SAIL AWAY

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the Scribe
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SAIL AWAY Jun 21, 2021 15:50:59 GMT

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Post by the Scribe on Jun 21, 2021 15:50:59 GMT

SAIL AWAY

You’ve also said, if I may paraphrase, that falling in love with a song was the next best thing to falling in love with a man.
Or better. It lasts a lot longer, and you have a much more honest relationship with it. Though I did fall in love with some songs I didn’t have any business singing. Like “Sail Away,” by Randy Newman.
www.altaonline.com/culture/music-podcasts/a44941073/linda-ronstadt-jeff-kaliss-q-and-a/

I had this idea of a slave ship and a sea shanty – this guy standing in a clearing, singing to a crowd of natives. These people in my songs don’t know they’re bad. They think they’re fine. I didn’t just want to say, 'Slavery is awful.' It’s too easy. I wasn’t doing 'Roots'. I knew Bobby Darin pretty well. He covered this [in 1972], but he was such a musical guy that he missed the point. He was like, 'Little one, come to America.' Etta James did it, and I guarantee she knew what it was about, absolutely." -Randy Newman

This thoughtful, austere piano ballad about the slave trade finds Newman's slaver protagonist attempting to convince his African listeners to climb aboard his ship and "sail away" with him to the promised land of America. Newman explained to NPR in a May 8, 2013 interview: "I wrote about slave trade from the view of the recruiter from the slave trade. He is talking, you know, come to America and then talks about using that and I didn't another way to do it. I mean, you could say the slave trade is bad, horrendous or a great crime of the nation, but I chose to do differently."

Among the artists that have covered the tune are Bobby Darin, who recorded it on his last album before he died in 1972 (Motown label's Bobby Darin) and Linda Ronstadt for her 1973 set Don't Cry Now. Etta James also released it in 1973 on her self-titled album.

It's not glaringly obvious what this song is about, as there's no direct mention of slavery. Newman never went for the obvious though, preserving nuance at the risk of misinterpretation. The biggest hint to the song's meaning is the line "We will cross the mighty ocean into Charleston Bay" - Charleston Bay, South Carolina is where much of the slave trade took place.

One person who didn't get it, according to Newman, was Bobby Darin, who sang it in a more jovial manner.

The song is listed at #264 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs. They said: "As usual for Newman, it combines lush melody with painfully funny satire."

Newman talked about this song in a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone: "There was a producer, the husband of Leslie Caron. He wanted to make a movie where he would give ten minutes to these artists - people like Van Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, me – to do anything we wanted. It never got made. But I had this idea of a slave ship and a sea shanty - this guy standing in a clearing, singing to a crowd of natives. These people in my songs don't know they're bad. They think they're fine. I didn't just want to say, 'Slavery is awful.' It's too easy. I wasn't doing Roots."

The Rolling Stones released a much more popular song dealing with the slave trade in 1971: "Brown Sugar." That one was never seen as a commentary on the subject.
www.songfacts.com/facts/randy-newman/sail-away

In America you'll get food to eat
Won't have to run through the jungle
And scuff up your feet
You'll just sing about Jesus and drink wine all day
It's great to be an American

Ain't no lions or tigers ain't no mamba snake
Just the sweet watermelon and the buckwheat cake
Ev'rybody is as happy as a man can be
Climb aboard little wog sail away with me

[Chorus]
Sail away sail away
We will cross the mighty ocean into Charleston Bay
Sail away-sail away
We will cross the mighty ocean into Charleston Bay

In America every man is free
To take care of his home and his family
You'll be as happy as a monkey in a monkey tree
You're all gonna be an American

[Chorus]
Writer/s: RANDY NEWMAN
Publisher: Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Joe Cocker - Sail Away (from Organic)

Last Edit: Apr 3, 2024 21:54:25 GMT by the Scribe

the Scribe
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SAIL AWAY Apr 3, 2024 20:15:45 GMT

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Post by the Scribe on Apr 3, 2024 20:15:45 GMT

The Meaning Behind The Song: Sail Away by Randy Newman
oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-sail-away-by-randy-newman/
August 12, 2023 / By Marcy Adkins

The Deeper Meanings Behind Randy Newman’s “Sail Away”

Few songs have been more influential in American music and culture than Randy Newman’s 1972 hit, “Sail Away.” With its invigorating melody and catchy lyrics, the song manages to draw listeners in and send them on an immersive, emotional journey.

But beyond its musicality, “Sail Away” also holds a deep message, one that speaks to the American experience and history: the quintessential American Dream.

