Catch the Breeze and Ride Like the Wind: Christopher Cross’s Yacht Rock Classic Gets a Gritty New Spin

If you’ve ever cruised down the highway with the windows down and the world behind you, chances are you’ve felt the siren call of Christopher Cross’s “Ride Like the Wind”. It’s not just a song—it’s a sensation. A top-down, heart-thumping, desert-wind-in-your-hair kind of anthem that helped define an era, one guitar shimmer and Michael McDonald harmony at a time.

Let’s rewind the tape for a second. It’s 1979. Disco is on its way out, punk’s crashing the party, and a new, silky-smooth sound is starting to drift over the airwaves. Later dubbed Yacht Rock—part California sunshine, part jazz-fusion polish—this genre would be the breezy escape hatch for anyone longing for something lush and cool. Enter Christopher Cross, a soft-spoken Texan with a knack for epic melodies and zero interest in fitting into any one musical mold.

With his self-titled debut album, Cross didn’t just dip a toe into the pop world—he cannonballed into Grammy history. Five golden gramophones. A clean sweep of the “Big Four” awards (Album, Song, Record, and Best New Artist). Not bad for your first time at bat.

And leading off that legendary album? “Ride Like the Wind.”

Now, more than four decades later, this high-octane ode to freedom is back—with a remastered glow-up, a cinematic new music video, and a vinyl deluxe edition that’ll make any crate-digger’s pulse race. It’s part of the expanded reissue of Christopher Cross, released digitally this spring and arriving on 2LP vinyl this summer.

Let’s be honest: “Ride Like the Wind” isn’t just a song you hear. It’s a song that moves. From the first driving piano stabs to Cross’s breathless delivery—part confessional, part getaway plan—it’s all momentum. Throw in Michael McDonald’s legendary backing vocals (like a soulful guardian angel whispering from the passenger seat), and you’ve got a track that sounds like speeding through a twilight desert with destiny on your heels.

The production is rich, full, and cinematic—featuring some of L.A.’s best session players of the day. It captures the pure exhilaration of taking off, of chasing something unseen. In Cross’s lyrics, there’s a fugitive’s urgency, but also a dreamer’s sense of wonder. You’re not just running from something—you’re chasing toward something, too.

Yes, you read that right. “Ride Like the Wind” now has its first official music video—just 45 years after its release. And it’s worth the wait.

Directed by Andrea Calvetti, the video trades in the usual nostalgia for something a little grittier, a little more carsploitation cinema. Think Vanishing Point meets Thelma & Louise, but without the male protagonists hogging the screen. Set in a sun-bleached desert, it’s all slow-motion dust clouds, muscle cars, tension, and defiance. The all-female cast doesn’t just ride—they own the road.

Calvetti’s vision flips the script on the classic “man-on-the-run” trope. These women aren’t passengers in anyone else’s narrative. They’re tearing through the sand with purpose and power. It's a perfect visual metaphor for the song’s restless spirit and a reminder that sometimes, to truly ride like the wind, you have to take the wheel yourself.

In an era where retro is trendy and vinyl reigns again, the timing of this reissue couldn’t be better. The expanded edition includes deep cuts, Japan-only tracks, and shimmering treasures like “Mary Ann” and “Smiles of Angels.” For longtime fans, it’s a treasure chest. For newcomers? A golden invitation to step aboard the yacht.

But don’t let the soft-rock label fool you. Christopher Cross’s music has bite, heart, and a sense of scale that still feels cinematic today. He wasn’t just making tunes for wine spritzers on the back deck—he was scoring life’s bigger moments. The escapes. The regrets. The late-night revelations. And, of course, the long drives into the unknown.

“Ride Like the Wind” was—and still is—a masterpiece of motion. It's the kind of song that knows no speed limit. And with this stunning remaster, brand-new video, and long-overdue celebration of Cross’s debut, it’s once again revving its engine for a whole new audience.

So buckle up. Whether you’re rediscovering this gem or hearing it for the first time, now’s the moment to turn the volume up, hit the gas, and ride like the wind to the border of something new.

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