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Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs
Yacht rock was one of the most commercially successful genres to emerge from the '70s and yet has managed to evade concise definition since its inception. For many listeners, it boils down to a feeling or mood that cannot be found in other kinds of music: Simply put, you know it when you hear it.
Some agreed-upon elements are crucial to yacht rock. One is its fluidity, with more emphasis on a catchy, easy-feeling melody than on beat or rhythm. Another is a generally lighthearted attitude in the lyrics. Think Seals & Crofts ' "Summer Breeze," Christopher Cross ' "Ride Like the Wind" or Bill Withers ' "Just the Two of Us." Yes, as its label suggests, music that would fit perfectly being played from the deck of a luxurious boat on the high seas.
But even these roughly outlined "rules" can be flouted and still considered yacht rock. Plenty of bands that are typically deemed "nyacht" rock have made their attempts at the genre: Crosby, Stills & Nash got a bit nautical with "Southern Cross," leading with their famed tightly knit harmonies, and Fleetwood Mac also entered yacht rock territory with "Dreams" – which, although lyrically dour, offers a sense of melody in line with yacht rock.
Given its undefined parameters, the genre has become one of music's most expansive corners. From No. 1 hits to deeper-cut gems, we've compiled a list of 50 Top Yacht Rock Songs to set sail to below.
50. "Thunder Island," Jay Ferguson (1978)
Younger generations might be more apt to recognize Jay Ferguson from his score for NBC's The Office , where he also portrayed the guitarist in Kevin Malone's band Scrantonicity. But Ferguson's musical roots go back to the '60s band Spirit; he was also in a group with one of the future members of Firefall, signaling a '70s-era shift toward yacht rock and "Thunder Island." The once-ubiquitous single began its steady ascent in October 1977 before reaching the Top 10 in April of the following year. Producer Bill Szymczyk helped it get there by bringing in his buddy Joe Walsh for a soaring turn on the slide. The best showing Ferguson had after this, however, was the quickly forgotten 1979 Top 40 hit "Shakedown Cruise." (Nick DeRiso)
49. "Southern Cross," Crosby, Stills & Nash (1982)
CSN's "Southern Cross" was an example of a more literal interpretation of yacht rock, one in which leftover material was revitalized by Stephen Stills . He sped up the tempo of a song titled " Seven League Boots " originally penned by brothers Rick and Michael Curtis, then laid in new lyrics about, yes, an actual boat ride. "I rewrote a new set of words and added a different chorus, a story about a long boat trip I took after my divorce," Stills said in the liner notes to 1991's CSN box. "It's about using the power of the universe to heal your wounds." The music video for the song, which went into heavy rotation on MTV, also prominently displayed the band members aboard a large vessel. (Allison Rapp)
48. "Jackie Blue," the Ozark Mountain Daredevils (1974)
Drummer Larry Lee only had a rough idea of what he wanted to do with "Jackie Blue," originally naming it after a bartending dope pusher. For a long time, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils' best-known single remained an instrumental with the place-keeper lyric, " Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh Jackie Blue. He was dada, and dada doo. He did this, he did that ... ." Producer Glyn Johns, who loved the track, made a key suggestion – and everything finally snapped into place: "No, no, no, mate," Johns told them. "Jackie Blue has to be a girl." They "knocked some new lyrics out in about 30 minutes," Lee said in It Shined: The Saga of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils . "[From] some drugged-out guy, we changed Jackie into a reclusive girl." She'd go all the way to No. 3. (DeRiso)
47. "Sailing," Christopher Cross (1979)
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more quintessential yacht rock song than “Sailing.” The second single (and first chart-topper) off Christopher Cross’ 1979 self-titled debut offers an intoxicating combination of dreamy strings, singsong vocals and shimmering, open-tuned guitar arpeggios that pay deference to Cross’ songwriting idol, Joni Mitchell . “These tunings, like Joni used to say, they get you in this sort of trance,” Cross told Songfacts in 2013. “The chorus just sort of came out. … So I got up and wandered around the apartment just thinking, ‘Wow, that's pretty fuckin' great.’” Grammy voters agreed: “Sailing” won Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Arrangement at the 1981 awards. (Bryan Rolli)
46. "Just the Two of Us," Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr. (1980)
A collaboration between singer Bill Withers and saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. resulted in the sleek "Just the Two of Us." When first approached with the song, Withers insisted on reworking the lyrics. "I'm a little snobbish about words," he said in 2004 . "I said, 'Yeah, if you'll let me go in and try to dress these words up a little bit.' Everybody that knows me is kind of used to me that way. I probably threw in the stuff like the crystal raindrops. The 'Just the Two of Us' thing was already written. It was trying to put a tuxedo on it." The track was completed with some peppy backing vocals and a subtle slap bass part. (Rapp)
45. "Sara Smile," Daryl Hall & John Oates (1975)
It doesn't get much smoother than "Sara Smile," Daryl Hall & John Oates ' first Top 10 hit in the U.S. The song was written for Sara Allen, Hall's longtime girlfriend, whom he had met when she was working as a flight attendant. His lead vocal, which was recorded live, is clear as a bell on top of a velvety bass line and polished backing vocals that nodded to the group's R&B influences. “It was a song that came completely out of my heart," Hall said in 2018 . "It was a postcard. It’s short and sweet and to the point." Hall and Allen stayed together for almost 30 years before breaking up in 2001. (Rapp)
44. "Rosanna," Toto (1982)
One of the most identifiable hits of 1982 was written by Toto co-founder David Paich – but wasn't about Rosanna Arquette, as some people have claimed, even though keyboardist Steve Porcaro was dating the actress at the time. The backbeat laid down by drummer Jeff Porcaro – a "half-time shuffle" similar to what John Bonham played on " Fool in the Rain " – propels the track, while vocal harmonies and emphatic brass sections add further layers. The result is an infectious and uplifting groove – yacht rock at its finest. (Corey Irwin)
43. "Diamond Girl," Seals & Crofts (1973)
Seals & Crofts were soft-rock stylists with imagination, dolling up their saccharine melodies with enough musical intrigue to survive beyond the seemingly obvious shelf life. Granted, the lyrics to “Diamond Girl,” one of the duo’s three No. 6 hits, are as sterile as a surgery-operating room, built on pseudo-romantic nothing-isms ( “Now that I’ve found you, it’s around you that I am” — what a perfectly natural phrase!). But boy, oh boy does that groove sound luxurious beaming out of a hi-fi system, with every nuance — those stacked backing vocals, that snapping piano — presented in full analog glory. (Ryan Reed)
42. "What You Won't Do for Love," Bobby Caldwell (1978)
Smooth. From the opening horn riffs and the soulful keyboard to the funk bass and the velvety vocals of Bobby Caldwell, everything about “What You Won’t Do for Love” is smooth. Released in September 1978, the track peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to become the biggest hit of Caldwell’s career. It was later given a second life after being sampled for rapper 2Pac's posthumously released 1998 hit single “Do for Love.” (Irwin)
41. "We Just Disagree," Dave Mason (1977)
