Wednesday, 30 October 2013

Vid.&Info Awolnation's - Sail


"Sail" is a song by American alternative rock band Awolnation. It was written and produced in Venice, California by group member Aaron Bruno, with Kenny Carkeet performing the audio engineering. The song was first featured on the band's debut extended play Back from Earth (2010) and was later featured on their debut album Megalithic Symphony (2011).
Released as a single on January 4, 2011, "Sail" is the band's most commercially successful song to date. It debuted at number 89 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 chart in September 2011, spending twenty weeks on the chart before dropping out. The single re-entered the Hot 100 a year later, becoming a massive sleeper hit and reaching a new peak of number 17.

Composition and lyrical interpretation[edit]

"Sail" is an alternative rock and electronic rock song that blends the styles of punk blues, trip hop and indie rock. It is written in the key of F# major with a tempo of 119 BPM.
Bruno was asked in an interview by the Red Bull Company if the complex lyrics were about suicide. He replied: "Well that's a dangerous word to talk about. I don't condone that but I definitely know what it's like to feel so low in your life that you wonder what the point is being around. I'd say 80% of people have fantasized about that for a second."

Commercial performance[edit]

"Sail" first debuted at number 89 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on the week of September 3, 2011.[1] The single spent twenty weeks on the chart before dropping out following the issue date of January 14, 2012.[2] It eventually re-entered in mid-2013[3]; its use in various television shows and advertisements exposed the song to a wider audience.[4] The song has since spent more than a year on the chart and peaked at number 17 on the Hot 100 in its 56th week on the chart, two years after its initial debut.[5] "Sail" was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in June 2013.[6]
"Sail" also peaked at number five on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in 2011. The song was featured in the introduction of the 2011 film "Disconnect".
Due to its extremely unusual longevity, it has become the only song in the history of the Hot 100 to spend a year on the chart without entering the top 20 first.

Music video[edit]

The video for "Sail" opens with lead singer Aaron Bruno running to a house. As soon as he enters the house, he shuts the blinds. Bruno then grabs a tape recorder, enters a bathroom and starts singing into the recorder while looking into a mirror. A green strip of light then moves across the house, scanning across a spacesuit helmet and a jumpsuit with the band's name printed on it. As the light beam is about to strike him, Bruno hides inside a full bathtub. Bruno is then depicted being pulled across the floor by an unknown force; he attempts to cling to a door, but loses his grip. The scene is interspersed with shots of Bruno closing a door and playing the song's piano section. As the song's final chorus section begins, the house begins to shake. Lights and lamps turn on and off as a gust of wind blows. Bruno is again pulled by the mysterious force outside the house, and he is subsequently levitated up into the sky as a set of lights flash on him. The tape recorder drops, with a ripped Post-It note attached reading "Awol's".
While the official music video has been viewed over 20 million times on YouTube, a second, fan made video by director Shawna Howson, better known by her working name Nanalew, has been viewed over 70 million times as of October 2013.

Covers and remixes[edit]

A remix of "Sail" featuring American rappers Kendrick Lamar and Ab-Soul was produced by the DJ group The L.A. Leakers.[7] American singer Macy Gray covered the song on her album Covered (2012).[8] Groove metal band DevilDriver have included a cover version of "Sail" on their album Winter Kills (2013).[9]
It has been used in the trailer for The Counselor (2013).
It was used as the soundtrack for a 2011 YouTube video of proximity wingsuit flying "Grinding the Crack" by extreme athlete Jeb Corliss,which went viral receiving in excess of 25 million views.

Formats and track listings[edit]

  • Digital download (United States)[10]
  1. "Sail" – 4:19
  2. "Sail" (Innerpartysystem Remix) – 5:26
  3. "Sail" (Dan the Automator Remix) – 4:34

Charts and certifications[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

Chart (2011–13)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[11]30
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[12]25
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[13]48
Canada Active Rock (America's Music Charts)[14]15
Canada Alternative Rock (America's Music Charts)[15]3
France (SNEP)[16]132
Germany (Media Control AG)[17]85
Ireland (IRMA)[18]90
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[19]59
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[20]33
Portugal Digital Songs (Billboard)[21]2
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[22]32
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23]53
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[24]54
US Billboard Hot 100[5]17
US Adult Pop Songs (Billboard)[25]32
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[26]5
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[27]33
US Pop Songs (Billboard)[28]17
US Rock Songs (Billboard)[29]4

Certifications[edit]

RegionCertificationSales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[30]5× Platinum400,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[31]Platinum15,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[32]Gold15,000x
United States (RIAA)[33]3× Platinum3,822,000[34]
*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history[edit]

