Orinoco Flow

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This article is about the Enya single. For the Enya tribute album by the Taliesin Orchestra, see Orinoco Flow – The Music of Enya.

"Orinoco Flow"
OrinocoFlow cover.jpg
Single by Enya
from the album Watermark
Released
  • 15 October 1988 (1988-10-15) (Europe)
  • 10 January 1989 (1989-01-10) (US)
Recorded1987–1988
StudioAigle Studios, Killiney, Dublin, Ireland and Orinoco Studios, London, England
GenreNew-age
Length4:25
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Nicky Ryan
Enya singles chronology
"I Want Tomorrow"
(1987) 		"Orinoco Flow"
(1988) 		"Evening Falls..."
(1988)
Music video
"Orinoco Flow" on YouTube

"Orinoco Flow", also released as "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)",[1] is a song by the Irish singer songwriter Enya, released on 15 October 1988 on WEA Records in Europe and 10 January 1989 by Geffen Records in the United States. It was released as the lead single from the musician's second studio album, Watermark (1988). It topped the UK Singles Chart for three weeks and received two Grammy Award nominations for Best Music Video and Best New Age Performance at the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards.

In 2020, The Guardian ranked "Orinoco Flow" at number 77 in its list of the 100 greatest UK number-one singles of all time.[2]

Background[]

The song was released as the lead single from Enya's studio album Watermark in October 1988. It became a global success, reaching number one in several countries, including Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, where it stayed at the top of the UK Singles Chart for three weeks.[3] In the United States, the song peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1989.[4]

The title of the song is an allusion both to Orinoco Studios (now Miloco Studios), where it was recorded, and to the river of the same name. Its pizzicato chords, generated by altering the Roland D-50 synthesizer's "Pizzagogo" patch, are highly recognizable as a New-Age sound.[5] Enya was signed to WEA by Rob Dickins, who served as executive producer of Watermark, and the song pays homage to Dickins in the line "with Rob Dickins at the wheel".[6] Co-producer Ross Cullum is referenced in the song with a pun on Ross Dependency: "We can sigh, say goodbye/Ross and his dependencies".[7]

In 1994, the song was licensed to Virgin Records for the best-selling new-age music compilation album Pure Moods, which contributed to further exposure and "helped provide a multi-platinum bonanza" to the record company.[7]

In 1998, a special-edition 10th-anniversary remix single was released.[5]

Lyrics[]

The lyrics have been likened to "an itinerary for the most expensive gap year of all time",[8] mentioning an array of locations like a "global geography lesson". Locations mentioned in the song include Fiji, Tiree, Peru, Bali, and Cebu.[9]

Critical reception[]

Ned Raggett from AllMusic described the song as "distinct" and "downright catchy". He noted "its implicit dramatics, [that] gently charges instead of piling things on".[10]

Music video[]

A music video was made to accompany the song. It was directed by Michael Geoghegan.

Track listings[]

1988

7" single
No.TitleLength
1."Orinoco Flow" (Edit)3:45
2."Out of the Blue"3:10
3" CD single/12" single[11]
No.TitleLength
1."Orinoco Flow"4:26
2."Smaointe..." (d'Aodh agus do Mháire Uí Dhúgain)6:09
3."Out of the Blue"3:08

1998

No.TitleLength
1."Orinoco Flow"3:47
2."Hope Has a Place"4:46
3."Pax Deorum"4:57

Charts and certifications[]

Covers[]

Samples and remixes[]

  • Samples of the backing track are used in Rebel MC's hit single "Tribal Bass" (1991)
  • Maicol & Manuel sampled the chords in their song "No Hay Ley"

In popular culture[]

After a significant wave of popularity, including a regular rotation on MTV, the song became "a punch line",[44] representing a new-age cliché of "generic 'bubble bath' music". The song was used in scenes depicting relaxation and to highlight this in a joking manner. In the 1997 South Park[7] episode "Death", Stan's grandfather locks Stan in a room and plays a parody of the song performed by Toddy Walters to illustrate what it feels like to be old. In the Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode "Crime and Punishment", character Jake Peralta mentions Enya as one of his favorite musical artists. Later on, "Orinoco Flow" plays as he walks, in slow-motion, into a courtroom.

In the 2002 I'm Alan Partridge episode "The Talented Mr. Alan", Alan is caught singing the song to himself.[44] The song is in "Funeral", the sixth episode of the first series of Peep Show; the music video is shown during the episode, and the song plays over the end credits. The song is played during Rumpelstiltskin's announcement scene in the 2010 film Shrek Forever After.[7] It is also in the first season of Cougar Town[44]

Alternatively, the song is also used in media to create a dissonance between the calmness of the song and starkly contrasting visuals. The song is featured during a sequence in David Fincher's 2011 adaptation of the novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,[7] in which the secondary protagonist is tortured while the song plays. In the Black Mirror[7] episode "Hated in the Nation", one of the characters listens to the song to relax, "shortly before she’s torn apart by murderous drones" and effectively returned Orinoco Flow to the top of the new-age charts after the episode was released.[44]

Similarly, Enya's song "Only Time" was used in Deadpool 2 during a scene of "scene of violent, slow-motion teabagging"[45]

An exception to this is the use of the song in the 2018 Bo Burnham film Eighth Grade. Burnham wrote to Enya directly for permission to use the song, and recognized it as a serious choice for the film; "in Eighth Grade, 'Orinoco Flow' finally gets to be itself" rather than "fodder for ironic laughs".[46][44]

In regards to using "Orinoco Flow" in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine", producer Dan Goor remarked that “We weren’t trying to attach ourselves to a history of making fun of it. The joke was just that it’s 100 percent the wrong music to play. It’s supposed to be this triumphant, badass moment, and instead we’re playing that song.”[44]

In a 2015 interview with The Irish Times, Enya said: “Longevity is all any artist dreams of”, rather than to dwell on how her songs are remembered.[44] She credits "Orinoco Flow" for some of her cross-generational appeal, saying: "people who used to like Orinoco Flow are now playing my music to their children".[47] In another interview, when asked whether people bring up "Orinoco Flow", she responded: "people say 'sail away' to me or whistle bits of it back to me. I think it’s wonderful – I never tire of it."[48]

The song was also used as the title song for the Netflix comedy-drama series Living with Yourself starring Paul Rudd and Aisling Bea. The show was created by Timothy Greenberg and premiered on October 18, 2019.

