"Boat on the River" is a 1979 song by
Styx, from their album ''
Cornerstone
The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.
Over time ...
''. It was released as a single in 1980 in various countries, but not in the band's native United States, where "
Borrowed Time" was released instead.
It was popular in several European countries, becoming a top-five hit on the German, Austrian and Swiss charts (reaching number one on the latter).
Background
The song features
Tommy Shaw
Tommy Roland Shaw (born September 11, 1953) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known for his tenure in the rock band Styx (band), Styx as co-lead vocalist. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with other groups includi ...
on lead vocals and
mandolin
A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...
, with
Dennis DeYoung
Dennis DeYoung (born February 18, 1947) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He was a founding member of the rock band Styx, and served as its primary lead vocalist and keyboardist from 1972 until 1999. DeYoung was th ...
accompanying on
accordion
Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...
and harmony vocals. In the video for the song,
Chuck Panozzo
Charles Salvatore Panozzo (born September 20, 1948) is an American musician best known as a co-founder of the rock band Styx. He is currently a part-time bass player in the band, sharing bass duties with Ricky Phillips. Panozzo suffers from HIV ...
,
John Panozzo
John Anthony Panozzo (September 20, 1948 – July 16, 1996) was an American drummer best known for his work with rock band Styx.
Early life and career
Panozzo grew up in the Roseland neighborhood, the south side of Chicago, Illinois, with hi ...
, and
James J.Y. Young play bowed
double bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...
,
tambourine
The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...
/
bass drum
The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...
and
acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
respectively (even though James J.Y. Young does not play on the original recording).
Shaw said of writing the song:
But Shaw decided to demonstrate the composition to the band and, according to Shaw, "Dennis liked it enough and said, 'Let’s put it on the album.' That’s one thing I like about being a band that’s been so daring over the years: you get to try stuff like that!"
[
]
Reception
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
reviewer Mike DeGagne praised both "Boat on the River" and fellow ''Cornerstone'' single "Lights" for their "silky harmonies and welcoming choruses". Canadian Press critic Michael Lawson said it has a "Russian folksong flavor" and called it a "showcase for Shaw's balalaika
The balalaika (russian: link=no, балала́йка, ) is a Russian stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body, fretted neck and three strings. Two strings are usually tuned to the same note and the thir ...
-like mandolin work" ''The Pittsburgh Press'' critic Pete Bishop called it a "zippy Mediterranean-style dance on which Tommy Shaw stars on mandolin" and "a fine novelty number." Eric Hegedus of ''The Morning Call'' said that the song "charts a new course for Styx" and that "the mandolin and autoharp, both played by Shaw, lend a tranquil Venetian air to the song; you can actually picture yourself floating down a canal in a gondola." On the other hand, ''Wichita Beacon'' reviewer Terre Johnson felt that Styx should not have tried a folk song, saying that "it muddles about with a folksy sound without building into anything close to the magnitude, intensity or emotion in the other songs n ''Cornerstone''
''Classic Rock'' critic Malcolm Dome rated "Boat on the River" as Styx 8th greatest song, saying that Shaw's mandolin and DeYoung's accordion give the song a "somewhat expressive European flavour, which makes it more than just another power ballad." ''PopMatters'' critic David Pike rated it one of the "41 essential pop/rock songs with accordion."
Cover versions
The song has been covered by Seventh Avenue, Guano Apes
Guano Apes are a German rock band formed in 1994 in Göttingen. The band consists of Sandra Nasić (vocals), Henning Rümenapp (guitars, backing vocals), Stefan Ude (bass, backing vocals), and Dennis Poschwatta (drums, backing vocals).
AllMus ...
, and Finland's Riki Sorsa
Richard Esko "Riki" Sorsa (26 December 1952 – 10 May 2016) was a Finnish pop singer. He started his career in 1974 as the lead singer in the band The Zoo. He represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981 with the entry "Reggae OK", a re ...
. The song has also been covered by Turkish artist Metin Özülkü
Metin is a Turkish given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Surname
* Tümer Metin (born 1974), Turkish international footballer
Given name
* Metin Akan (born 1983), Turkish professional footballer
* Metin Akpınar (born 1 ...
, German folk rock band Fiddler's Green and by Bulgarian singer Mimi Ivanova Mimi or MIMI may refer to:
People
* Mimi (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Constantin Mimi (1868–1935), Bessarabian politician and winemaker
* Mimi (footballer, born 1996), Bissau Guinean footballer
* Mohanad Ali (born ...
.
The 1994 Slovenian song "Mlinar na Muri", which immediately became hit and eventually evergreen, with new lyrics by Tomaž Domicelj, sampled the melody of this tune.
Track listings
7" Single
# Boat on the River – 3:10
# Borrowed Time – 4:58
Personnel
*Tommy Shaw
Tommy Roland Shaw (born September 11, 1953) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known for his tenure in the rock band Styx (band), Styx as co-lead vocalist. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with other groups includi ...
- lead vocals, mandolin, acoustic guitar, autoharp
*Dennis DeYoung
Dennis DeYoung (born February 18, 1947) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He was a founding member of the rock band Styx, and served as its primary lead vocalist and keyboardist from 1972 until 1999. DeYoung was th ...
- accordion, harmony vocals
*Chuck Panozzo
Charles Salvatore Panozzo (born September 20, 1948) is an American musician best known as a co-founder of the rock band Styx. He is currently a part-time bass player in the band, sharing bass duties with Ricky Phillips. Panozzo suffers from HIV ...
- double bass
*John Panozzo
John Anthony Panozzo (September 20, 1948 – July 16, 1996) was an American drummer best known for his work with rock band Styx.
Early life and career
Panozzo grew up in the Roseland neighborhood, the south side of Chicago, Illinois, with hi ...
- tambourine/bass drum
Charts
References
{{authority control
1979 songs
1980 singles
Styx (band) songs
American folk songs
A&M Records singles
Number-one singles in Switzerland
Songs written by Tommy Shaw