Styx - Come Sail Away

What this video is

Produced in 1977 as a promotional clip for A&M Records, this video predates the MTV era by four years and represents the nascent form of the music video as a label marketing tool rather than an independent artistic medium. 'Come Sail Away' was the lead single from The Grand Illusion, the album that broke Styx into the mainstream arena-rock tier. The song's lyrical arc — from earthbound longing to celestial alien…

Why it matters

A landmark of the AOR and pomp-rock canon, 'Come Sail Away' represents the moment Styx achieved arena-rock commercial viability, peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1978. Its structure — a delicate piano-led ballad erupting into a bombastic guitar-heavy climax — became a defining…