Orinoco Flow

This article is about the Enya single. For the Enya tribute album by the Taliesin Orchestra, see Orinoco Flow (Taliesin Orchestra album).

"Orinoco Flow"
File:OrinocoFlow cover.jpg
Single by Enya
from the album Watermark
Released	15 October 1988 (1988-10-15) (UK) 10 January 1989 (1989-01-10) (US)
Format	Cassette, CD single, 7" single
Recorded	Orinoco Studios, London
Genre	New-age
Length	4:25
Label	Reprise / WEA
Writer(s)	Enya, Roma Ryan
Producer(s)	Enya, Nicky Ryan
Enya singles chronology
"I Want Tomorrow" (1987) "Orinoco Flow" (1988) "Evening Falls..." (1988)

"Orinoco Flow", also known as "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)" on some releases, is a 1988 song written and recorded by Irish singer Enya for her second studio album, Watermark.

Background

The song was released as the lead single from Enya's second studio album, Watermark, in October 1988. It became a global success, reaching #1 in several countries, including the United Kingdom, where it stayed at the top of the music charts for three weeks. In the United States, the song peaked at #24 in early 1989. The song was also highly popular in the early 1990s and was featured on many pop music compilations.

In 1994, the song was licensed to Virgin Records for the best-selling New Age music compilation album Pure Moods, and in 1998 a special-edition 10th-anniversary remix single was released. Part of its name is derived from Orinoco Studios (now Miloco Studios), where it was recorded, and its altered use of the Roland D-50 synthesizer's "Pizzagogo"/"Fantasia" patches are highly recognizable. Signed to WEA by Rob Dickins, who served as executive producer of Watermark, "Orinoco Flow" was inspired by the Venezuelan river, and it paid homage to Dickins in the line "with Rob Dickins at the wheel."

Locations and people referenced

• Orinoco River, Venezuela and Colombia
• Tripoli, Libya
• Yellow Sea
• Bissau
• Palau
• Avalon
• Fiji
• Tiree
• Isles of Ebony
• Peru
• Cebu, Philippines
• Babylon
• Bali
• Cali
• Coral Sea
• Ebudae (also the title of another Enya song)
• Khartoum
• The Sea of Clouds (possibly Mount Huangshan, China)
• Island of the Moon (Madagascar; also an island in Lake Titicaca or Isle Maree)
• Rob Dickins, head of Warner Music UK at the time of recording and executive producer of the source album, Watermark
• Ross Dependency

Uses in popular culture

In 1989, iris breeder Cy Bartlett named a cultivar Orinoco Flow.

Samples of the backing track are used in Rebel MC's hit single "Tribal Bass" (1991).

In the 1997 South Park 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 2002 I'm Alan Partridge episode "The Talented Mr. Alan," Alan is caught singing the song to himself.

The song plays over the end credits of an episode of Peep Show and the music video is shown during the episode. Jeremy also talks about Enya during the episode.

The song is played during Rumpelstiltskin's announcement scene in the 2010 film Shrek Forever After.

The song is featured during a sequence in David Fincher's 2011 adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, in which Mikael Blomkvist is tortured while his torturer listens to the song.

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.

The song was referenced to as "Sarah Way" in Peter Kay's 2015 Sitcom Car Share.

Track listings

1988

7" single
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Orinoco Flow" (Edit)	3:45
2.	"Out of the Blue"	3:10

3" CD single/12" single
No.	Title	Length
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.	Title	Length
1.	"Orinoco Flow"
2.	"Hope Has a Place"
3.	"Pax Deorum"

Cover versions

• Celtic Woman – Celtic Woman and Celtic Woman: A New Journey
• Libera – New Dawn
• Sarah McCaldwin – Destiny

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1988–89)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	6
Austrian Singles Chart	8
Dutch Singles Chart	1
European Hot 100	1
French SNEP Singles Chart	16
German Singles Chart	2
Italian Singles Chart	20
Irish Singles Chart	1
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart	2
Norwegian Singles Chart	5
Swedish Singles Chart	2
Swiss Singles Chart	1
UK Singles Chart	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	24
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	7
U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks	6

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
United Kingdom (BPI)	Silver	250,000
^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Year-end charts

Chart (1989)	Position
Australian Singles Chart	43
Swiss Singles Chart	19

Preceded by "Desire" by U2	Irish IRMA number-one single 16 October 1988 – 12 November 1988 (4 weeks)	Succeeded by "Stand Up for Your Love Rights" by Yazz
Preceded by "One Moment in Time" by Whitney Houston	UK number-one single 23 October 1988 – 12 November 1988 (3 weeks)	Succeeded by "The First Time" by Robin Beck
Preceded by "Teardrops" by Womack & Womack	Dutch number-one single 3 December 1988 – 17 December 1988 (3 weeks)	Succeeded by "Smooth Criminal" by Michael Jackson
Preceded by "A Groovy Kind of Love" by Phil Collins	Swiss number-one single 11 December 1988 – 8 January 1989 (5 weeks)	Succeeded by "Bring Me Edelweiss" by Edelweiss

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
• "Orinoco Flow" at Discogs (list of releases)