Wow! That’s what that song was about!

As long as I can remember, I have always loved music.  I suppose looking back the reason for this was an escape from my reality at the time.  Or maybe it was just a way to relax.  Well, whatever the reason was, I can often be found listening to music in my room.  My first music purchase as Kiss “Dressed to Kill” on 8 track.  I had a large collection of albums and 45s!  Yes, I am that old!  Although I consider myself at rock fan at heart, I listened to lots of different music still to this day.  And boy could I sing along with all the songs! With the door to my room closed and the music so loud I couldn’t hear myself, I could belt out the words to many a song with all my heart!  Which brings me to a particular song by the Commodores.  I remember it vividly both music and visually.  I owned only the 45 and played it over and over again.  I often slow danced to the song on Sunday evenings at the local disco, The Sting, on teen night and skated to it often during the couples skate at Roller City in Lafayette, Louisiana.  It was written in 1979 by Lionel Richie and called Sail On.

Recently, for some reason, the song came into my head while I was listening to music on You Tube!  I Love You Tube!  I played an old video of the Commodores singing this song and could easily sing all the lyrics to the song.  It is, in my opinion a beautiful song.  But listening to it now, I found it strikingly deep cause now understood the lyrics.  I you tubed the song with lyrics and read them as the music played and was just amazed at what he had written.  At the time, I always pictured Lionel Richie as the guy singing the funky song Brick House.  But this was certainly a very personal song that I assume was written from an emotional experience in his life.  As many times as I listened to and sang along with Sail On,  back then it was just a song.  Now as an adult, it’s an experience of the writer on a page that had meaning behind it.  Deep meaning.  Its amazing what 25 years will do to a song, at least in my mind.  It’s so well written lyrically and I just can’t imagine sitting down and writing something that emotional.  I would love to have the guts as well as the talent to put down into words an experience as his and give it to the public!

I am happy to report that I had most of the lyrics correctly as a kid with a few exceptions.  I still find it a beautiful song.  But now I understand what is behind it and applaud Mr. Richie for giving it to us to listen to these many years.  I am happy to see that he still sings it regularly at his concerts.  It was so neat to remember how much I enjoyed the “song” back then.  It is great to be so moved by the song lyrically now as an adult well into his 40s.  Thanks for sharing your experience with the world…..still so many years later Mr. Richie.

Till we meet again.  Good Day

Mind of Shoo