Christopher Cross Releases the Official Music Video for ‘Ride Like the Wind’ on the 45th Anniversary of the Song

Musician Christopher Cross has released a long-awaited first official music video for his hit song “Ride Like the Wind” 45 years after its 1980 release. The iconic yacht rock song also featured the very busy singer Michael McDonald on background vocals and a badass guitar solo at the end. Cross had said that he wasn’t a fan of music videos at the time, but has since changed his mind

45 years after it catapulted Christopher Cross into stardom, “Ride Like The Wind” finally receives an official music video. “I’ll be honest with you: Video killed the radio star. I grew up listening to vinyl, listening to Joni, and it’s always been about the songs for me.” Christopher said in a 2001 interview, hinting to why the song originally didn’t receive a music video.

The music video, directed by Andrea Calvetti of OYE!, captured the essence of the song with determined women racing classic cars on a desert road.

Director Andrea Calvetti brings the song’s high-octane spirit to life with a fresh visual. “The goal was simple: to have fun, lean into the pulse of the track, and unleash that wild ’70s energy — muscle cars tearing through the desert, shot on vintage anamorphics, chasing something just out of reach. What makes me most proud is how we reimagined the genre’s legacy. This time, it’s an all-female cast behind the wheel — not passengers in someone else’s story, but drivers of their own wild ride.”

The Women in the Music Video

Rainey Qualley

Sadie Scheufler

Syd Kilroy

Kandia Nzinga

Michael McDonald In Between Choruses of the Song