Sail

"Sail" was written by Awolnation lead singer Aaron Bruno; the band name comes from his tendency to goleave social gatherings early without telling anyone - what's known as an "Irish goodbye." Because of this, his friends nicknamed him "AWOL," a military term meaning Absent Without Leave. When Bruno decided to form his own band after being part of major label Californian groups Under the Influence of Giants and Hometown Hero, he named it after his high school moniker. Awolnation included the song on a May 2010 EP called Back From Earth, and issued it as their first single that November. In March 2011 it was included on their debut album, Megalithic Symphony. It remains the biggest hit for the group and their best-known song.

Aaron Bruno wrote the song at a time when he and his keyboard player, Kenny Carkeet, were financing themselves by writing for other artists but making little money. When they came up with the beat for "Sail," Bruno decided to record it himself rather than selling it to another artist for a pittance. This fueled the fire to form Awolnation.

This is a really heavy song, with Aaron Bruno looking to "sail" away from the problems that are overwhelming him. It seems he can't shake off the fear of not being able to meet people's expectations. It gets really intense with the lines: Maybe I should cry for help Maybe I should kill myself Asked if the lyrics are about suicide, Bruno said: "That's a dangerous world to talk about. I don't condone that but I definitely know what it's like to feel so low in your life that you wonder what the point is being around. I'd say 80% of people have fantasized about that for a second."