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Often dissed as slick, overly-produced music made by white men in the '70s, Yacht Rock actually resulted in some amazing pop music beyond Christopher Cross' "Sailing." Here are tracks that define the genre's rich, jazzy textures and irresistible melodies.
12 Songs, 1 hour, 1 minute
Featured artists, the doobie brothers, gerry rafferty, daryl hall & john oates, blues image, donald fagen, africa, middle east, and india.
Yacht Rock isn’t exactly a genre. It’s more a state of mind. It is the musical equivalent of a mid-afternoon mimosa nap in some nautical location—a cool breeze of lite-FM confection with the substance of a romance novel and the machismo of a Burt Reynolds mustache comb.
Yacht Rock is ‘70s soft schlock about boats, love affairs, and one-night stands.
Typified by artists like Christopher Cross, Rupert Holmes, and Pablo Cruise, Yacht Rock is not only easy to mock, but it’s also deserving of the abuse. There’s a sensitive 70s male brand of chauvinism that permeates this material—like somehow because you could schnarf an 8-ball of cocaine and sail a boat into the sunset, your indulgences and marital infidelity were actually kind of sexy. Cheap pickup lines and beardly come-ons abound.
And yet, this stuff is irresistible on a slow summer day. It reeks of sunshine and laziness, and couldn’t we all use a little of both?
These are the 25 Best Yacht Rock Songs, in order. Zero suspense. (Sorry if that’s less fun for you).
If you would like to learn more about Yacht Rock without getting a sailing license, read on…
So Yacht Rock refers to a type of soft rock, right? But there’s a ton of soft rock out there that doesn’t fit the bill. There’s no room on my boat for Barry Manilow. At the Copa? Sure. But not so much on my boat. So what makes a great yacht rock song exactly?
Ideally, one or more of these themes will be present:
These features pretty much capture everything that’s great about this milieu. But there’s also an important cheese factor at play here. While Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, CSN, and the Doobie Brothers all made songs that might qualify for inclusion here, the artists themselves are–let’s just say it–too good to be considered Yacht Rock.
We’ll make sure to include them in our deluxe playlist at the article’s conclusion.
But in order for a song to be considered for our list, it must be at least slightly embarrassing. Case in point, the top song on our list…
“The Pina Colada Song” is arguably the most perfect embodiment of yacht rock, fulfilling, as it does, all three of the qualifications cited above. Holmes sings about making love in the dunes, attempts to cheat on his wife, then ultimately, rediscovers that his “old lady” is actually the love he’s been searching for all along. That’s the holy trinity of Yacht Rock themes, all wrapped up in a breezy story of casual adultery. And at the turn of a new decade, listeners were feeling it. Released as a single in 1979, “Escape” stood at the top of the charts during the last week of the year. Falling to #2 in the new year, it returned to the top spot in the second week of 1980. This made it the first song to top the charts in two separate, consecutive decades. Fun fact: Rupert Holmes never drank a Pina Colada in his life. He just thought the lyric sounded right. Hard to argue that point.
Formed at Rutgers University in 1969, Looking Glass topped the charts in 1972 with the tale of a lovelorn barmaid in a harbor town haunted by lonely sailors. It would be the band’s only hit. Lead singer Elliot Lurie would go on to a brief solo career before becoming head of the music department for the 20th Century Fox movie studio in the ’80s and ’90s. That means he was the musical supervisor for the soundtrack to Night at the Roxbury . Do with that information what you will. And with respect to “Brandy,” see the film Guardians of the Galaxy 2 for Kurt Russell’s surprisingly detailed treatise on its lyrical genius.
The title track from the soft-rock duo’s breakout 1972 record, “Summer Breeze” is an incurable earworm, a bittersweet twilight dream that captures everything that’s right about Lite FM. From an album inhabited by Wrecking Crew vets and studio aces, “Summer Breeze” curls like smoke drifting lazily through an open window.
Toto singer David Paich had never been to Africa. The melody and refrain for this #1 hit from 1982 came to him fully formed as he watched a late night documentary about the plight of those living on the African continent. The lyrics touch on missionary work and describe the landscape as inspired by images from National Geographic , according to Paich’s own recollection. Putting aside its self-aware inauthenticity, “Africa” is an infectious, 8x platinum AOR monster.
Released in the summer of 1978 and reaching up to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, “Reminiscing” was guitarist Graeham Goble ‘s nostalgic take on the swing band era. Not only is it the only Australian song ever to reach five million radio plays in the U.S., but rumor is that it was among the late John Lennon’s favorite songs.
Recorded originally by a country-swamp rocker named Jeffrey Kurtz, Dobie’s 1973 cover became his biggest hit, reaching #5 on the charts. Though not explicitly nautical, “Drift Away” captures the distinct sensation of cruising at sunset.