Dave Mason's ace in the hole on the No. 12 smash "We Just Disagree" was Jim Krueger, who composed the track, shared the harmony vocal and played that lovely guitar figure. "It was a song that when he sang it to me, it was like, 'Yeah, that's the song,'" Mason told Greg Prato in 2014. "Just him and a guitar, which is usually how I judge whether I'm going to do something. If it holds up like that, I'll put the rest of the icing on it." Unfortunately, the multitalented Krueger died of pancreatic cancer at age 43. By then, Mason had disappeared from the top of the charts, never getting higher than No. 39 again. (DeRiso)
40. "Crazy Love," Poco (1978)
Rusty Young was paneling a wall when inspiration struck. He'd long toiled in the shadow of Stephen Stills , Richie Furay and Neil Young , serving in an instrumentalist role with Buffalo Springfield and then Poco . "Crazy Love" was his breakout moment, and he knew it. Rusty Young presented the song before he'd even finished the lyric, but his Poco bandmates loved the way the stopgap words harmonized. "I told the others, 'Don't worry about the ' ooh, ooh, ahhhh haaa ' part. I can find words for that," Young told the St. Louis Dispatch in 2013. "And they said, 'Don't do that. That's the way it's supposed to be.'" It was: Young's first big vocal became his group's only Top 20 hit. (DeRiso)
39. "Suspicions," Eddie Rabbitt (1979)
Eddie Rabbitt 's move from country to crossover stardom was hurtled along by "Suspicions," as a song about a cuckold's worry rose to the Top 20 on both the pop and adult-contemporary charts. Behind the scenes, there was an even clearer connection to yacht rock: Co-writer Even Stevens said Toto's David Hungate played bass on the date. As important as it was for his career, Rabbitt later admitted that he scratched out "Suspicions" in a matter of minutes, while on a lunch break in the studio on the last day of recording his fifth album at Wally Heider's Los Angeles studio. "Sometimes," Rabbitt told the Associated Press in 1985, "the words just fall out of my mouth." (DeRiso)
38. "Moonlight Feels Right," Starbuck (1976)
No sound in rock history is more yacht friendly than Bruce Blackman’s laugh: hilarious, arbitrary, smug, speckled with vocal fry, arriving just before each chorus of Starbuck’s signature tune. Why is this human being laughing? Shrug. Guess the glow of night will do that to you. Then again, this is one of the more strange hits of the '70s — soft-pop hooks frolicking among waves of marimba and synthesizers that could have been plucked from a classic prog epic. “ The eastern moon looks ready for a wet kiss ,” Blackman croons, “ to make the tide rise again .” It’s a lunar make-out session, baby. (Reed)
37. "Same Old Lang Syne," Dan Fogelberg (1981)
“Same Old Lang Syne” is a masterclass in economic storytelling, and its tragedy is in the things both protagonists leave unsaid. Dan Fogelberg weaves a devastating tale of two former lovers who run into each other at a grocery store on Christmas Eve and spend the rest of the night catching up and reminiscing. Their circumstances have changed — he’s a disillusioned professional musician, she’s stuck in an unhappy marriage — but their love for each other is still palpable if only they could overcome their fears and say it out loud. They don’t, of course, and when Fogelberg bids his high-school flame adieu, he’s left with only his bittersweet memories and gnawing sense of unfulfillment to keep him warm on that snowy (and later rainy) December night. (Rolli)
36. "Eye in the Sky," the Alan Parsons Project (1982)
Few songs strike a chord with both prog nerds and soft-rock enthusiasts, but the Alan Parsons Project's “Eye in the Sky” belongs to that exclusive club. The arrangement is all smooth contours and pillowy textures: By the time Eric Woolfson reaches the chorus, shyly emoting about romantic deception over a bed of Wurlitzer keys and palm-muted riffs, the effect is like falling slow motion down a waterfall onto a memory foam mattress. But there’s artfulness here, too, from Ian Bairnson’s seductive guitar solo to the titular phrase conjuring some kind of god-like omniscience. (Reed)
35. "Somebody's Baby," Jackson Browne (1982)
Jackson Browne 's highest-charting single, and his last Top 10 hit, was originally tucked away on the soundtrack for the 1982 teen comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High . That placed Browne, one of the most earnest of singer-songwriters, firmly out of his element. "It was not typical of what Jackson writes at all, that song," co-composer Danny Kortchmar told Songfacts in 2013. "But because it was for this movie, he changed his general approach and came up with this fantastic song." Still unsure of how it would fit in, Browne refused to place "Somebody's Baby" on his next proper album – something he'd later come to regret . Lawyers in Love broke a string of consecutive multiplatinum releases dating back to 1976. (DeRiso)
34. "Still the One," Orleans (1976)
Part of yacht rock’s charm is being many things but only to a small degree. Songs can be jazzy, but not experimental. Brass sections are great but don’t get too funky. And the songs should rock, but not rock . In that mold comes Orleans’ 1976 hit “Still the One.” On top of a chugging groove, frontman John Hall sings about a romance that continues to stand the test of time. This love isn’t the white-hot flame that leaves passionate lovers burned – more like a soft, medium-level heat that keeps things comfortably warm. The tune is inoffensive, catchy and fun, aka yacht-rock gold. (Irwin)
33. "New Frontier," Donald Fagen (1982)
In which an awkward young man attempts to spark a Cold War-era fling — then, hopefully, a longer, post-apocalyptic relationship — via bomb shelter bunker, chatting up a “big blond” with starlet looks and a soft spot for Dave Brubeck. Few songwriters could pull off a lyrical concept so specific, and almost no one but Donald Fagen could render it catchy. “New Frontier,” a signature solo cut from the Steely Dan maestro, builds the sleek jazz-funk of Gaucho into a more digital-sounding landscape, with Fagen stacking precise vocal harmonies over synth buzz and bent-note guitar leads. (Reed)
32. "Sail On, Sailor," the Beach Boys (1973)
The Beach Boys were reworking a new album when Van Dyke Parks handed them this updated version of an unfinished Brian Wilson song. All that was left was to hand the mic over to Blondie Chaplin for his greatest-ever Beach Boys moment. They released "Sail On, Sailor" twice, however, and this yearning groover somehow barely cracked the Top 50. Chaplin was soon out of the band, too. It's a shame. "Sail On, Sailor" remains the best example of how the Beach Boys' elemental style might have kept growing. Instead, Chaplin went on to collaborate with the Band , Gene Clark of the Byrds and the Rolling Stones – while the Beach Boys settled into a lengthy tenure as a jukebox band. (DeRiso)
31. "Time Passages," Al Stewart (1978)
Al Stewart followed up the first hit single of his decade-long career – 1976's "Year of the Cat" – with a more streamlined take two years later. "Time Passages" bears a similar structure to the earlier track, including a Phil Kenzie sax solo and production by Alan Parsons. While both songs' respective album and single versions coincidentally run the same time, the 1978 hit's narrative wasn't as convoluted and fit more squarely into pop radio playlists. "Time Passages" became Stewart's highest-charting single, reaching No. 7 – while "Year of the Cat" had stalled at No. 8. (Michael Gallucci)
30. "I Go Crazy," Paul Davis (1977)
Paul Davis looked like he belonged in the Allman Brothers Band , but his soft, soulful voice took him in a different direction. The slow-burning nature of his breakthrough single "I Go Crazy" was reflected in its chart performance: For years the song held the record for the most weeks spent on the chart, peaking at No. 7 during its 40-week run. Davis, who died in 2008, took five more songs into the Top 40 after 1977, but "I Go Crazy" is his masterpiece – a wistful and melancholic look back at lost love backed by spare, brokenhearted verses. (Gallucci)