CountryDateFormatLabel
United States[35][36][10]January 4, 2011Alternative radioRed Bull Records
June 6, 2011Active rock radio
June 13, 2011Digital download
Germany[37]September 23, 2011
United Kingdom[38]September 25, 2011
France[39]September 26, 2011
Spain[40]September 27, 2011
United States[41][42]October 29, 2012Hot AC radio
Contemporary hit radio

References[edit]

  1. Jump up^ "The Billboard Hot 100 – September 3, 2011".Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 12, 2013 (subscription required).
  2. Jump up^ "The Billboard Hot 100 – January 14, 2012".Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 12, 2013 (subscription required).
  3. Jump up^ Molanphy, Chris (June 29, 2013). "The Slow Hit Movement: Year-Old Songs On The Pop Charts". NPR. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  4. Jump up^ Hooper, Ryan Patrick (March 28, 2012). "'Sail' by AWOLNATION Soars to Platinum Status". Red Bull. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  5. ^ Jump up to:a b "Awolnation Album & Song Chart History"Billboard Hot 100 for Awolnation. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  6. Jump up^ "AWOLNATION's Sail goes triple platinum". Red Bull. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  7. Jump up^ "Awolnation f. Kendrick Lamar & Ab-Soul – Sail Remix". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. March 25, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  8. Jump up^ Bush, John. "Covered – Macy Gray". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  9. Jump up^ Florino, Rick (July 31, 2013). "DevilDriver 'Winter Kills' Album Review — 5 out of 5 stars". Artistdirect. Rogue Digital. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  10. ^ Jump up to:a b Heaney, Gregory. "Sail – AWOLNATION".AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  11. Jump up^ "Australian-charts.com – Awolnation – Sail". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  12. Jump up^ "Awolnation – Sail – Austriancharts.at" (in German).Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  13. Jump up^ "Awolnation Album & Song Chart History" Canadian Hot 100 for Awolnation. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  14. Jump up^ "Active Rock – October 25, 2011". America's Music Charts. Mediabase. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  15. Jump up^ "Alternative Rock – June 21, 2011". America's Music Charts. Mediabase. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  16. Jump up^ "Lescharts.com – Awolnation – Sail" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  17. Jump up^ "AWOLNATION – Sail". Charts.de. Media Control. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  18. Jump up^ "Chart Track". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  19. Jump up^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Awolnation – Sail" (in Dutch). Mega Single Top 100. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  20. Jump up^ "Charts.org.nz – Awolnation – Sail". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  21. Jump up^ "Awolnation – Chart History: Portugal". Billboard.Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  22. Jump up^ "Swedishcharts.com – Awolnation – Sail". Singles Top 60. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  23. Jump up^ "Awolnation – Sail – swisscharts.com". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  24. Jump up^ "Archive Chart" UK Singles Chart.
  25. Jump up^ "Awolnation Album & Song Chart History" BillboardAdult Pop Songs for Awolnation. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  26. Jump up^ "Awolnation Album & Song Chart History" BillboardAlternative Songs for Awolnation. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  27. Jump up^ "Mainstream Rock Tracks (2011-11-12)" (requires registration). Billboard. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  28. Jump up^ "Awolnation Album & Song Chart History" BillboardPop Songs for Awolnation. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  29. Jump up^ "Awolnation – Chart History: Rock Songs". Billboard.Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  30. Jump up^ "Canadian single certifications – Awolnation – Sail".Music Canada.
  31. Jump up^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  32. Jump up^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Awolnation; 'Sail')". Hung Medien.
  33. Jump up^ "American single certifications – Awolnation – Sail".Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  34. Jump up^ Grein, Paul (September 25, 2013). "Week Ending Sept. 22, 2013. Songs: The Brit Is Back". Yahoo! Music.Yahoo!. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  35. Jump up^ "Alternative". All Access Music Group. Archived fromthe original on December 25, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  36. Jump up^ "Going For Adds: Active Rock (Week Of: June 6, 2011)". Radio & Records. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  37. Jump up^ "AWOLNATION" (in German). 7digital (GER). Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  38. Jump up^ "AWOLNATION". 7digital. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  39. Jump up^ "AWOLNATION" (in French). 7digital (FRA). Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  40. Jump up^ "AWOLNATION" (in Spanish). 7digital (SPA). Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  41. Jump up^ "Going For Adds: Hot AC (Week Of: October 29, 2012)". Radio & Records. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  42. Jump up^ "Going For Adds: CHR/Top 40 (Week Of: October 29, 2012)". Radio & Records. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
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