Summer is here and I love to celebrate this weather by sitting outside on my deck, reading and listening to music. I love to listen Yacht Rock and pretend that I am a millionaire sitting on a yacht in the Caribbean with no worries whatsoever.
But what is Yacht Rock? It is music from the 1970’s and early 1980’s that is a style of smooth, tuneful rock music that was particularly popular in America. Other names include easy listening and the music your dad listens to while he is mowing the lawn. Yacht Rock has glossy production, breezy vocals, and bouncy rhythms. Popular artists of this genre include Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald (you will find his vocals on a lot of the songs in the following list), Steely Dan, Toto, and Hall and Oates.
I have always loved this type of music but I never knew there was a name for it until I was listening to Satellite Radio one summer and came up across the channel entitled “Yacht Rock” and was blown away. Currently, you can only listen to this channel through their app which is a bummer.
But do not despair because I have cultivated a list here for you listen and enjoy!
- The entire Aja album by Steely Dan (one of my favorite albums of all time and it was nominated for a Grammy in 1978, losing to Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors album).
- Hey Nineteen by Steely Dan
- Africa by Toto
- Moonlight Feels Right by Starbuck
- Suite Judy Blue Eyes by Crosby, Stills, and Nash (Written about Judy Collins)
- What a Fool Believes by The Doobie Brothers
- It Keeps You Running by The Doobie Brothers
- Ventura Highway by America
- Sister Golden Hair by America
- You Can Do Magic by America
- Sailing by Christopher Cross (or the better *NSYNC version)
- Just the Two of Us by Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr. (Popular on TikTok for a while)
- Rosanna by Toto (Written about Rosanna Arquette)
- Africa by Toto
- Ride like the Wind by Christopher Cross (Here is Rick Moranis of Ghostbuster and other 80’s movies impersonating Michael McDonald who did the backing vocals.)
- Diamond Girl by Seals and Croft
- Summer Breeze by Seals and Crofts
- The entire Rumors album by Fleetwood Mac, especially Dreams and The Chain
- You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon
- Still the One by the Orleans
- Hello, It’s Me by Todd Rundgren
- All of Hall Oates. Like their whole catalog.
Do you have any suggestions? Comment them below!
Sources:
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/yacht-rock-party-boat-drinking-beach-design-deluxe-chimp.html
https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/sail-away-oral-history-of-yacht-rock-49343/
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/yacht-rock-guide
https://www.siriusxm.com/channels/yacht-rock-311
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqzas2Xf32k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkFBhZND8TU
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judy_Collins