29. "Biggest Part of Me," Ambrosia (1980)
Songwriter David Pack taped the original demo of this song on a reel-to-reel when everyone else was running late, finishing just in time: "I was waiting for my family to get in the car so I could go to a Fourth of July celebration in Malibu," he told the Tennessean in 2014. "I turned off my machine [and] heard the car horn honking for me." Still, Pack was worried that the hastily written first verse – which rhymed " arisin ,'" " horizon " and " realizin '" – might come off a little corny. So he followed the time-honored yacht-rock tradition of calling in Michael McDonald to sing heartfelt background vocals. Result: a Top 5 hit on both the pop and adult-contemporary charts. (DeRiso)
28. "Africa," Toto (1982)
Remove the cover versions, the nostalgia sheen and its overuse in TV and films, and you’re left with what makes “Africa” great: one of the best earworm choruses in music history. Never mind that the band is made up of white guys from Los Angeles who'd never visited the titular continent. Verses about Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti paint a picture so vivid that listeners are swept away. From the soaring vocals to the stirring synth line, every element of the song works perfectly. There’s a reason generations of music fans continue to proudly bless the rains. (Irwin)
27. "Hello It's Me," Todd Rundgren (1972)
“Hello It’s Me” is the first song Todd Rundgren ever wrote, recorded by his band Nazz and released in 1968. He quickened the tempo, spruced up the instrumentation and delivered a more urgent vocal for this 1972 solo rendition (which became a Top 5 U.S. hit), but the bones of the tune remain the same. “Hello It’s Me” is a wistful, bittersweet song about the dissolution of a relationship between two people who still very much love and respect each other a clear-eyed breakup ballad lacking the guile, cynicism and zaniness of Rundgren’s later work. “The reason those [early] songs succeeded was because of their derivative nature,” Rundgren told Guitar World in 2021. “They plugged so easily into audience expectations. They’re easily absorbed.” That may be so, but there’s still no denying the airtight hooks and melancholy beauty of “Hello It’s Me.” (Rolli)
26. "Smoke From a Distant Fire," the Sanford/Townsend Band (1977)
There are other artists who better define yacht rock - Michael McDonald, Steely Dan, Christopher Cross - but few songs rival the Sanford/Townsend Band's "Smoke From a Distant Fire" as a more representative genre track. (It was a Top 10 hit in the summer of 1977. The duo never had another charting single.) From the vaguely swinging rhythm and roaring saxophone riff to the light percussion rolls and risk-free vocals (that nod heavily to Daryl Hall and John Oates' blue-eyed soul), "Smoke" may be the most definitive yacht rock song ever recorded. We may even go as far as to say it's ground zero. (Gallucci)
25. "Dream Weaver," Gary Wright (1975)
Unlike many other songs on our list, “Dream Weaver” lacks lush instrumentation. Aside from Gary Wright’s vocals and keyboard parts, the only added layer is the drumming of Jim Keltner. But while the track may not have guitars, bass or horns, it certainly has plenty of vibes. Inspired by the writings of Paramahansa Yogananda – which Wright was turned on to by George Harrison – “Dream Weaver” boasts a celestial aura that helped the song peak at No. 2 in 1976. (Irwin)
24. "Reminiscing," Little River Band (1978)
The third time was the charm with Little River Band 's highest-charting single in the U.S. Guitarist Graeham Goble wrote "Reminiscing" for singer Glenn Shorrock with a certain keyboardist in mind. Unfortunately, they weren't able to schedule a session with Peter Jones, who'd played an important role in Little River Band's first-ever charting U.S. single, 1976's "It's a Long Way There ." They tried it anyway but didn't care for the track. They tried again, with the same results. "The band was losing interest in the song," Goble later told Chuck Miller . "Just before the album was finished, Peter Jones came back into town, [and] the band and I had an argument because I wanted to give 'Reminiscing' a third chance." This time they nailed it. (DeRiso)
23. "Heart Hotels," Dan Fogelberg (1979)
Ironically enough, this song about debilitating loneliness arrived on an album in which Dan Fogelberg played almost all of the instruments himself. A key concession to the outside world became the most distinctive musical element on "Heart Hotels," as well-known saxophonist Tom Scott took a turn on the Lyricon – a pre-MIDI electronic wind instrument invented just a few years earlier. As for the meaning of sad songs like these, the late Fogelberg once said : "I feel experiences deeply, and I have an outlet, a place where I can translate those feelings. A lot of people go to psychoanalysts. I write songs." (DeRiso)
22. "Year of the Cat," Al Stewart (1976)
Just about every instrument imaginable can be heard in Al Stewart's "Year of the Cat." What begins with an elegant piano intro winds its way through a string section and a sultry sax solo, then to a passionate few moments with a Spanish acoustic guitar. The sax solo, often a hallmark of yacht-rock songs, was not Stewart's idea. Producer Alan Parsons suggested it at the last minute, and Stewart thought it was the "worst idea I'd ever heard. I said, 'Alan, there aren’t any saxophones in folk-rock. Folk-rock is about guitars. Sax is a jazz instrument,'" Stewart said in 2021 . Multiple lengthy instrumental segments bring the song to nearly seven minutes, yet each seems to blend into the next like a carefully arranged orchestra. (Rapp)
21. "How Long," Ace (1974)
How long does it take to top the charts? For the Paul Carrack-fronted Ace: 45 years . "I wrote the lyric on the bus going to my future mother-in-law's," he later told Gary James . "I wrote it on the back of that bus ticket. That's my excuse for there only being one verse." Ace released "How Long" in 1975, reaching No. 3, then Carrack moved on to stints with Squeeze and Mike and the Mechanics . Finally, in 2020, "How Long" rose two spots higher, hitting No. 1 on Billboard's rock digital song sales chart after being featured in an Amazon Prime advertisement titled "Binge Cheat." (DeRiso)
20. "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)," Looking Glass (1972)
Like "Summer Breeze" (found later in our list of Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs), Looking Glass' tale of an alluring barmaid in a busy harbor town pre-dates the classic yacht-rock era. Consider acts like Seals & Crofts and these one-hit wonders pioneers of the genre. Ironically, the effortless-sounding "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" was quite difficult to complete. "We recorded 'Brandy' two or three different times with various producers before we got it right," Looking Glass' principal songwriter Elliot Lurie told the Tennessean in 2016. The chart-topping results became so popular so fast, however, that Barry Manilow had to change the title of a new song he was working on to " Mandy ." (DeRiso)
19. "I Can't Tell You Why," Eagles (1979)
Timothy B. Schmit joined just in time to watch the Eagles disintegrate. But things couldn't have started in a better place for the former Poco member. He arrived with the makings of his first showcase moment with the group, an unfinished scrap that would become the No. 8 hit "I Can't Tell You Why." For a moment, often-contentious band members rallied around the outsider. Don Henley and Glenn Frey both made key contributions, as Eagles completed the initial song on what would become 1979's The Long Run . Schmit felt like he had a reason to be optimistic. Instead, Eagles released the LP and then promptly split up. (DeRiso)
