YACHTY GOT BACK

Yacht rock is music primarily created between 1976 and 1984, that can be characterized as smooth and melodic, and typically combines elements of jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock. Yacht Rock isn’t just soft rock—it’s a very specific, smooth blend of musical elements. The songs are as light and bubbly as champagne on the high seas, yet oddly complex and intellectual. You know you’re listening to Yacht Rock if you can hear:

• Fender Rhodes Piano: That soft, electronic piano sound that washes over you like a warm breeze.

• Lush Harmonies: The hallmark of bands like the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan, where layered vocals create a rich, velvety texture.

• Slick Guitar Solos: Not too harsh, not too wild, just perfectly in tune with the mellow vibes.

• Sexy Saxophone: The use of the iconic saxophone solo is yacht rock at its finest.

• Themes of Escapism: Lyrically, Yacht Rock often touches on themes like love, heartbreak, and living the good life by the water. Lyrics are often about a fool, either lost in love or out of love.

• Yacht Pocket: Tempo range is about 80-110 bpm, some disco styled tunes or up-tempo tracks can make it to 120.

The yacht rock era began when yacht rock pillar Kenny Loggins split up with songwriting partner Jim Messina to strike out on his own. That same year, fellow yacht rock mainstay Michael McDonald joined The Doobie Brothers. The two titans of the genre joined forces when Loggins co-wrote the definitive yacht rock hit “What a Fool Believes” with McDonald for the Doobies (#1 on the Yachtski scale). They collaborated several times during this era, which was par for the course for a music scene that was largely comprised of buddies playing on each other’s albums. And had guys with neatly-trimmed beards who sat in boats on their album covers.

Some additional yacht rock bands from the era are Pablo Cruise, Boz Scaggs, Ambrosia, Toto, Robbie Dupree, Seals & Crofts, Orleans, Christopher Cross, to name a few. All of which allowed us to pop a cassette into the tape deck of our Volvos and sail off into bliss on the way to our Time Share Sales class. You get the idea. Yacht Rock represents an era. A moment in time when men wore blazers with jeans and sandals to board meetings. And don’t forget those mustaches and neatly-trimmed beards.