Sailor Song (song)

For the Toy-Box song, see The Sailor Song.

"Sailor Song"
Single by Gigi Perez
ReleasedJuly 26, 2024
GenreIndie folk
Length3:31
LabelSelf-released
Songwriter(s)Gianna Perez
Producer(s)
  • Perez
  • Noah Weinman
Gigi Perez singles chronology
"Please Be Rude"
(2024) 		"Sailor Song"
(2024) 		"Fable"
(2024)
Music video
"Sailor Song" on YouTube

"Sailor Song" is a song by American singer-songwriter Gigi Perez, released as a single on July 26, 2024. Her third independent track following her release from Interscope Records, it went viral on TikTok and peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Sailor Song" topped the charts in Ireland, Latvia, and the United Kingdom, and peaked within the top ten of the charts in various countries, including Australia, New Zealand, and Norway.

Background

Perez went viral on TikTok in 2021 for her tracks "Celene"[1] and "Sometimes (Backwood)",[2] prompting Interscope Records to sign her and release her EP How to Catch a Falling Knife.[1] Following her release from the label, Perez reverted to releasing music independently, starting with "Normalcy" and "Please Be Rude" in 2024.[3] The single is scheduled to be released on 7-inch vinyl on January 10, 2025.[4]

Composition and reception

Perez wrote "Sailor Song" in her bedroom in February 2024,[5] having thought of the idea in the shower.[6] At the time, she had been ruminating on the idea of a quick infatuation, and wrote the song while playing with her guitar, "kiss me on the mouth and love me like a sailor" first.[5] She recorded the song using an Shure SM7 and recorded three vocals, which were panned to the left, the right, and the centre.[5] An acoustic ballad, she began teasing the track on TikTok in April 2024, where it went viral. The song describes Perez being attracted to a woman who looks like actress Anne Hathaway.[7] In the chorus, she asks her lover to "kiss me on the mouth and love me like a sailor"[8] and "And when you get a taste, can you tell me, what's my flavor?"[7]

Perez released the track on July 26, 2024; by August 27, the initial clip had soundtracked over 40,000 videos on the platform and the official audio had been used in over 75,000.[3] The song drew criticism from conservative Christian communities online for the lyrics "I don't believe in God / But I believe that you're my savior".[7] In August 2024, in response to requests to remove this lyric, Perez wrote in captions on TikTok that she would not entertain such a lyric change as her songwriting was "not a democracy".[3]

Fans likened her sound to that of indie folk artists such as Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and Hozier,[3] while the Official Charts Company wrote that the track had been compared to Hozier, the National, and Bon Iver.[7] Lucy Harbron of Far Out gave the song a rating of 4.5 out of 5, complimenting both "her utterly unique and stunning voice that is rich with emotion" and "her sharp lyricism that manages to articulate even the trickiest feelings with pure poetry".[8] The track became both her first song to reach the Billboard Hot 100[3] and her first to reach the UK Singles Chart,[7] peaking at the top of the latter chart. The Official Charts Company wrote that it was "a landmark moment to see such a brazen gay love song reach Number 1 in the UK".[9]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Sailor Song"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[48] Gold 15,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[49] Gold 25,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[50] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b Daly, Rhian (April 28, 2023). "Brooklyn's Gigi Perez shares new EP 'How To Catch A Falling Knife'". NME. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  2. ^ "Q&A: From Going Viral on TikTok to Playing with Coldplay, gigi Discusses Her Journey in Music". THE LUNA COLLECTIVE. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e Zellner, Xander (August 27, 2024). "Hot 100 First-Timers: Gigi Perez Debuts With Queer Love Ballad 'Sailor Song'". Billboard. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  4. ^ "Gigi Perez - Sailor Song 7" Vinyl". Island Records. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Daw, Stephen (October 3, 2024). "How Gigi Perez Turned Queer Longing Into a Breakout Hit: 'Representation Gives People the Ability to Dream'". Billboard. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  6. ^ "How Gigi Perez turned her pain into Sailor Song, her first UK Number 1 single". Official Charts. November 1, 2024. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e Griffiths, George (August 28, 2024). "Who is Gigi Perez? New artist blowing up with viral hit Sailor Song". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Harbron, Lucy (August 4, 2024). "The Big Indie Playlist: The best new music of the week". Far Out. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  9. ^ "How Gigi Perez turned her pain into Sailor Song, her first UK Number 1 single". Official Charts. November 1, 2024. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  10. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. November 18, 2024. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  11. ^ "Gigi Perez – Sailor Song" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  12. ^ "Gigi Perez – Sailor Song" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  13. ^ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100: Week of November 23, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  14. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 44. týden 2024 in the date selector. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  15. ^ "Track Top-40 Uge 45, 2024". Hitlisten. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  16. ^ "Gigi Perez: Sailor Song" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
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  19. ^ "Billboard Global 200: Week of November 23, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
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  21. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  22. ^ "Streymi, spilun og sala viku 41" (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on October 12, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  23. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  24. ^ "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 47" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  25. ^ "Straumēšanas Top 2024 – 42. nedēļa" [Streaming TOP 2024 – Week 42] (in Latvian). LaIPA. October 30, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  26. ^ "Grēta debitē starp līderiem un izstāsta dziesmas "Vai ne" tapšanas aizkulises" [Grēta makes her debut among the leaders and tells us behind the scenes of the song "Vai ne"] (in Latvian). TV Net [lv]. November 26, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  27. ^ "2024 42-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. October 18, 2024. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  28. ^ "Top Radio Hits Lithuania Weekly Chart: Oct 31, 2024". TopHit. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  29. ^ "Luxembourg Songs: Week of November 23, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  30. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 48, 2024" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  31. ^ "Gigi Perez – Sailor Song" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  32. ^ "Official Top 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. November 1, 2024. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  33. ^ "Singel 2024 uke 42". VG-lista. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  34. ^ "Philippines Hot 100: Week of November 23, 2024". Billboard Philippines. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  35. ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 01.11.2024–07.11.2024.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  36. ^ "Gigi Perez – Sailor Song". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  37. ^ "RIAS Top Charts Week 46 (8 - 14 Nov 2024)". RIAS. Archived from the original on November 19, 2024. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  38. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 45. týden 2024 in the date selector. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  39. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 47". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  40. ^ "Gigi Perez – Sailor Song". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
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  44. ^ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs: Week of November 9, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
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  46. ^ "Top Radio Hits Lithuania Monthly Chart: October 2024". TopHit. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  47. ^ "SK – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100: Měsíc 9/2024" (in Czech). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  48. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Gigi Perez – Sailor Song". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved October 18, 2024.[dead link‍]
  49. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 27, 2024. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Sailor Song in the search box.
  50. ^ "British single certifications – Gigi Perez – Sailor Song". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 26, 2024.