Skip to Content

Red Sails in the Sunset

Your rating: None Average: 4.3 (3 votes)
By: 
The Beatles
Lead vocals: 
Paul McCartney
Songwriter(s): 
Hugh Williams, Jimmy Kennedy
First released on: 
Live! at the Star-Club
Release date: 
April 8, 1977
Length (≈): 
2:00
Label: 
Lingasong/Bellaphon
Produced by: 
Larry Grossberg
Recording date(s): 
December, 1962
Recorded at: 
Star-Club
Musicians : 
  • Paul McCartney – bass, lead vocal
  • John Lennon – rhythm guitar
  • George Harrison – lead guitar
  • Ringo Starr – drums

Red Sails in the Sunset was first published in 1935, music by "Hugh Williams" (Will Grosz) and lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. The original "red sails" belonged to Kitty of Coleraine, a yacht the lyricist came to recognize off the Irish coast in County Londonderry. Guy Lombardo made the song popular with an early recording on Decca. Nat King Cole also made a hit of it in 1951.

Fats Domino's up-tempo treatment of the song closely resembles the Beatles version. They were roughly contemporaneous. Fans of ska will especially appreciate the rhythms in the middle eight.

The song was part of the Beatles' performance set in the days of the Quarrymen, when they performed at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. According to fans from those days, Paul liked to start off the first set with Red Sails in the Sunset. The only surviving recording is from the album, Live! At the Star Club: Hamburg, Germany; 1962.

Red sails in the sunset way out of the sea

Post a comment about Red Sails in the Sunset

Post new comment

Have something interesting to add?  Just want to put in your 2 cents?  Great, use the form below to add a little something to theBeatles.org!
CAPTCHA
This question is to prevent automated spam submissions.
Fill in the blank