The Oak Ridge Boys are a country group if ever there was one. So it might be surprising that they had a few crossover hits, but they did, beginning with “Sail Away”. Out in 1979, “Sail Away” was written by Rafe Van Hoy. The song is part of The Oak Ridge Boys Have Arrived, a record that was released in 1979.
Before the quartet released “Sail Away”, it was first released by Sam Neely in 1977. Neely’s version failed to chart, but two years later, The Oak Ridge Boys had a big hit with “Sail Away”.
“Sail Away” is a song about a man sailing across a body of water to reach the woman he loves. The chorus says, “And we will sail away on the wings of love into the night / Cast out our fortunes on the sea / Then we will go to sleep together with the rocking of the water / And dream of how our life will someday be / When she sails away with me.”
The Oak Ridge Boys found success with “Sail Away”, but they aren’t the only artists to put their own spin on this song. Also in 1979, Kenny Rogers included this song on his The Kenny Rogers Singles Album. However, in spite of the record’s title, Rogers did not release “Sail Away” as a single in the United States. The album was released in the United Kingdom, where Rogers did release it to radio.
Other Successful Crossover Songs by The Oak Ridge Boys
“Sail Away” is The Oak Ridge Boys’ first big crossover hit, but it isn’t their only one. The group also had numerous other singles find success on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, including “(I’m Settin’) Fancy Free” and “Bobbie Sue”. However, their most popular crossover hit is “Elvira”.
Released in 1981, “Elvira” was written by Dallas Frazier, who first released his own version of “Elvira” in 1965, although Frazier’s version was not a big hit. Kenny Rogers and The First Edition also recorded “Elvira”, as did Rodney Crowell.
But when The Oak Ridge Boys included “Elvira” on their Fancy Free record, the song took off. It remains among their most popular songs today.
“I never did it like the old ‘Elviras,’” The Oak Ridge Boys’ Joe Bonsall tells NPR. “I kind of did my own take, which, looking back on it, was a good idea.”
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