The Platters formed in Los Angeles, CA, USA in 1953 and were initially managed by Ralph Bass. They had a contract with Federal Records but experienced little record success until they met music entrepreneur and songwriter Buck Ram. He added lead vocalist Tony Williams (who gave the Platters their distinctive sound) and female vocalist Zola Taylor. Under Ram's guidance, the Platters recorded seven singles for Federal in an R&B/gospel style, scoring minor regional hits on the West Coast. One song recorded at Federal, "Only You (And You Alone)", originally written by Ram for the Ink Spots was deemed unreleasable by the label.
Despite lack of chart success, the Platters were a profitable touring group--so successful that The Penguins, fresh from their No. 2 single Earth Angel, asked Ram to manage them too. With the Penguins as a bargaining chip, Ram persuaded Mercury Records into a 2-for-1 deal. In order to sign the Penguins, he insisted, the label also take the Platters. Ironically, the Penguins never had a hit for the label.
Convinced by Tony Williams that "Only You" had potential, Ram had the group re-record it during their first Mercury session. Released in the summer of 1955, it became the group's first Top Ten hit on the pop charts, and topped the R&B charts for seven weeks. It has since become one of the most played records in any genre and the song has been covered by innumerable artists. Ironically, the follow-up, The Great Pretender, with lyrics written by Ram in the washroom of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, exceeded the chart success of their début and became the Platters' first national No.1 hit. The Great Pretender was also the act's biggest R&B hit, with an 11-week run at the top of that chart. In 1956. The Platters appeared in the first major rock n roll movie, Rock Around the Clock, and performed both "Only You" and "The Great Pretender"[2] and they sang "You'll Never Never Know" in The Girl Can't Help It, produced the same year.
The Platters' unique vocal style touched a nerve in the music-buying public, and a string of hit singles followed, including two more Top 100 No. 1 hits, one Hot 100 No. 1 hit, and more modest hits such as "I'm Sorry" (No. 11) and "He's Mine" (No. 23) in 1957, "Enchanted" (No.12) in 1959, and "The Magic Touch" (No.4) in 1956. The Platters hit on a successful formula of updating older standards, such as "My Prayer", "Twilight Time", "Harbor Lights", "To Each His Own", "If I Didn't Care" and Jerome Kern's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes". This latter release caused a small controversy after Kern's widow expressed concern that her late husband's composition would be turned into a "rock n roll record". It topped both American and British charts in a tasteful Platters-style arrangement.
The group was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in its inaugural year of 1998. The Platters were the first rock n roll group to have a Top Ten album in America. They were also the only act to have three songs included on the American Graffiti soundtrack that sparked an oldies revival in the early to mid-1970s: "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "The Great Pretender" and "Only You (and You Alone)".
Many groups have toured bearing the name The Platters but only one member of the original line-up, Herb Reed, was still touring and performing with Herb Reed's Platters in 2008.
Zola Taylor died on April 30th 2007 of pneumonia whilst recovering from surgery.
Red Sails In The Sunset
The Platters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Way out on the sea
Oh, carry my loved one
Home safely to me
She sailed at the dawning
All day I've been blue
Red sails in the sunset
Swift wings you must borrow
Make straight for the shore
We marry tomorrow
And she goes sailing no more
Red sails in the sunset
Way out on the sea
Oh, carry my loved one
Home safely to me
Red sails in the sunset
Way out on the sea (ooh-wee-ooh, wee-ooh)
Oh, carry my loved one
Home safely to me
The Platters' song "Red Sails in the Sunset" is a beautiful romantic ballad that tells the story of a sailor's emotional longing for his love. The lyrics are evocative and capture the desperate plea of the sailor who is praying for the safe return of his beloved. The song is an ode to the power of love and the hope it brings in times of distress.
The opening lines "Red sails in the sunset, way out on the sea," set the tone for the rest of the song. The image of a ship sailing away into the orange hues of the sunset is breathtaking and poignant. It creates an atmosphere of distance and sorrow, which is evident in the lyrics "All day I've been blue, red sails in the sunset, I'm trusting in you." The sailor has been anxious all day, waiting for his love to return, and the red sails are his only source of hope.