18. "Sentimental Lady," Bob Welch (1977)
Bob Welch first recorded "Sentimental Lady" in 1972 as a member of Fleetwood Mac . Five years later, after separating from a band that had gone on to way bigger things , Welch revisited one of his best songs and got two former bandmates who appeared on the original version – Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie – to help out (new Mac member Lindsey Buckingham also makes an appearance). This is the better version, warmer and more inviting, and it reached the Top 10. (Gallucci)
17. "So Into You," Atlanta Rhythm Section (1976)
Atlanta Rhythm Section is often wrongly categorized as a Southern rock band, simply because of their roots in Doraville, Ga. Songs like the seductively layered "So Into You" illustrate how little they had in common with the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd . As renowned Muscle Shoals sessions ace David Hood once said, they're more like the " Steely Dan of the South ." Unfortunately, time hasn't been kind to the group. Two of this best-charting single's writers have since died , while keyboardist Dean Daughtry retired in 2019 as Atlanta Rhythm Section's last constant member. (DeRiso)
16. "Dreams," Fleetwood Mac (1977)
Stevie Nicks was trying to channel the heartbreak she endured after separating from Lindsey Buckingham into a song, but couldn't concentrate among the bustle of Fleetwood Mac's sessions for Rumours . "I was kind of wandering around the studio," she later told Yahoo! , "looking for somewhere I could curl up with my Fender Rhodes and my lyrics and a little cassette tape recorder." That's when she ran into a studio assistant who led her to a quieter, previously unseen area at Sausalito's Record Plant. The circular space was surrounded by keyboards and recording equipment, with a half-moon bed in black-and-red velvet to one side. She settled in, completing "Dreams" in less than half an hour, but not before asking the helpful aide one pressing question: "I said, 'What is this?' And he said, 'This is Sly Stone 's studio.'" (DeRiso)
15. "Minute by Minute," the Doobie Brothers (1978)
Michael McDonald was so unsure of this album that he nervously previewed it for a friend. "I mean, all the tunes have merit, but I don't know if they hang together as a record," McDonald later told UCR. "He looked at me and he said, 'This is a piece of shit.'" Record buyers disagreed, making Minute by Minute the Doobie Brothers' first chart-topping multiplatinum release. Such was the mania surrounding this satiny-smooth LP that the No. 14 hit title track lost out on song-of-the-year honors at the Grammys to "What a Fool Believes" (found later in our list of Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs) by the Doobie Brothers. (DeRiso)
14. "Lonely Boy," Andrew Gold (1976)
Andrew Gold’s only Top 10 U.S. hit is a story of parental neglect and simmering resentment, but those pitch-black details are easy to miss when couched inside such a deliciously upbeat melody. Gold chronicles the childhood of the titular lonely boy over a propulsive, syncopated piano figure, detailing the betrayal he felt when his parents presented him with a sister two years his junior. When he turns 18, the lonely boy ships off to college and leaves his family behind, while his sister gets married and has a son of her own — oblivious to the fact that she’s repeating the mistakes of her parents. Gold insisted “Lonely Boy” wasn’t autobiographical, despite the details in the song matching up with his own life. In any case, you can’t help but wonder what kind of imagination produces such dark, compelling fiction. (Rolli)
13. "Baby Come Back," Player (1977)
Liverpool native Peter Beckett moved to the States, originally to join a forgotten act called Skyband. By the time he regrouped to found Player with American J.C. Crowley, Beckett's wife had returned to England. Turns out Crowley was going through a breakup, too, and the Beckett-sung "Baby Come Back" was born. "So it was a genuine song, a genuine lyric – and I think that comes across in the song," Beckett said in The Yacht Rock Book . "That's why it was so popular." The demo earned Player a hastily signed record deal, meaning Beckett and Crowley had to assemble a band even as "Baby Come Back" rose to No. 1. Their debut album was released before Player had ever appeared in concert. (DeRiso)
12. "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight," England Dan & John Ford Coley (1976)
There aren't too many songs with choruses as big as the one England Dan & John Ford Coley pump into the key lines of their first Top 40 single. Getting there is half the fun: The conversational verses – " Hello, yeah, it's been a while / Not much, how 'bout you? / I'm not sure why I called / I guess I really just wanted to talk to you " – build into the superpowered come-on line " I'm not talking 'bout moving in ... ." Their yacht-rock pedigree is strong: Dan Seals' older brother is Seals & Croft's Jim Seals. (Gallucci)
11. "Hey Nineteen," Steely Dan (1980)
At least on the surface, “Hey Nineteen” is one of Steely Dan’s least ambiguous songs: An over-the-hill guy makes one of history’s most cringe-worthy, creepiest pick-up attempts, reminiscing about his glory days in a fraternity and lamenting that his would-be companion doesn’t know who Aretha Franklin is. (The bridge is a bit tougher to crack. Is anyone sharing that “fine Colombian”?) But the words didn’t propel this Gaucho classic into Billboard's Top 10. Instead, that credit goes to the groove, anchored by Walter Becker ’s gently gliding bass guitar, Donald Fagen’s velvety electric piano and a chorus smoother than top-shelf Cuervo Gold. (Reed)
10. "Rich Girl," Daryl Hall & John Oates (1976)
It’s one of the most economical pop songs ever written: two A sections, two B sections (the second one extended), a fade-out vocal vamp. In and out. Wham, bam, boom. Perhaps that's why it’s easy to savor “Rich Girl” 12 times in a row during your morning commute, why hearing it just once on the radio is almost maddening. This blue-eyed-soul single, the duo’s first No. 1 hit, lashes out at a supposedly entitled heir to a fast-food chain. (The original lyric was the less-catchy “rich guy ”; that one change may have earned them millions.) But there’s nothing bitter about that groove, built on Hall’s electric piano stabs and staccato vocal hook. (Reed)
9. "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," Elvin Bishop (1975)
Elvin Bishop made his biggest pop-chart splash with "Fooled Around and Fell In Love," permanently changing the first line of his bio from a former member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band to a solo star in his own right. There was only one problem: "The natural assumption was that it was Elvin Bishop who was singing,” singer Mickey Thomas told the Tahoe Daily Tribune in 2007. Thomas later found even greater chart success with Starship alongside Donny Baldwin, who also played drums on Bishop's breakthrough single. "A lot of peers found out about me through that, and ultimately I did get credit for it," Thomas added. "It opened a lot of doors for me." (DeRiso)
8. "Baker Street," Gerry Rafferty (1978)
Gerry Rafferty already had a taste of success when his band Stealers Wheel hit the Top 10 with the Dylanesque "Stuck in the Middle With You" in 1973. His first solo album after the group's split, City to City , made it to No. 1 in 1978, thanks in great part to its hit single "Baker Street" (which spent six frustrating weeks at No. 2). The iconic saxophone riff by Raphael Ravenscroft gets much of the attention, but this single triumphs on many other levels. For six, mood-setting minutes Rafferty winds his way down "Baker Street" with a hopefulness rooted in eternal restlessness. (Gallucci)
