There are very few songs in my opinion that earn the adjective, "haunting". But when Christopher Cross released his song, "Sailing" in June 1980, that song established a special place in my memories. And it has continued to haunt me throughout my life.
When I first heard this song I was with some friends in San Francisco and we were exploring the city while waiting for news that the highway to Washington was going to reopen. You see, the highway up to Washington had been closed off and on since Mt. Saint Helen explosion in May. The volcano was still erupting, though not anywhere close to the scale of the May eruption, but it was still worrisome enough to temporarily block traffic on some of the highways. All this posturing would finally culminate in a minor eruption in July, 1980. (Quick side note: After hearing about the high mineral deposits contained in the volcanic ash - which was everywhere - we collected several garbage bags of the ash while we were exploring the Pacific coast. Upon returning home my friends and I were able to recoup the entire costs of our trip by selling mason jars of the ash. Turns out you can grow anything in that stuff . . . )
While exploring the city of San Francisco, this song seemed to be playing on the radio every hour. One memory that is burnt into my brain is waking up early to go jogging, (friends that have only known me since the 90's will be shocked at this revelation . . . ) and after my run getting back in my car at Fisherman's Wharf, being serenaded by the sights and sounds of the city, watching the fog bank retreat into the Pacific, and hearing this song being played on the radio. Magical times.
