Cross famously admitted to writing the lyrics while on LSD during a drive from Houston to Austin, Texas.
It was one of the first major hits recorded using the 3M Digital Recording System , giving it a "pristine" sound quality that was revolutionary at the time. 🏆 Chart & Award Legacy
The success of this single helped Cross’s self-titled debut album sweep the "Big Four" Grammy categories (Album, Record, and Song of the Year, plus Best New Artist) in 1981—a feat unmatched for nearly 40 years until Billie Eilish in 2020.
The album’s inner sleeve dedicated the song to Lowell George , the late frontman of Little Feat who had passed away in 1979.
The song spent four consecutive weeks at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 , held out of the top spot only by Blondie's "Call Me".
The song's premise inspired a 1999 The Onion headline: "Christopher Cross Finally Reaches Mexican Border," a joke the singer reportedly loved. Christopher Cross on writing "Ride Like the Wind"
