B-side "Pick It Up" Format 7" Genre Pop | Released 1986 Recorded Auckland, 1986 Length 3:59 | |
"Sailing Away" is a 1986 single by a supergroup of New Zealand singers and personalities, to promote New Zealand yacht KZ 7 in the 1987 America's Cup. It spent nine weeks at #1 in the single chart, the longest run of a New Zealand single until 2009. While the song is conceptually similar to the many charity supergroup singles released in the mid 1980s, "Sailing Away" has its origins as a television advertisement and was not a charity record.
Contents
The song uses the melody of the Māori folk song "Pokarekare Ana", and begins with a verse of the original song, sung by Annie Crummer.
All Of Us (in singing order)
Choir included:
Charts
The single spent nine weeks at #1 in the New Zealand chart in 1986, the longest run for any single by a New Zealand artist until "Brother" by Smashproof and Gin Wigmore in 2009.
Reception
New Zealand Herald entertainment critic Paul Casserly notes that the song reflects a different New Zealand: "we are no longer "One nation on the water". The chances of us all getting behind a yachting event to this extent again seem unlikely, absurd even." However, the song "Loyal" by Dave Dobbyn (who featured in "Sailing Away") would later be adopted by Team New Zealand for the 2003 America's Cup defence.