Red Sails in the Sunset

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. 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. 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 only surviving recording is from the album, Live! At the Star Club: Hamburg, Germany; 1962.