Sails (song)
Encyclopedia
"Sails" is a song by Elton John
with lyrics by Bernie Taupin
. It is the sixth track off his first album, Empty Sky
.
accompagnied by piano chords. The song then kicks off to a rather psychedelic feel with Wah-wah pedal
-oriented guitars and a distorted electric piano, carrying an R&B-sound. Overall, the song could be described as "Psychedelic pop
", due to the vocal. But the heavy drumming and syncopated bass and guitar overshadow the "pop" feel.
"While the seagulls were screaming
Lucy was eating
Then we hauled up our colors
The way that mother had told us
And together we just watched the sails"
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
with lyrics by Bernie Taupin
Bernie Taupin
Bernard John "Bernie" Taupin is an English lyricist, poet, and singer, best known for his long-term collaboration with Elton John, writing the lyrics for the majority of the star's songs, making his lyrics some of the best known in pop-rock's history.In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement in...
. It is the sixth track off his first album, Empty Sky
Empty Sky
Empty Sky is the debut album of British singer/songwriter Elton John, released on June 3, 1969. It was finally released in the United States in January 1975, with a different cover photograph, well after John's fame had been established internationally...
.
Musical structure
The songs open with an electric guitar feedbackFeedback
Feedback describes the situation when output from an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or occurrences of the same Feedback describes the situation when output from (or information about the result of) an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or...
accompagnied by piano chords. The song then kicks off to a rather psychedelic feel with Wah-wah pedal
Wah-wah pedal
A wah-wah pedal is a type of guitar effects pedal that alters the tone of the signal to create a distinctive effect, mimicking the human voice...
-oriented guitars and a distorted electric piano, carrying an R&B-sound. Overall, the song could be described as "Psychedelic pop
Psychedelic pop
Psychedelic pop is a psychedelic musical style inspired by the sounds of psychedelic folk and psychedelic rock, but applied to a pop music setting...
", due to the vocal. But the heavy drumming and syncopated bass and guitar overshadow the "pop" feel.
Lyrical meaning
The lyrics are very complex. It is relatively a short lyric, but the cryptic lyrics make it a song that seems long. But basically, it is just two people meeting by the waterside watching the horizon. The chorus goes:"While the seagulls were screaming
Lucy was eating
Then we hauled up our colors
The way that mother had told us
And together we just watched the sails"
Performances
It was never played in concert. It was however played in various radio shows John did after the release of the album.Personnel
- Elton John - electric pianoElectric pianoAn electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
, vocals - Caleb QuayeCaleb QuayeCaleb Quaye , is an English Afro-European rock guitarist and studio musician best known for his work in the 1960s and 1970s with Elton John, Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend, Paul McCartney and Hall & Oates...
- guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Tony Murray - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Roger Pope - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....