The Call of the American Dream

As immigrants from around the world came to America, there was a shared hope that this new land would offer new opportunities for a better life. The dawn of industrialization and the establishment of the American frontier fueled this ideal.

Yet, for many immigrants, the dream was not always a reality. Hard work, perseverance, and grit were needed to succeed in America. The American Dream was not an easy one, and “Sail Away” represented the symbol of hope for many.

The song pictures America as a shining city upon a hill, promising a better life for all who dared to come. But beneath the surface, there was also a darker side to the American dream.

The Dark Side of the American Dream

One of the most interesting aspects of “Sail Away” is how it juxtaposes upbeat music with dark lyrics, painting a sobering picture of the exploitation of black slaves in the American South.

Newman manages to convey the harsh reality of slavery in just a few short verses. Lines like “I s’pose you’ve heard about our lady Eve” and “We’ll dress you up like Sunday best, And teach you how to dance and jest” expose the lies that were told to African slaves to lure them into a life of hard labor and oppression.

But even as the song lays bare the cruel reality of slavery, it also speaks to the hope and optimism of those who dreamed of a better life. The song reminds us that America represented something much more than just land and resources.

A Message of Hope

Newman paints a portrait of America as the land of opportunity, where anyone can make their wildest dreams come true. In the song, the slave-master pleads with his slaves to “sail away” to America, promising them a better life in what he paints as a perfect utopia.

And although the reality of the American Dream remains elusive to many, the song offers a glimmer of hope. It is a reminder that, despite the challenges and obstacles that can arise, the American Dream remains alive and well.

The Legacy of “Sail Away”

“Sail Away” remains a testament to the power of music to communicate a message, to inspire, and to provoke thought. As the years have passed, the song has taken on an almost mythic quality, its sound and message a defining feature of American culture.

It has been covered by countless artists, each bringing their own unique spin to the melody and to the underlying message of the song. And it continues to be as relevant today as it was when it was first written, reminding us of the complexity and beauty of the American experience.

Conclusion

Randy Newman’s “Sail Away” is a song that is both lighthearted and deeply insightful, holding a mirror up to American culture and history. It is a reminder of the idealism and hope that drew so many immigrants to America and the hard work and perseverance needed to turn that hope into a reality.

But it is also a reminder of the darker side to the American Dream, the exploitation and lies that have often been used to lure the most vulnerable into a life of oppression. Through the juxtaposition of upbeat music and dark lyrics, “Sail Away” remains a powerful and thought-provoking song, reminding us of the complex, sometimes paradoxical nature of American culture.

Last Edit: Apr 3, 2024 22:18:44 GMT by the Scribe

the Scribe
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SAIL AWAY Apr 3, 2024 20:27:00 GMT

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Post by the Scribe on Apr 3, 2024 20:27:00 GMT

Randy Newman Becomes A Rock Star
MAY 8, 20131:00 PM ET
HEARD ON TALK OF THE NATION
www.npr.org/2013/05/08/182296001/randy-newman-becomes-a-rock-star
listen ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/totn/2013/05/20130508_totn_04.mp3?d=1019&e=182296001&t=progseg&seg=4&p=5&sc=siteplayer&aw_0_1st.playerid=siteplayer

Inductee Randy Newman performs on stage at the 28th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on April 18, 2013.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Randy Newman never considered himself a rock star. He's had his hits like, "I Love LA" and "Short People," but may be better known for his work in TV show themes and film scores. His unmistakable voice has graced the soundtracks of dozens of films, including the Toy Story films, A Bug's Life and Monsters, Inc.

When the singer and composer got a call saying he'd be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he was shocked. He told Rolling Stone, "I really thought maybe I'd have to die first."

Newman talks with NPR's Neal Conan about his career, his writing process and the stories behind his most well-known songs.

Last Edit: Apr 3, 2024 22:34:12 GMT by the Scribe

the Scribe
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SAIL AWAY Apr 3, 2024 22:34:23 GMT

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Post by the Scribe on Apr 3, 2024 22:34:23 GMT

Usually, when we say “American slavery” or the “American slave trade,” we mean the American colonies or, later, the United States. But as we discussed in Episode 2 of Slate’s History of American Slavery Academy, relative to the entire slave trade, North America was a bit player. From the trade’s beginning in the 16th century to its conclusion in the 19th, slave merchants brought the vast majority of enslaved Africans to two places: the Caribbean and Brazil. Of the more than 10 million enslaved Africans to eventually reach the Western Hemisphere, just 388,747—less than 4 percent of the total—came to North America. This was dwarfed by the 1.3 million brought to Spanish Central America, the 4 million brought to British, French, Dutch, and Danish holdings in the Caribbean, and the 4.8 million brought to Brazil.
The Atlantic Slave Trade in Two Minutes
315 years. 20,528 voyages. Millions of lives.
slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/09/atlantic-slave-trade-history-animated-interactive.html

gifs.com/gif/the-slave-trade-vJQxw6

from the Scribe...