The bridge of the song is a cry for help. The sailor pleads with the wind to carry his love safely home. He says, "Swift wings you must borrow, make straight for the shore, we marry tomorrow, and she goes sailing no more." This is a moment of pure vulnerability, where the sailor is completely reliant on the elements to bring his love back into his arms.
Overall, "Red Sails in the Sunset" is a stunning love song that captures the essence of long-distance relationships and the power of hope in times of heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Red sails in the sunset
The sun is setting and the sails on the boat are red
Way out on the sea
The boat with the red sails is far away on the ocean
Oh, carry my loved one
I hope the boat with the red sails is carrying my loved one
Home safely to me
I want my loved one to return home safely to me
She sailed at the dawning
My loved one left early in the morning on the boat
All day I've been blue
I have felt sad all day because my loved one is far away on the boat
Red sails in the sunset
I see the red sails of the boat as the sun sets
I'm trusting in you
I am relying on the boat with the red sails to bring my loved one home safely
Swift wings you must borrow
The boat needs to move quickly, like a bird borrowing swift wings, to reach the shore
Make straight for the shore
The boat needs to sail directly to the shore
We marry tomorrow
My loved one and I are getting married tomorrow
And she goes sailing no more
After our wedding, my loved one will no longer sail away on a boat
Red sails in the sunset
I see the red sails of the boat as the sun sets
Way out on the sea (ooh-wee-ooh, wee-ooh)
The boat with the red sails is far away on the ocean, ooh-wee-ooh, wee-ooh
Oh, carry my loved one
I hope the boat with the red sails is carrying my loved one
Home safely to me
I want my loved one to return home safely to me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Wilhelm Grosz, Jimmy Kennedy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tropicwave1
Red sails in the sunset
'Way out on the sea
Oh! carry my loved one
Home safely to me.
He sailed at the dawning
All day I've been blue
Red sails in the sunset
I'm trusting in you
Swift wings you must borrow
Make straight for the shore
We marry tomorrow
And he goes sailing no more.
Red sails in the sunset
'Way out on the sea
Oh! carry my loved one
Home safely to me.
Red sails, the night wind is blowing
And clouds are hiding the moon
Above no bright stars are glowing
It means the storm's coming soon.
Written by: JIMMY KENNEDY, WILHELM GROSZ
@Jigaboo123456
Red sails in the sunset
Way out on the sea
Oh, carry my loved one
Home safely to me
She sailed at the dawning
All day I've been blue
Red sails in the sunset
I'm trusting in you
Swift wings you must borrow
Make straight for the shore
We marry tomorrow
And she goes sailing no more
Red sails in the sunset
Way out on the sea
Oh, carry my loved one
Home safely to me
Red sails in the sunset
Way out on the sea (ooh-wee-ooh, wee-ooh)
Oh, carry my loved one
Home safely to me
@stephenkirk8685
We had this song played at the end of our mum's recent funeral. It is so appropriate as mum was on her way back to her husband of nearly 69 years and they both loved The Platters.
@gwgsio6292
23 years old and I LOVE MUSIC LIKE THIS!!!
@guillermokersh7270
bbbeen digging this kinda music since I was 18....21 now
@Toobowlie
Nice. I'm 4 and a half and I LOVE MUSIC LIKE THIS TOO!!!
@marciaconner4430
What can I say? Another outstandingly beautiful rendition of a song by the incomparable Platters.
@bryanbarthlow3961
A masterpiece. Truly moving.
@MrPARKBRAU
This has to be the best of the best. Saw the show in Germany 1958 , front and center......To see them actually sing it live is moving to say the least.
@yvonnejones8544
This song is great,his voice on your stereo will give you the full value of this song!
@peterstang
A song I could spin over and over again. Perfect!
@frankiehunter.
I can't comprehend that this beautifully sung and arranged song didn't reach top ten.