7. "Dirty Work," Steely Dan (1972)
In just about three minutes, Steely Dan tells a soap-opera tale of an affair between a married woman and a man who is well aware he's being played but is too hopelessly hooked to end things. " When you need a bit of lovin' 'cause your man is out of town / That's the time you get me runnin' and you know I'll be around ," singer David Palmer sings in a surprisingly delicate tenor. A saxophone and flugelhorn part weeps underneath his lines. By the time the song is over, we can't help but feel sorry for the narrator who is, ostensibly, just as much part of the problem as he could be the solution. Not all yacht rock songs have happy endings. (Rapp)
6. "Ride Like the Wind," Christopher Cross (1979)
“Ride Like the Wind” is ostensibly a song about a tough-as-nails outlaw racing for the border of Mexico under cover of night, but there’s nothing remotely dangerous about Christopher Cross’ lithe tenor or the peppy piano riffs and horns propelling the tune. Those contradictions aren’t a detriment. This is cinematic, high-gloss pop-rock at its finest, bursting at the seams with hooks and elevated by Michael McDonald’s silky backing vocals. Cross nods to his Texas roots with a fiery guitar solo, blending hard rock and pop in a way that countless artists would replicate in the next decade. (Rolli)
5. "Summer Breeze," Seals & Crofts (1972)
Jim Seals and Dash Crofts were childhood friends in Texas, but the mellow grandeur of "Summer Breeze" makes it clear that they always belonged in '70s-era Southern California. "We operate on a different level," Seals once said , sounding like nothing if not a Laurel Canyon native. "We try to create images, impressions and trains of thought in the minds of our listeners." This song's fluttering curtains, welcoming domesticity and sweet jasmine certainly meet that standard. For some reason, however, they released this gem in August 1972 – as the season faded into fall. Perhaps that's why "Summer Breeze" somehow never got past No. 6 on the pop chart. (DeRiso)
4. "Lowdown," Boz Scaggs (1976)
As you throw on your shades and rev the motor, the only thing hotter than the afternoon sun is David Hungate’s sweet slap-bass blasting from the tape deck. “This is the good life,” you say to no one in particular, casually tipping your baseball cap to the bikini-clad crew on the boat zooming by. Then you press “play” again. What else but Boz Scaggs ’ silky “Lowdown” could soundtrack such a moment in paradise? Everything about this tune, which cruised to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, is equally idyllic: Jeff Porcaro’s metronomic hi-hat pattern, David Paich’s jazzy keyboard vamp, the cool-guy croon of Scaggs — flexing about gossip and “schoolboy game.” You crack open another cold one — why not? And, well, you press play once more. (Reed)
3. "Lido Shuffle," Boz Scaggs (1976)
Scaggs' storied career began as a sideman with Steve Miller and already included a scorching duet with Duane Allman . Co-writer David Paich would earn Grammy-winning stardom with songs like "Africa." Yet they resorted to theft when it came to this No. 11 smash. Well, in a manner of speaking: "'Lido' was a song that I'd been banging around, and I kind of stole – well, I didn't steal anything. I just took the idea of the shuffle," Scaggs told Songfacts in 2013. "There was a song that Fats Domino did called 'The Fat Man ' that had a kind of driving shuffle beat that I used to play on the piano, and I just started kind of singing along with it. Then I showed it to Paich, and he helped me fill it out." Then Paich took this track's bassist and drummer with him to form Toto. (DeRiso)
2. "Peg," Steely Dan (1977)
"Peg" is blessed with several yacht-rock hallmarks: a spot on Steely Dan's most Steely Dan-like album, Aja , an impeccable airtightness that falls somewhere between soft-pop and jazz and yacht rock's stalwart captain, Michael McDonald, at the helm. (He may be a mere backing singer here, but his one-note chorus chirps take the song to another level.) Like most Steely Dan tracks, this track's meaning is both cynical and impenetrable, and its legacy has only grown over the years – from hip-hop samples to faithful cover versions. (Gallucci)
1. "What a Fool Believes," the Doobie Brothers (1978)
Michael McDonald not only steered the Doobie Brothers in a new direction when he joined in 1975, but he also made them a commercial powerhouse with the 1978 album Minute by Minute . McDonald co-wrote "What a Fool Believes" – a No. 1 single; the album topped the chart, too – with Kenny Loggins and sang lead, effectively launching a genre in the process. The song's style was copied for the next couple of years (most shamelessly in Robbie Dupree's 1980 Top 10 "Steal Away"), and McDonald became the bearded face of yacht rock. (Gallucci)
Top 100 Classic Rock Artists
Gallery Credit: UCR Staff
More From Ultimate Classic Rock
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Built To Spill "Keep It Like a Secret" - Retrospective Review
Wolf Parade "Apologies to the Queen Mary" - Retrospective Review
The Housemartins "London 0 Hull 4" - Retrospective Review
The Libertines "All Quiet On the Eastern Esplanade" - Review
Franz Ferdinand "Franz Ferdinand" - Twentieth Anniversary Review
Cage the Elephant "Out Loud & Neon Pill" - Single Review
The Decemberists "The King Is Dead" - Retrospective Review
Modest Mouse "Good News For People Who Love Bad News" - Twentieth Anniversary Review
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- John Robinson
Top 100 Greatest Yacht Rock Songs of All Time
Yacht Rock, a term that has steadily grown in popularity, refers to the smooth, groovy rock music of the '70s and '80s that has been popularized over the recent years. Initially categorized as soft rock or adult contemporary, Yacht Rock places a stronger emphasis on the groove rather than the lyrics, making it some of the easiest and catchiest easy listening music for many rock fans. Interestingly, nearly all Yacht Rock songs were created 35-40 years before the genre was officially recognized as its own distinct style, leaving room for interpretation about what exactly qualifies as Yacht Rock. For our criteria, we analyzed the entire catalog of Sirius XM Yacht Rock Radio alongside Spotify and Apple Music’s Yacht Rock playlists and ranked the songs accordingly. Each song included has been deemed Yacht Rock by at least one of these sources and was scored against all other entries. Some songs may rank higher in a broader rock or soft rock sphere, but here are what we have deemed to be the 100 Greatest Yacht Rock Songs of All Time complete with a playlist of all 100 Songs . For a broader list across at songs across the rock realm, be sure to check out the Top 200 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time .
1. What a Fool Believes - The Doobie Brothers
Deemed almost unanimously as the quintessential Yacht Rock tune by the few publications that have taken the time to dive into this same endeavor , What a Fool Believes stands out as one of the grooviest rock tunes to ever achieve mainstream success. Featuring the quintessential Yacht Rock vocalist, Michael McDonald, the song topped charts across North America and became one of the most recognizable and frequently played songs of the '70s. Michael McDonald, who joined The Doobie Brothers in 1975, had become the band's primary vocalist by the release of Minute by Minute in 1978, which houses What a Fool Believes . With this album marking a new sound for the band, especially following the temporary health-related departure of Tom Johnston, the band's new sound was polished to perfection, a dramatic shift from the Toulouse Street sound of the early part of the decade. Nevertheless, What a Fool Believes is a serious earworm, a critically "perfect" pop-rock song, if you will, and a song that reinvented The Doobie Brothers.
