Randy Newman, two-time Academy Award winner, has a distinct voice that triggers memories of the movies, given his widely popular film scores over the years. His song “Sail Away” had previously been covered by Ray Charles, whom Randy called his biggest musical influence growing up. Matthew E. White covered the song for the French video series, La Blogotheque, which follows artists making live music in different locales around Paris.
“Sail Away” is a satirical song depicting the pitch of a slave trader recruiting slaves with false promises of life in America. Matthew E. White’s version sounds like something one would hear at an intimate dinner party with the band. Some of the instruments sound like spoons banging on plates, though the band clearly has their own instruments present in this underground bathhouse turned nightclub.
The video was shot at Les Bains in Paris while it was closed for renovation in 2013. Les Bains was a famous private thermal bath built in 1885. In 1978 it became a cultural institution and famous nightclub with elite clientele.
For more on Matthew E. White, click here.
