The sea is where songs go to feel small and free at once. These run from crooner standards to surf instrumentals, with the ocean standing in for escape, distance and the pull of something bigger.
Updated 2026
Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin 1959
Swinging optimism about someone waiting on a far-off shore.
Sailing by Christopher Cross 1979
Soft-rock drift that feels like an afternoon on calm water.
Orinoco Flow (Sail Away) by Enya 1988
Layered voices that rise and fall like a tide.
The Tide Is High by Blondie 1980
Patience set to a breezy beat, holding on like the sea.
Sea of Love by Phil Phillips 1959
A slow-dance classic that asks her to come along to the water.
Octopus's Garden by The Beatles 1969
Ringo dreaming up a happy hideaway under the waves.
Ocean Eyes by Billie Eilish 2016
The song that started it all, with eyes deep as the sea.
Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) by Looking Glass 1972
A sailor who loves the sea even more than the girl on shore.
Sloop John B by The Beach Boys 1966
A homesick voyage that just wants to get back to land.
Cool Change by Little River Band 1979
Heading out on the open water to clear a crowded head.
A Pirate Looks at Forty by Jimmy Buffett 1974
A man born too late for the sea he always wanted.
Wipe Out by The Surfaris 1963
All drums and surf guitar, no words needed for the wave.