This was written by Gavin Sutherland and recorded by the Sutherland Brothers in 1972, reaching No 58 in Britain. Gavin Sutherland said of the song, ‘Most people take the song to be about a young guy telling his girl that he’s crossing the Atlantic to be with her. In fact the song’s got nothing to do with romance or ships; it’s an account of mankind’s spiritual odyssey through life on his way to freedom and fulfilment with the Supreme Being.’
Rod Stewart recorded it in 1975 for his album Atlantic Crossing. Released as a single it went to No 1 in Britain, though only to No 58 in America.
In 1976 it was used as the theme song for the BBC1 documentary series Sailor about HMS Ark Royal, and it returned to the charts, peaking at No 3.
Here he performs it as the finale to One Night Only! Rod Stewart Live at Royal Albert Hall in 2004.