What Is Yacht Rock & Should You Play It in Your Store?

Heading 2

What Is Yacht Rock?

Yacht rock is a genre of music made between 1976 and 1984 in Southern California. It is a mellow kind of soft rock that often has a high level of musicality encompassing elements of rock, jazz, and rhythm and blues.

Typical yacht rock is more musical than lyrical, and it has more electric piano than acoustic guitar. Songs are melodic and smooth — light, bright, and bubbly, much like the champagne that was likely sipped while listening to this music on expensive yachts in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.

How Yacht Rock Sounds

Music experts at Berklee explain that yacht rock typically had its roots in jazz-inspired harmonies and modal interchanges where chords are borrowed from parallel scales. Songs are often very technically precise and nuanced, but they have a persistent groove.

Yacht rock is definitely electric, as songs tend to lean on electric pianos and synthesizers over traditional versions. Songs with extended solos typically lean on a heavily modified electric guitar that plays the melody with a few jazz flourishes.

A yacht rock song often sounds very polished and smooth. Layered vocals can give the songs depth, while smoothing in the studio can keep one instrument from coming to the foreground.

Examples of Yacht Rock

Songs often considered staples of the yacht rock genre include the following:

“What a Fool Believes” by The Doobie Brothers
“Heart to Heart” by Kenny Loggins
“FM” by Steely Dan
“Human Nature” by Michael Jackson
“Rosanna” by Toto
“I Really Don’t Know Anymore” by Christopher Cross
“Peg” by Steely Dan
“I Keep Forgettin’” by Michael McDonald
“This Is It” by Kenny Loggins
“Ride Like the Wind” by Christopher Cross
“Lowdown” by Boz Scaggs

Brief History of Yacht Rock

While the genre of yacht rock spans the mid-1970s to early 1980s, the term itself was not coined until 2005 when Channel 101 released the 12-episode web series titled Yacht Rock.

The genre of music itself likely got its roots from the sounds of the early 1960s and the Beach Boys, as the beach and fun in the sun aesthetic served as the template for Yacht Rock. For a period of about 10 years, musicians had fun with this style of rock and musically appealing songs.

The musical genre of Yacht Rock is officially said to have ended with the Beach Boys’ number one hit “Kokomo” in 1988, as music tastes had shifted once again.

Characteristics

Yacht rock is meant to invoke thoughts and images of sailing on the high seas and bay cruises and having fun in the sun. Songs in this genre are light and fun with more musicality than words. Tones are melodic, flowy, and smooth.

It is most commonly classified as a form of soft rock with elements of rhythm and blues, smooth soul, disco, and jazz influencing the music. When there are words, they are breezy, intellectual, and musically complex. The electric piano is often highlighted, and there is very little acoustic guitar.

Yacht rock songs are upbeat and have bouncy rhythms with a glossy production feel to them.

Yacht Rock vs. Soft Rock

Plenty of bands were playing music in the 1970s and 1980s. While some of these bands played amazing songs, their work doesn’t fit precisely within the yacht rock genre.

Yacht rock songs fall firmly on the side of rock. That means they rarely include acoustic guitars or twangy country notes. While bands like The Eagles were popular during the 1970s and 1980s, they’re seldom considered pure yachters.

Yacht rock songs are also very polished, with no rough edges. That means bands who might include rappers or punk aspects definitely won’t be considered part of this genre. Similarly, no songs that were recorded in a live setting are typically played on a yacht rock playlist. The songs need polish first.

A classic yacht rock song (such as one performed by Steely Dan) leans hard on its jazz roots. That means this song has interesting harmonies and chords that a standard children’s choir can’t sing without a few lessons and classes.

The reason these songs can be so sophisticated comes directly from the talent of the artists playing on them. Many classic yacht rock songs include musicians that later became Toto. This modern crew was able to play almost anything with just a few practice sessions.

Artists & Bands That Play Yacht Rock

There is some contention as to what qualifies as true yacht rock and which bands and artists embodied this style. For example, while some call Rupert Holmes’s song “Escape (the Pina Colada Song)” the epitome of Yacht Rock, others claim that it is not musically interesting enough and too wordy to be classified as such.

The following artists and bands are typically classified as performing yacht rock music, but it is important to note that not all of the music they have created fall into this category:

Kenny Loggins
The Doobie Brothers
Steely Dan
Airplay
Toto
Christopher Cross
Kenny Loggins
Michael McDonald
Boz Scaggs
George Benson
Al Jarreau
Peabo Bryson
Ace

Yacht Rock in Modern Music

Yacht rock is an old genre, but it continues to resonate with music lovers today.

For example, bassist Thundercat collaborated with yacht rock legends Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald on a single released in advance of his studio album Drunk. The decision was considered groundbreaking at the time, but as music scholars explain, yacht rock and hip hop have long been aligned.

Artists like De La Soul, Ice Cube, J Dilla, and Kriss Kross have all been tied to the yacht rock genre through names, samples, or vibe. Since yacht rock has its roots in jazz and R&B, this connection makes a lot of sense.

While some people like to listen to yacht rock through a modern filter, some appreciate the songs as they are. Spotify says yacht rock is most popular among those ages 45 to 54, which is the age group that likely heard these songs while growing up. However, people ages 18 to 24 also love yacht rock, and those are new listeners.

Where to Listen to Yacht Rock

During the 1970s and 1980s, yacht rock dominated the FM airwaves. All you had to do was turn on the radio and tune in to listen to it.

Today, there are many options for listening to yacht rock, mostly through streaming services. It is important to understand that if you want to play this music in a public space, such as your store, you will need to have the correct license to do so.

It can be helpful to partner with a streaming service or music streaming provider for businesses, such as Pandora CloudCover, that already holds the correct licensing for this music. Many of these streaming providers will have a yacht rock channel that you can subscribe to and listen to yacht rock in your store. Want to try it for yourself? Start a 14-day free trial today. Terms and conditions apply.