 3 September 2008)
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