Other uses[]

  • A version of the song is performed by the main character of Moone Boy when he and his friend are sailing on a homemade raft.
  • Australian television show Please Like Me features this song in the opening scene of the first episode of its fourth season.
  • The song was featured in the 2018 animated film Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation.
  • The song was played in the background during a scene in the 6th episode of season 2 of The Boys, when A-Train was being recruited to the Church of the Collective.[49]
  • The song is played during Lord Ewark's announcement scene in the 2024 film Trolls of Troy.
  • The song was featured in the 2021 film The Boss Baby: Family Business.

[]

  • In 1991, the song featured in an advert for Dulux paint.[50]
  • The song is played towards the end of Hyundai Santa Fe ad (2021) in Australia.[citation needed]

Other references[]

"Orinoco Flow" has also been used in reference to various object names including an iris cultivar Orinoco Flow by iris breeder Cy Bartlett in 1989,[51] and Leporinus enyae, a species of fish from the Orinoco drainage basin named for the artist herself.[52]

In the 2017 ITV tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, while Prince Harry recalls his mother listening to Enya driving in her BMW with the top down.[53]

References[]

  1. ^ "Enya – Orinoco Flow". Discogs. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  2. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Petridis, Alexis; Snapes, Laura (5 June 2020). "The 100 greatest UK No 1s: 100-1". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Enya Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Paolo Di Nicolantonio. "Famous Sounds". Synth Mania. Paolo Di Nicolantonio. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  6. ^ "YouTube". Archived from the original on 7 March 2016.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Behind the Song: "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)" by Enya". American Songwriter. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Enya on her new album, living in a castle and the international appeal of her music". BBC News. 3 November 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Behind the Song: "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)" by Enya". American Songwriter. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  10. ^ Raggett, Ned. "Enya – Watermark". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  11. ^ "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away) (12" single at Discogs)". Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  12. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Enya – Orinoco Flow". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  13. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Enya – Orinoco Flow" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Enya – Orinoco Flow" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  15. ^ "RPM 100 Singles – March 4, 1989" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 49 no. 22. 27 March 1989. p. 6. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  16. ^ Danish Singles Chart 16 December 1988
  17. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6 no. 52. 1 January 1989. p. 15. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  18. ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  19. ^ "Lescharts.com – Enya – Orinoco Flow" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  20. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Enya – Orinoco Flow" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  21. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Orinoco Flow". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  22. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 49, 1988" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  23. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Enya – Orinoco Flow" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  24. ^ "Charts.nz – Enya – Orinoco Flow". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  25. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Enya – Orinoco Flow". VG-lista. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  26. ^ "Notowanie nr 363" (in Polish). 4 February 1989. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  27. ^ "Top 3 Singles in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6 no. 9. 4 March 1989. p. 14. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  28. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Enya – Orinoco Flow". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  29. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Enya – Orinoco Flow". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  30. ^ "Enya Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  31. ^ "Enya Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  32. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1989" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  33. ^ "1988 Year End Eurocharts" (PDF). Music & Media. 1 January 1988. p. 30. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  34. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1988". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  35. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1988" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  36. ^ Scaping, Peter, ed. (1991). "Top 100 Singles: 1988". BPI YearBook 1989/90. London, England: British Phonographic Industry. pp. 64–65. ISBN 978-0-9061-5410-6.
  37. ^ "1989 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  38. ^ "Top 100 Single of '89". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  39. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 1989" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6 no. 51. 23 December 1989. p. 6. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 17 January 2020 – via American Radio History.
  40. ^ "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1989" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  41. ^ "End of Year Charts 1989". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  42. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1989" (in German). Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  43. ^ "British single certifications – Enya – Orinoco Flow". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  44. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Greiving, Tim (19 October 2018). "Sail Away: How Enya's "Orinoco Flow" Went From a Hit to a Punch Line to a Pop Culture Anthem". The Ringer. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  45. ^ O'Neal, Sean (15 October 2018). "Eighth Grade and the Pop-Culture Redemption of Enya's 'Orinoco Flow'". Vulture. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  46. ^ O'Neal, Sean (15 October 2018). "Eighth Grade and the Pop-Culture Redemption of Enya's 'Orinoco Flow'". Vulture. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  47. ^ "Enya: 'Love can be difficult as boyfriends tend to get jealous when they learn I need space to write music'". belfasttelegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  48. ^ "Enya: 'I feel comfortable singing in a variety of languages'". The Guardian. 15 November 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  49. ^ Paige, Rachel. "'The Boys' Season 2 Hopes You Like Billy Joel". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  50. ^ "Enya Book of Days:Shepherd Moons Article".
  51. ^ Orinoco Flow. Archived 12 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine, at WorldIris.com; published 2004; retrieved 30 September 2012.
  52. ^ "New Orinoco fish named after Enya". Practical Fishkeeping. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  53. ^ Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy. ITV. 2017.

External links[]

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