2. Peg - Steely Dan
One of the most talented groups on our list, if not the most talented, Steely Dan transcended the typical confines of Yacht Rock during their initial ten-year run. Covering genres from Yacht Rock to jazz rock, progressive rock, and funk rock, Steely Dan captivated audiences uniquely throughout the '70s and early '80s. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen consistently collaborated with the world's finest studio musicians, producing albums of perfectionist caliber. Within the realm of Yacht Rock, Peg takes their top spot, ranking just behind What a Fool Believes in the genre. Once again, Michael McDonald provides backing vocals, harmonizing behind Donald Fagen and Paul Griffin. The silky smooth vocals paired with top-notch instrumentals make Peg a standout track. Furthermore, Aja , the album that houses Peg , is one of the most impressive American albums of all time , beyond its Yacht Rock appeal.
3. Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) - Looking Glass
Released in 1972, the one-hit wonder by Looking Glass, Brandy , established a much bigger name for itself than the band ever managed to achieve on its own. As one of the smoothest and catchiest songs of the ‘70s, Brandy consistently appears on nearly every Yacht Rock, adult contemporary, or easy listening playlist available. The song tells a melancholic tale that is open to interpretation, though it is generally understood to describe an attractive bartender based in Northern New Jersey. Featuring catchy harmonies, clean soft guitar, and subtle horn use, what's not to love about this song?
4. Sailing - Christopher Cross
If it were up to us at Melophobe, the "Yacht Rock Crown" would go to San Antonio’s own Christopher Cross. Although Cross really shined with just his first two studio albums before his later releases (post-1983) fell into obscurity, his early work still grabs all the attention. From his self-titled debut album, Sailing stands out as a top ten hit that's the epitome of Yacht Rock. Interestingly, the term "yacht rock" itself is often linked right back to this song. His debut album is loaded with iconic tunes in this style, with Sailing rightfully taking its place at the forefront.
5. Escape (The Pi ñ a Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes
The second tune in our top ten that found its way onto one of the three Guardians of the Galaxy soundtracks—as well as its original LP release—comes from yacht rock icon Rupert Holmes. Escape (The Piña Colada Song) tells a story that feels more comical today than it might have in the ‘70s, describing a personal ad in search of a like-minded, carefree, fun-loving companion. Beyond the quirky lyrics, the sounds of crashing waves and clean guitars have turned the tune into a timeless earworm, cementing its status as a yacht rock masterpiece long before the term even existed. Guardians of the Galaxy wasn't just a great series for action lovers; who would've guessed its soundtrack would become almost as iconic as the movies themselves?
6. Lowdown - Boz Scaggs
Part of the same studio musician collective that worked with Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs hit major commercial success in 1976 with the release of his richly decorated album Silk Degrees . Boz Scaggs found success as one of the few artists to achieve substantial mainstream success in the jazz rock world aside from Steely Dan, with both artists utilizing many of the same studio musicians. Released from Silk Degrees , the standout yacht rock tune is Lowdown , a tightly produced masterpiece. Similar to Christopher Cross, Boz's peak in the mainstream was relatively brief, with his fame primarily anchored to Silk Degrees and sporadic airplay of his other songs over about a decade.
7. Come and Get Your Love - Redbone
Yet another tune from the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtracks to make our top ten is Come and Get Your Love , released in 1975 by the swamp rock band Redbone. While often labeled as a one-hit-wonder, Redbone actually scored another American top 40 hit in 1971 and enjoyed scattered success in the R&B scene throughout the '70s. Come and Get Your Love has since been celebrated as one of the greatest pop songs of the '70s and also managed to somewhat subtly tap into the disco craze of the era.
8. Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett
The question of whether Jimmy Buffett fits into the yacht rock category has stirred some debate lately, with the answer remaining somewhat unclear since the term itself is still relatively new. Most agree that Buffett's music is in a category of its own, but there are still those who argue that his unique sound has a place within yacht rock. Regardless, Margaritaville and a few other Buffett tunes are staples on yacht rock radio stations, so we've deemed them eligible. Buffett's music embodies a carefree lifestyle that mirrors the feel and attitude of yacht rock. His iconic song Margaritaville instantly puts listeners in a vacation mindset, a unique characteristic that has garnered it extensive praise and airplay over the years. The passing of Jimmy Buffett, an American legend, touched the hearts of many.
9. Africa - Toto
The first track from the 1980s to make our top ten is Africa from Toto's fourth album, aptly named Toto IV , released in 1982. Africa topped the charts across North America and performed exceptionally well worldwide with its powerful chorus, extensive keyboard usage, and subtle guitar playing. Alongside Rosanna , also from Toto IV , Africa has become a yacht rock staple, but it didn’t stop there—it transcended the genre to become one of the most iconic songs of the '80s. Today, it's still adored, nearing two billion streams on Spotify. The song has also become a favorite for covers, from bar bands to top-notch acts like Weezer.
10. Baby Come Back - Player
Player carved out a slice of mainstream success in the late '70s, as soft rock began to resonate with those not taken by styles like punk rock and disco. Their biggest hit by far was the North American chart-topper Baby Come Back . Aside from being a soft rock staple, the song has also gained a new life as a meme across the internet. While yacht rock songs typically shy away from overly heartfelt or emotional lyrics, focusing more on the groove, Baby Come Back manages to do both masterfully. The song blends notable emotional depth with an undeniably groovy beat, making it incredibly memorable—so much so that it's recognized by just about every American
11. Just the Two of Us - Grover Washington Jr, Bill Withers
12. Southern Cross - Crosby, Stills & Nash
13. Take it Easy - Eagles
14. Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) - Christopher Cross
15. Year of the Cat - Al Stewart
16. Hey Nineteen - Steely Dan
17. Still the One - Orleans
18. Sharing the Night Together - Dr. Hook
19. Sister Golden Hair - America
20. Dreams - Fleetwood Mac
21. Summer Breeze - Seals & Croft
22. Guitar Man - Bread
23. Thunder Island - Jay Ferguson
24. Lido Shuffle - Boz Scaggs
25. Give Me the Night - George Benson
26. How Much I Feel - Ambrosia
27. Reminiscing - Little River Band
28. Doctor My Eyes - Jackson Browne
29. Sara Smile - Hall & Oates
30. Rosanna - Toto
31. All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie
32. I.G.Y. - Donald Fagan
33. Minute By Minute - The Doobie Brothers
34. If You Leave Me Now - Chicago
35. Time Out of Mind - Steely Dan
36. Kokomo - The Beach Boys
37. Eye in the Sky - Alan Parsons Project
38. Sentimental Lady - Bob Welch
39. Rich Girl - Hall & Oates
40. What You Won't Do for Love - Bobby Caldwell
41. Ride Like the Wind - Christopher Cross
42. I'd Really Love to See You Tonight - England Dan & John Ford Coley
