Artists
Enya – vocals, keyboards, synthesizers (including Roland D-50)
James “Jimbo” Barton – mixing
Written by Enya & Roma Ryan. Arranged by Enya & Nicky Ryan, produced by Nicky Ryan, co-produced by Enya & Ross Cullum, engineered by Ross Cullum, mixed by Jimbo Barton, with Rob Dickins as executive producer. Recorded at Orinoco Studios (London) and Aigle Studio (Dublin). The seventh track (4:25) on Watermark (WEA, 19 September 1988), released as the lead single on 3 October 1988, it reached No. 1 in the UK for three weeks, and also topped the charts in Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
An unexpected worldwide hit for a quiet new-age album: when Rob Dickins asked jokingly where the single was after Watermark was finished, Nicky Ryan reportedly said he hadn’t wanted to be pushed for singles. After a falling-out with her engineers, the team brought the track to mixer Jimbo Barton, who recorded a 30-piece string ensemble and live timpani, with most of the other layers built from Enya’s own voice. The title nods to Orinoco Studios and the river, and the lyrics name-check “Rob Dickins at the wheel” and a pun on “Ross and his dependencies.” The Guardian ranked it No. 77 among the 100 greatest UK number-one singles.
Enya – Orinoco Flow Lyrics
Let me sail, let me sail
Let the orinoco flow
Let me reach, let me beach
On the shores of Tripoli
Let me sail, let me sail
Let me crash upon your shore
Let me reach, let me beach
Far beyond the Yellow Sea
De, De, De, De, De, De, De, De, De, De
Sail away, sail away, sail away [x4]
From Bissau to Palau – in the shade of Avalon
From Fiji to Tiree and the Isles of Ebony
From Peru to Cebu hear the power of Babylon
From Bali to Cali – far beneath the Coral Sea
De, De, De, De, De, De, De, De, De, De
Turn it up, Turn it up, Turn it up, up, Adieu, Ohhhh
Turn it up, Turn it up, Turn it up, up, Adieu, Ohhhh
Turn it up, Turn it up, Turn it up, up, Adieu, Ohhhh
Sail away, sail away, sail away [x4]
From the North to the South
Ebudae into Khartoum
From the deep sea of Clouds
To the island of the moon
Carry me on the waves
To the lands I’ve never been
Carry me on the waves
To the lands I’ve never seen
We can sail, we can sail
With the orinoco flow
We can sail, we can sail…(Sail away, Sail away, Sail away)
We can steer, we can near
With Rob Dickins at the wheel
We can sigh, say goodbye
Ross and his dependency
We can sail, we can sail…(Sail away, Sail away, Sail away)
To listen to other songs from the the Teleskop 24 program click here.