My family of German heritage came to North America 1717 in a different kind of slavery: Indentured servitude. This is a type of slavery that few know about or remember except in "some" history books. Slavery in the New World began with WHITE slaves and slavery.

African slaves were not the first group forcibly transported to America. Until around 1700, the vast majority of unpaid work in the colonies was performed by indentured servants. Indeed, indentured servants comprised more than half the European migration to North America during this period.

It began with the purchase of indentured slaves in Virginia in 1619. By the end of the 17th century, white slave populations could be found in all 13 British colonies. By the eighteenth century (white) indentured servants outnumbered African slaves in the North American colonies.

"Many indentured servants were contracted for by American colonial Planters with the British government for so many men, women or children of various age groups. How these contracts were fulfilled wasn't important. Many quotas were met by kidnapping or duping such individuals into thinking they would have it easy in America, being promised gardens and orchards and houses, which were nonexistent, and what rewards they received at the end, little." (does this sound like Sail Away?)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indentured_servitude

By the eve of the American Revolution, more than one-quarter of those living in the 13 colonies were not free. The majority of this group were now African Americans enduring lives of unpaid labour, a product of the Atlantic slave trade. A smaller but still substantial group was (white) indentured servants: Europeans sold and transported to the colonies under contract. The American Revolution did not directly challenge either of these practices – but its focus on liberty and natural rights raised many questions about their place and future in the new nation.

Indentured servitude was a form of contracted slavery common in Britain in the 17th and 18th centuries. It took several different forms but most individuals were forced into indentured service by non-payment of debts. This was often forced upon them by a court, the alternative being a sentence in a debtors’ prison. Criminals, political dissidents, prisoners of war and the homeless were also often forced into indentureship.

An indenture was, in simple terms, a contract binding the individual to perform unpaid labour for a fixed period, usually several years. When this time had elapsed, they were granted freedom. Indentures became assets and could be bought, sold and traded – those who purchased an indenture then acquired the individual bound by it.

In general, European indentured workers received better treatment from their masters than African American slaves. Nevertheless, indentured workers enjoyed very little freedom. They performed long and arduous forms of work and were often subject to physical punishments like flogging.
alphahistory.com/americanrevolution/slaves-indentured-servants/

Should Linda Ronstadt have recorded Sail Away, a song about slavery?

ABSOLUTELY YES!

Music is art and thereby open for interpretation by the artist who chooses to perform it. Personally, I would have tweaked the lyrics similar to what Francis Scott Key did to give us our national anthem, an old drinking song. Sail Away has such a great melody which is what no doubt attracted Linda to it. And who wouldn't want Linda to churn out phrases like "ain't no mamba snakes?" Art is always open to opinion and creates discussion. In this case slavery.

You know, people did what they had to do to get here, sometimes involuntarily especially among those in Africa but arguably it got them out of a worse, intolerable situation in their birth country. Many were sold by warring tribes. It still doesn't excuse the reprehensibility of it all but that was the time and this is now. My family had they stayed in Germany would have had to endure some awful times to get to where it is now as a country. Their descendants are lucky to be here in this country in today's world. We still have a form of slavery imo, to banks, corporations and the wealthy elites that own them and politicians in a certain political party to make sure they stay in power and maintain control.

Frankly there is too much made out of this song and given my family's history I feel my own opinion has as much weight as those who are indignant about it. This was hundreds of years ago and we fought a difficult civil war to stop it. We need to move on and just do the right thing from here on out even with our current immigrants.

Etta James

Last Edit: Apr 8, 2024 3:31:23 GMT by the Scribe

CONSERVATISM: The Enemy Within (& Other Special Topics)

SAIL AWAY

Post by the Scribe on Jun 21, 2021 15:50:59 GMT

Post by the Scribe on Apr 3, 2024 20:15:45 GMT

Post by the Scribe on Apr 3, 2024 20:27:00 GMT

Post by the Scribe on Apr 3, 2024 22:34:23 GMT

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