43. Lovely Day - Bill Withers
44. Graceland - Paul Simon
45. Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes - Jimmy Buffett
46. Time Passages - Al Stewart
47. One of These Nights - Eagles
48. She's Gone - Hall & Oates
49. Silly Love Songs - Wings
50. Hold On - Santana
51. Steal Away - Robbie Dupree
52. Dance With Me - Orleans
53. Listen to the Music - The Doobie Brothers
54. How Long - Ace
55. So Into You - Atlanta Rhythm Section
56. Diamond Girl - Seals & Croft
57. Lotta Love - Nicolette Larson
58. We Just Disagree - Dave Mason
59. Mexico - James Taylor
60. Keep on Loving You - REO Speedwagon
61. Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
62. Tender is the Night - Jackson Browne
63. Love Will Find a Way - Pablo Cruise
64. You Can Do Magic - America
65. Key Largo - Bertie Higgins
66. When You're In Love With a Beautiful Woman - Dr. Hook
67. Dirty Work - Steely Dan
68. All Out of Love - Air Supply
69. I Saw the Light - Todd Rundgren
70. Let Me Love You Tonight - Pure Prairie League
71. I Love You - Climax Blues Band
72. I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near) - Michael McDonald
73. This is It - Kenny Loggins
74. The Things We Do For Love - 10cc
75. Say You Love Me - Fleetwood Mac
76. Biggest Part of Me - Ambrosia
77. You're the Inspiration - Chicago
78. Dream Weaver - Gary Wright
79. Longer - Dan Fogelberg
80. You Are - Lionel Richie
81. Just a Song Before I Go - Crosby, Stills & Nash
82. Right Down the Line - Gerry Rafferty
83. New Frontier - Donald Fagan
84. I Love a Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbitt
85. Cool Night - Paul Davis
86. Get Down On It - Kool & The Gang
87. It's Raining Again - Supertramp
88. Vincent - Don McLean
89. Crazy Love - Poco
90. Spooky - Atlanta Rhythm Section
91. Vienna - Billy Joel
92. Cool Cat - Queen
93. Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You - George Benson
94. Hypnotized - Bob Welch (Also Released by Fleetwood Mac)
95. Casablanca - Bertie Higgins
96. Think of Laura - Christopher Cross
97. Fooled Around and Fell in Love - Elvin Bishop
98. Private Eyes - Hall & Oates
99. Lonesome Loser - Little River Band
100. Moonlight Feels Right - Starbuck
All of the picks from this list have been compiled into a streamable Spotify Playlist below entitled Yacht Rock Top 100 .
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Katie Puckrik’s A Yacht Rock Odyssey – reviewed
By david quantick.
By david quantick
According to the sleeve notes for this epically-detailed boxed set, “Yacht Rock is a neologism coined decades after the music’s heyday to corral like-minded mellowness into a petting zoo of smooth.” In other words, Yacht Rock doesn’t exist. Like “freakbeat” and other genres designed to make it easier to label music, Yacht Rock is a vague, newishly-minted label that enables people to find a link between apparently unconnected records.
That said, even people who hate labels have to admit that the criteria for what constitutes Yacht Rock are fairly clear: a vague sort of jazzy pop sound, a moderately catchy chorus that leaps out at the listener like a heavily-drugged salmon, a great deal of saxophone, the soft rain of tinkly keyboards, and Michael McDonald. It’s terrifying how often Michael McDonald turns up here: as a songwriter, as a backing vocalist, and as both a solo artist and member of the Doobie Brothers, McDonald is the Zelig of Yacht Rock. It’s tempting to imagine a timeline where Michael McDonald was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald and Yacht Rock never happened.
Not to set the catamaran among the pigeons, but Yacht Rock is one of the most divisive imaginary genres of all time David Quantick
Not to set the catamaran among the pigeons, but Yacht Rock is one of the most divisive imaginary genres of all time. When I mentioned to a few people that I was writing about a Yacht Rock compilation, their reactions were to say the least strong, and involved swearing. For many people, the sweet blandness of Yacht Rock and its associations (the 1970s, cocktails, swimwear, yachts) is infuriating, and the idea that this wafting, somehow heartless music is now being celebrated instead of, say, buried in the earth’s molten core for ever, is horrific to them. It is, as the older generation say, like punk never happened. Session musicians rule the day: instead of fiery passion and musical aggression, everything is the musical equivalent of a Harvey Wallbanger – overly sweet, brightly coloured, and liable to give you a terrible hangover. “Yacht” it may be, “rock” it isn’t. It’s not soul, either, or disco, and quite often it isn’t pop. The words are full of exhortations – ‘Move On’, ‘Hold On’, ‘Back Off’, ‘Turn Your Love Around’ – but the tunes send out the opposite message: stay still, give up, don’t move, leave your love in neutral.
Not every song is like that, of course. There are great songs here – Kool & The Gang’s ‘Too Hot’, Robert Palmer’s ‘Every Kind Of People’, Elkie Brooks’ ‘Fool If You Think It’s Over’ – but these are Yacht Rock in name only, and for many just bring to mind Albert Einstein’s famous line: if it’s good, it’s not Yacht Rock, and if it’s Yacht Rock, it’s not good. The musical range of this compilation is pretty consistent, but there are exceptions (one of which will be discussed imminently).
There’s also the faint reek of irony about Yacht Rock. Many remember the whole “ guilty pleasures ” trend of a few years back in which people celebrated “tacky” music from their youth in a half-genuine, half-raised-eyebrow kind of way. This was, they said, no way to consume music: if you love something, you should just love it without shame, and not be laughing at it at the same time as you are listening to it. And it’s hard not to be vexed by the legions of people with wry tears in their eyes punching the air to Leo Sayer : almost as hard, in fact, as a non-fan of this pseudo-genre to listen to an astonishing four CDs of yacht rock.
As a piece of archive, A Yacht Rock Odyssey is up there with the great 1960s garage band compilations, just substituting mellow sax for fuzz guitar David Quantick
But as that non-fan, I am paradoxically full of admiration for this project. It is compiler Katie Puckrik’s labour of love: presenter of a radio show devoted to Yacht Rock, Puckrik knows her stuff, as you might expect from someone who’s spent her entire life working in music, from dancing on a Pet Shop Boys tour to fronting the Lust For Life tribute band to DJing and presenting radio shows. Her research for this collection is mind-boggling: there are acts from all over the world, obscure and otherwise, representing funk, soft rock, jazz and “Japanese City Pop” (genres within genres). The sleeve-notes are fantastically informative, witty and sometimes surprising (apart from the fact that ace blandsman Christopher Cross wrote ‘Ride Like The Wind’ on acid, there’s also the little-known link between Yacht Rock and serial killers). This is far from being an ironic or silly collection: it’s put together with love and knowledge, and that’s all you can ask for. As a piece of archive, A Yacht Rock Odyssey is up there with the great 1960s garage band compilations, just substituting mellow sax for fuzz guitar: it’s a Pebbles for cokeheads. 76 tracks from the sublime – Carole Bayer Sager’ ‘It’s The Falling In Love’, Boz Scaggs’ ‘Lowdown’ – to the ridiculous…
Which brings us to the elephant in the room: well, not so much ‘elephant’ as ‘herd of freakishly large mutant space dino-mammoths” and not so “room” as “very small box.” The track that rises above the others like Olympus above the Serengeti. A song so big that it encompasses an entire continent.
‘Africa’, by Toto.
