There are some songs that became so ingrained in my memory as a child that I never bothered to understand what they were about fully, and today, I’ve added a song to that list. Despite the running gag that they weren’t a “cool” band on That ’70s Show, I’ve always been a fan of Styx (or, at the very least, their biggest hits). I spent most of my childhood listening to classic rock radio with my mother, which meant I developed an appreciation for the über-dramatic, emotional 1970s rock ballads from a young age. Of course, that included “Come Sail Away”.
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The song’s gentle introduction and easily singable melody made it a favorite of mine, even if I didn’t quite understand everything singer Dennis DeYoung was saying. Maybe that’s why it took me several decades to realize that their late 70s prog-pop single was actually about aliens. No, I obviously didn’t listen closely enough when they started talking about “climbing aboard their starship” and “heading for the skies.” But I’d bet that a few of you didn’t, either.
As for the prevailing theory that the “gathering of angels” DeYoung sings about was a group of actual angels from the Book of Ezekiel in the Bible? “I wouldn’t know Ezekiel from the pizza delivery guy,” DeYoung told Classic Rock in 2025. “That’s the idea of being taken away by a higher power.”
According to DeYoung, one of the things he wished a higher power would take him away from was the opening slot on KISS shows.
How Aliens and Struggles With Fame Inspired “Come Sail Away”
Despite being around longer than many of the bands they opened for, Styx often found themselves on the smallest billing throughout their career. “We should have been ahead of a plethora of bands,” Dennis DeYoung told Classic Rock. “But we were always opening for people. Aerosmith, KISS, ZZ Top. Always the bridesmaids.” The songwriter said that as he imagined a big vessel (or gathering of angels…or aliens, per a contribution from guitarist James “JY” Young), he envisioned that vessel whisking him away from his current state. “Anything to get me out of standing behind the stage, watching Gene Simmons.”
Ultimately, “Come Sail Away” proved to be the vessel DeYoung was pining for when he first wrote the track. The song peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 9 on Canada’s single chart, propelling the band to a top-billing kind of fame. “We stopped being the bridesmaid and became the bride,” DeYoung said.
These days, “Come Sail Away” is as much a staple in the theatrically emotional classic rock canon as Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” and Kansas’ “Carry On My Wayward Son”. Styx just needed the right starship to get them to where they wanted to go.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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