PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Off-Topic Do you have any favorite songs about the ocean and/or fishing ?

Share your favorite songs about fishing and/or the sea.

My 2 favorites are:

Billy Joel - Downeaster Alex
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXJVYWY5pjw


Mark Knopfler - The Trawlerman's Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXJVYWY5pjw

I really love very 'impressionistic' songs - these 2 clearly so. Going outside songs of the sea - do you have any other favorite strongly impressionistic songs ?
(now - aren't all songs impressionistic - I'm not sure what word I'm looking for here : )

On the note of other impressionistic songs - old rock and roll "Outlaw" songs can be impressionistic for me, for example, the Eagles Desperado album has quite a few - Desperado, Doolin' Daltin, Outlaw Man.

Not exactly the ocean or the Sea, but perhaps the big lake they call Gitche Gumee qualifies:

La Mer has to be close. You can't get much closer to The Sea than this

Not a song but two Canadian Folk artists that do a lot of sea and fish songs. Search separately on YouTube for Stan and Garnett Rogers. I especially like Stan's "Tiny Fishes For Japan" a sad commentary on Canada's dying fishing industry.

https://youtu.be/BRUSqO8fObU

Stan's full album - mostly nautical songs:

https://youtu.be/o13djDCLa7g

Trivia: The late Stan Rogers was a gentle 6'4" giant from Halifax, NS, Canada and had a beautiful baritone voice. He was an accomplished Folk guitarist heard on most of his albums and live performances.

Another Folk artist that does a lot of sea/fishing songs is Gordon Bok here:

https://youtu.be/6n6v45J3vGk

Gordon is now 80 years old and was born in Camden, Maine amid the fishing culture.

I like "Old Fat Boat" by Gordon which tells the story of a man's love for his boat.

Boats are affectionately known as "A hole in the water that you keep trying to fill with Loonies!"

I'm not sure it's literally about the ocean itself, but 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' by Simon & Garfunkel immediately comes to mind

R
Wow, that was surprisingly moving. Thanks for sharing.

First up would be my very own classic....

Under the Black

followed by Jimmy Buffet

Health to the company

...Deb

Bobby Darin ~ Somewhere Beyond the Sea

Gordon Lightfoot has a beautiful song that I've forgotten the title but it tells the fishermen story through the eyes of the lady who stands looking seaward in anticipation of her love's return.

Bitter Green
https://youtu.be/0xna6p0-X7U?list=PLw-adih2NwG6ed0nIFmX_iPWAtxgwgrQD

In my mind's eye I see a beautiful young maiden straining to catch sight of the ship carrying her true love home to her embrace, a ship that will never come.

Skye boat song.

So many versions of this song my old scotch granny
sang to me. But I like this one with the jig added.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmbpqwTLqZs

What a very interesting topic! Nice one, Joe...

A lot of songs I've never heard.
Really liked the Knopfler song (and sound).
For some reason I have never been a fan of the Lightfoot sound.
Steve - you have an interesting listening palate (and palette). I REALLY like the 1st 4. The last is a too "Irish" for me (a genre I do not care for at all). I plan to go deeper into your bands - none of which I had ever heard of...
Trev - my French is not good enough to catch more than a few word. But that certainly is pretty...
Don - some interesting links. Although most of the music I grew up on grew out of the folk movement, I've never care for "pure" folk (similar to Lightfoot and "Irish" stuff - it all hits me the same).
Deryk - 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' ...ah. yes.
Herb - you could pretty much put up 80% of Buffett's entire catalog...
Deb - The Cheiftains (really not my cup of tea).
Noel - who doesn't have a soft spot for Bobby?!... nice choice.
Rich - I know that as the theme song to Outlander


A classic: Taj Mahal - Fishin' Blues




John Prine - Fish & Whistle




Christopher Cross - Sailing




Rock Me on the Water - Jackson Browne




Danny O'Keefe - Catfish

Thanks for listening sir. I've given a little more details on the bands/genres of these. I've listened to Flogging Molly more for the entertainment aspect. Who ever heard of Irish-American Celtic Punk? Humorous to me.

I'll make sure to check out the ones you listed as well. Thanks!

Queens of the Stone Age - I Sat by the Ocean (Modern Alternative Rock - Band I most listen to in this list)

Toad The Wet Sprocket - Walk on the Ocean (Late 80's/Early 90's Alternative Rock)

DNCE - Cake by the Ocean (One of the boy band members of the Jonas Brothers - Modern Pop)

Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue (Early 2000s Rock band)

Flogging Molly - The Heart of The Sea ("Irish-American Celtic Punk" Band popular since the early 2000s)

wow - didn't expect so many great responses, and so many excellent songs. Thanks so much for all of your sharing - and because we're all musicians, or incredible music lovers to say the least, I find your suggestions so much more in line with my personal taste.

At some point I hope to listen to all of them all the way through and comment on each, like Floyd did - but that would take several hours, and my attention span is short. But until then, thanks again for all your shares. Lots of great new music and artists.

Here's another that was a big hit, and also a great song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5MAg_yWsq8

I always wonder what musical tricks or sonic (instrumentation, etc) tricks help the music sound like a particular idiom. For songs about the sea , sailing, fishing - some of the above clearly go for that, while others stay true to their own genre but the words are what make that song fit the category. Can anyone articulate what musical tricks and sounds used, for those songs where the music sounds like the category (fishing, sailing), are used ?

For example, in Downeaster Alexa, Billy Joel (in my top 5 of greatest pop/singer/songwriters of all time) uses some of these tricks:
1.) an accordion, which is often found in traditional ship songs
2.) a very rhythmic, repetitive drum beat
3.) extremely melodic with very simple chord changes, often 1-5, which
4.) a musical bridge with seagull sounds and violins - violins are also much part of traditional music played on the waters, and seagull sounds that are maybe synth and slide guitar on the high electric strings.
and the "Yea-Oh" - is something similar to sailors yelling (ship ahoy - there she blows")
5.) lyrics and vocabulary - try and count the number of ocean/fishing words are in that song - probably has the most of all - Trawlerman has a lot too. I haven't listened to the others yet to see which also fit have a huge number of words that fit the theme.


I thought about another similar thread - with "Greatest Ballads" - though that cateogory is really broad, but I'm sure everyone has 5 or 6 songs that come to mind first when asked "what are some songs that have a really great story underneath them"

I love Come Sail Away! It's one of those I've always wanted to learn the piano on but haven't got off my rear to do it.

That reminded me of another, a remake that Robert Plant did in the 80s:

Fishing through time:

"Sail On Sailor" Beach Boys (1972) Yet another tune and arrangement masterpiece from the genius Brian Wilson. An aural experience in concert.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdDtOOJgTzc


"The Wreck Of The John B" Jimmie Rodgers (1960) My 2nd favorite version of this; I love the guitar!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6tjdTy6xRU


"Sailor (Your Home Is The Sea)" Lolita (1960) This has a wistful quality that spoke to millions of seamen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m8MjverT64


"Jerusalem" Easy Riders (1950's) Incredibly, "Jerusalem" was never released!!??!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dhg8iTaJlA


"The Roving Kind" Guy Mitchell (1951) Absolutely brilliant songwriting!!! This is an entirely different aspect of love than in "Beyond The Sea"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE_L996LRS4

Just discovered this 2-hour live show by Garnet Rogers. Well worth the listen.

https://youtu.be/SwIb1AOBxS8

Christopher Cross's "Sailing" always put me a wonderful place when I was at the helm of my SeaRay back when I was into boating.

Thanks for the great memory.