Calling ‘Africa’ a “Yacht Rock” song is like calling Bob Dylan’s ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ a folk song. It’s like calling The Beatles a Merseybeat group. It’s accurate, but also it doesn’t begin to even hint at the enormousness of the thing. ‘Africa’ isn’t Yacht Rock. If you played ‘Africa’ on an actual yacht, the yacht would explode, taking with it the entire Caribbean Sea and most of Florida. Next to some needle fluff like, say, Michael Sembello’s ‘Lay Back (Menage A Trois)’, ‘Africa’ is a mindless behemoth of a song, crushing everything in its path. Which is probably why it’s been placed, sensibly, at the end of CD1, where it both acts as a powerful finale and also is liable to cause the least amount of damage. Puckrik devotes a whole page of her sleeve-notes to ‘Africa’, detailing both its extraordinary renaissance in the 21st century and what she calls its lyrical “clunkiness.” She makes a great case for ‘Africa”s emotional resonance to a new generation, and points out that Toto thought it was “the weirdest song they ever did” (listening to Toto’s other, equally thrilling but marginally more unimaginative soupfests, you can see their point).
And so ‘Africa’ stands over its charges, like a lion king sworn to protect a lot of, I don’t know, cocktail monkeys and giraffes made of Doritos, safe in the knowledge that, like it or not, Yacht Rock has been anthologised, archived, and praised, definitively.
A Yacht Rock Odessey was reviewed by David Quantick. It’s released on Friday 30 August 2024, via Demon Music.
Compare prices and pre-order
Katie Puckrik
A yacht rock odyssey - limited 4cd set with signed print.
 A Yacht Rock Odyssey - 2LP vinyl
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Yacht Rock Hoodie - Yacht Rock Shop. Yacht Rock Hoodie - Yacht Rock Shop Regular price $28.07 $33.05. Regular price Sale price $28.07 $33.05. Quick view. Welcome Aboard. We are here to make awesome retro inspired t-shirts and pay homage to the chillest musical genre of all time. We love you, Yacht Rock!
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Providing yacht rock fans an opportunity to wear fun, unique designs that show off their love of yacht rock and smooth sense of style. Skip to content. Home; About; Shop. ... Shop Now. New Products. Vida Suave - Women's Tee $ 29.99 - $ 34.99. Select options. Vida Suave - Men's Cotton Crew Tee $ 29.99 - $ 34.99.
Tee Shirts (103) Tee Shirts Our collection of yacht rock inspired tees in men's, women's, and unisex styles captures the smooth and mellow vibe of the genre with its nostalgic designs and soft, comfortable fabrics. Perfect for lounging on a yacht or simply relaxing on a sunny day, these tees will transport you to the golden era of smooth music.
20. "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)," Looking Glass (1972) Like "Summer Breeze" (found later in our list of Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs), Looking Glass' tale of an alluring barmaid in a busy harbor town ...
Deemed almost unanimously as the quintessential Yacht Rock tune by the few publications that have taken the time to dive into this same endeavor , What a Fool Believes stands out as one of the grooviest rock tunes to ever achieve mainstream success. Featuring the quintessential Yacht Rock vocalist, Michael McDonald, the song topped charts across North America and became one of the most ...
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Yacht rock (originally known as the West Coast sound [4] [5] or adult-oriented rock [6]) is a broad music style and aesthetic [7] commonly associated with soft rock, [8] one of the most commercially successful genres from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. Drawing on sources such as smooth soul, smooth jazz, [1] R&B, and disco, [7] common stylistic traits include high-quality production, clean ...
47. A ccording to the sleeve notes for this epically-detailed boxed set, "Yacht Rock is a neologism coined decades after the music's heyday to corral like-minded mellowness into a petting zoo of smooth.". In other words, Yacht Rock doesn't exist. Like "freakbeat" and other genres designed to make it easier to label music, Yacht Rock ...
Playlist · Yacht Rock - 100 Best Ever - Top Yacht Rock Songs · 114 items · 2.4K likes.
Seals & Crofts - 'Summer Breeze'. Summer Breeze - Seals & Croft #1 Hit (1972) Before The Isley Brothers recorded a slick cover, 'Summer Breeze' was an irresistible folk pop song by Seals & Crofts. While mostly a folk song, its summer vibes and gorgeous melody make for a perfect yacht rock number.
The following is a list of yacht rock bands and artists. Yacht rock. Airplay [1] [2] Alessi [1] Ambrosia [3] [4] America [5] Attitudes [1] Patti Austin [1] Average White Band [6] George Benson [7] [8] [9] Stephen Bishop [10] Jimmy Buffett [11] Bobby Caldwell [1] [12] Captain & Tennille [13] Larry Carlton [1]
Our love for soft t-shirts, breezy beats, and smooth melodies inspired us to create Yacht Rock Shop in honor of the coolest musical genre on the planet.We are a small, family-owned business located in Central Texas. All designs are created and printed in the USA.Thanks for sailing by. We're so glad you're here!Sean &am
Shop the official West Marine Store to find over 100,000 products in stock for boating, sailing, fishing, or paddling. Since 1968, West Marine has grown to over 250 local stores, with knowledgeable Associates happy to assist. Shop with confidence - get free shipping to home or stores + price match guarantee!
The Ultimate Collection of Yacht Rock/70's and 80's hits. This is the ultimate playlist of favorites from the 70's, 80's and in between. No fillers or obscure artists you've never heard of. Only the greatest rock, soft-rock and pop hits.
Yacht Rock Definitive Playlist: Jazz has Smooth Jazz. Rock and Roll has Yacht Rock. It's nostalgic music, if you are of the right demographic, or like to pretend you are. The phrase was started by J.D. Ryznar, who created a series of Yacht Rock videos in 2005/6. A mix of 70s and 80s 'Adult Contemporary' pop, and some accidental grooves ...
Here are some Yacht Rock style tracks that are purely 80s. From the bounce of the synths to the thud of the echoey drums, all of these songs will immediately...
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Pablo Cruise brings its soft-rock hits to Guild Theatre. Soft-rock band Pablo Cruise got its start in the 1970s when members of Bay Area bands Stoneground and It's a Beautiful Day joined forces ...
Yacht Rock Radio Playlist. A playlist for 70s & 80s Smooth Soft Rock - updated weekly! Singer-Songwriter Legends. Legendary storytellers, poets and voices. Cover: James Taylor. iHeart70s Playlist. A playlist for 70s Pop Hits - updated weekly! 80s Hits. The definitive collection of 80s Hits. Cover: Michael Jackson
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Yacht Rock T-Shirt - Yacht Rock Shop Regular price $19.86 $25.74. Regular price Sale price $19.86 $25.74. Choose options Quick view. Yacht Rock T-Shirt - Drop It Like It's Yacht. Yacht Rock T-Shirt - Drop It Like It's Yacht Regular price $18.26 $26.50. Regular price Sale price $18 ...
Mustache Harbor, Yacht Rock Band Spot on renditions of the smoothest music from the 70's and 80's: 5:15-5:45 p.m. Flag Ceremony : 5:45-6:15 p.m. Santa Clara Elite Dance Team : 6:30-7 p.m. Vanguard Music and Performing Arts : 7:30-9:30 p.m. Headliner Band: David Martin's House Party The Bay Area's Premier Party Band :