Among the hundreds of artists he's worked with include Phil Ochs, Tim Buckley, Haruomi Hosono, The Byrds, Rufus Wainwright, Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, U2, Joanna Newsom, Inara George, Keith Moon, Frank Zappa, Harpers Bizarre, Little Feat, Ringo Starr, Silverchair, and Skrillex.
In addition to producing, Parks has released seven studio albums of his own recordings: Song Cycle, Discover America, Clang of the Yankee Reaper, Jump!, Tokyo Rose, Songs Cycled, and with Brian Wilson, Orange Crate Art. He has also released a live album, Moonlighting: Live at the Ash Grove. His first official release was the 1966 single Number Nine, a modernized version of Beethoven's 9th backed with Do What You Wanta.
Parks has also established himself in film scores, and over the years has directed, arranged, produced, and composed soundtracks for a great number of motion pictures and television shows.
During his childhood, Parks became extremely fond of old-style American music, most notably the sounds of Tin Pan Alley. This interest in Depression-era songwriting would correlate heavily with his artistic goals and interests during the 1960s and beyond. He was also deeply affected by musicians Spike Jones and Les Paul, which led him to develop an interest with studio experimentation in the form of pop music.
Sail Away
Van Dyke Parks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A distant sunset on the open sea
Fascinated by the sailing ships
On a crimson shore that seemed to call out to me
I still can feel the hope that fills my heart
I still can taste the ocean breeze (sail away)
Follow the sun to the white sand beaches
I only know what the west wind teaches
Won't you sail away with me?
(Sail away) made a wish upon a falling star
(Sail away) never thought that we would get this far (sail away)
I won't be lonely you can be my only
Won't you sail away with me?
For a while I almost gave up dreaming
But still this image stayed alive in my soul
While I was working trying to make a living
My so-called life was spinning out of control
Summer wind was blowing through my head
The endless current of my dreams (sail away)
As I sail away to the farthest reaches
Follow the sun to the white sand beaches
I only know what the west wind teaches
Won't you sail away with me? (sail away)
Sail away to a land without time
Drink my water from a shell that I find
I won't be lonely you can be my only
Won't you sail away with me?
Oh, let me take you there to another land
Don't expect the world to understand (sail away)
We can sail away while we still have time
There's a million places that I have in mind
As we cast our fate to the open sea
Sail away with me
(Sail away) made a wish upon a falling star
Never thought that we would get this far
Try and imagine how our life would be
If you could sail away with me
Sail away
Sail away
In Van Dyke Parks's song Sail Away, he recalls a memory of being captivated by sailing ships on a crimson shore that called out to him. The nostalgia brings him back to a time where he could feel the hope that filled his heart and taste the ocean breeze. His so-called life was spinning out of control, but the image of sailing away to the farthest reaches with the sun on his back kept his dreams alive. He made a wish upon a falling star, never thinking he would get this far. He hopes to cast his fate into the open sea with someone by his side, where they can drink water from a shell and sail away to a land without time.
The lyrics of Sail Away by Van Dyke Parks inspired a sense of adventure and the quest to see the world. This song has been featured in several movies, including Daughters of the Dust, Natural Born Killers, and Animal House. The song was covered by Linda Ronstadt, and her version appeared in the film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The song was also used in a television commercial for the cruise line Royal Caribbean.
Line by Line Meaning
So many years ago but I remember
Even though it happened long ago, I can recall a particular memory
A distant sunset on the open sea
I remember a sunset I saw while out at sea, far from land
Fascinated by the sailing ships
I was captivated by the sight of the ships on the water
On a crimson shore that seemed to call out to me
The sight of the red shore made me feel a strong desire to go to it
I still can feel the hope that fills my heart
Even now, I feel the same sense of optimism I did then
I still can taste the ocean breeze (sail away)
I can vividly remember the feeling of the sea air on my face
As I sail away to the farthest reaches
I am leaving to go as far as I can go
Follow the sun to the white sand beaches
I will go where the sun shines and there are beautiful beaches
I only know what the west wind teaches
I will learn what I can from the wind and the sea
Won't you sail away with me?
Will you join me on this adventure?
(Sail away) made a wish upon a falling star
I wished upon a shooting star
(Sail away) never thought that we would get this far (sail away)
I never expected us to come this far
I won't be lonely you can be my only
I don't want to be alone, I want you to be with me
For a while I almost gave up dreaming
There was a time when I almost stopped dreaming
But still this image stayed alive in my soul
This memory was still vivid and meaningful to me
While I was working trying to make a living
I was working hard to make a living
My so-called life was spinning out of control
Despite my efforts, my life felt chaotic and disordered
Summer wind was blowing through my head
I was lost in thought, daydreaming
The endless current of my dreams (sail away)
My daydreams were like a never-ending stream, urging me to sail away
Sail away to a land without time
I want to escape to a timeless place
Drink my water from a shell that I find
I want to experience the simple pleasures of life, like drinking from a shell I've found
Oh, let me take you there to another land
Come with me to a different world
Don't expect the world to understand (sail away)
We shouldn't expect others to understand our dreams and desires
We can sail away while we still have time
Let's take action and go while we still have the chance
There's a million places that I have in mind
I have so many ideas of where we could go and what we could do
As we cast our fate to the open sea
We are leaving everything up to fate and chance
Sail away with me
Come with me on this adventure
Try and imagine how our life would be
Think about how our lives could be different if we went on this journey
If you could sail away with me
If you could come along on this adventure
Sail away
Let's sail away on this adventure
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: VAN DYKE PARKS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Chris Wilson
Van Dyke would do well by doing solo with piano versions of a chunk of his back catalogue just like this as an album! His voice and playing and enthusiasm are terrific!!!
ColdHeartedMan1979
This is, to me, one of the most uplifting, happy, and inspiring songs I've ever heard. It's like musical Prozac to my ears. Absolutely beautiful!
John Hill
Man they should have got him to play the whole album that day, this is so great.
Bland Crowder
Van Dyke Parks is one of the few geniuses. I first heard of him on on of Bonnie Raitt's early albums in which he produced Weh She Go Do, with his authentic calypso/steel/whateverness of it all. Making him even better: he evidently loves what he does.
Blah Blah
Gorgeous piano playing and his soft sweet tenor does his own works alot of justice
William Hageman
Hi Van Dyke - Always delightful to find yet another magical performance by you. And look you're so young. This is terrific - thanks for all your music. Susan
Kathy Geary
I wish there were piano transcriptions published for Van Dyke's songs, they'd be performed.
James Davies
Awesome! This is my favourite track from Orange Crate Art. Shame he didn't get to do the third verse :) Thanks very much for posting.
Glenn Wheatcroft
He's a good player
John Hill
Thanks so much for posting btw! What gems of videos