Pablo Cruise may have the most “yachty” of all band names on our list. And “Love Will Find a Way” is sort of the musical equivalent of a ketch skipping along a glassy surface on a crisp summer dawn. Pablo Cruise was formed in San Francisco by expats from various mildly successful bands including Stoneground and It’s a Beautiful Day. And there is a certain slick professionalism to the proceedings here. Of course, Pablo Cruise was never a critic’s darling. Homer Simpson once accurately classified them as wuss rock. Still, they perfectly captured the white-folks-vacationing-in-the-Caribbean energy that was all the rage at the time. Love found a way to reach #6 on the Billboard charts, remaining in constant radio rotation during the red-hot summer of ’78.
Blues Image emerged from South Florida in the late ’60s and served as the house band for Miami’s vaunted Thee Image music venue upon its inception in 1968. This gave Blues Image the opportunity to open for ascendant headliners like Cream and the Grateful Dead. The association landed them a contract Atco Records. Their sophomore record Open yielded their one and only hit, a #4 in 1970 about a bunch of men who disappear into the mists of the San Francisco Bay in search of a hippie utopia.
This #3 hit from 1982 has nothing to do with sailing. But it’s infectiously smooth production sheen, layered synth, and dreamy vocals make it a perfect Lite FM gem–one cut from the stone that gave us yacht rock. The “Project” was actually a British duo–studio wizard Alan Parsons and singer Eric Woolfson. The title track from their sixth studio album is also their very best recording. It’s also often paired with the instrumental lead-in “Sirius,” a song famous in its own right for blaring over unnumbered sporting arena PA systems. If that tune doesn’t make you think of Michael Jordan, you probably didn’t live through the late 80s.
Marty Balin was a pioneer of the San Francisco scene, founding Jefferson Airplane in 1965 as the house band for his own legendary club–The Matrix. But in 1971, deeply shaken by the death of Janis Joplin, Balin quit his own band. Four years later, he was invited to rejoin his old mates on the already-launched Starship. He immediately contributed what would become the biggest hit by any Jeffersonian vessel. “Miracles” reached #3 in 1975. Gorgeous, elegant, and open, this is a complete anomaly in the Airplane-Starship catalogue. Listen closely for the NSFW lyrics that have often flown under the radar of some adorably innocent censors.
In 1972, Robert John had a #3 hit with his cover of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” And yet, just before recording “Sad Eyes”, the Brooklyn-born singer was employed as a construction worker in Long Branch, New Jersey. By the summer of ’79, he would have a #1 hit. In fact, the charting success of “Sad Eyes” was part of a cultural backlash against the reign of disco. A wave of pop hits swept on to the charts, including this slick soft rock throwback. With his sweet falsetto and doo wop sensibility, Robert John knocked The Knack’s “My Sharona” from its 6-week stand atop the charts.
Before launching headlong into his music career, Walter Egan was one of the very first students to earn a fine arts degree from Georgetown, where he studied sculpture. The subject would figure into his biggest hit, a #8 easy listening smash from 1978. Featured on his second solo record, “Magnet and Steel” enjoys the presence of some heavy friends. Lindsey Buckingham produced, played guitar and sang backup harmonies with Stevie Nicks. By most accounts, Nicks was also a primary source of inspiration for the song.
Of course, not all yacht rock songs are about sailing on boats. Some are about missing boats. Boz Scaggs looks dejected on the cover of 1977’s Silk Degrees , but things turned out pretty well for him. This bouncy #11 hit is a classic rock mainstay today. The band you hear backing Boz–David Paich, Jeff Porcaro, and David Hungate–would go on to form the nucleus of Toto that very same year. Toto, as it happens, is essentially a recurring theme of the genre. Before rising to massive success in their own right, the members of Toto absolutely permeated rock radio in the 70s, laying down studio tracks with Steely Dan, Seals and Crofts, Michael McDonald, and more.
This smooth-as-silk tune reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its 1978 release. It also reached #6 on the Hot Selling Soul Singles Chart. This is significant only because of Caldwell’s complexion. He was a white man signed to TK Records, a label most closely associated with disco acts like KC and the Sunshine Band. Catering to a largely Black audience, the label went to minor lengths to hide their new singer’s identity–dig the silhouetted figure on the cover of his own debut. Suffice it to say, once Caldwell hit the road, audiences discovered he was white. By then, they were already hooked on this perfect groove, which you might also recognize as a sample in 2Pac’s posthumous 1998 release, “Do For Love.”
Technically, Michael McDonald’s “I Keep Forgettin’” is an adaptation of an earlier tune by the same name. In fact, the original “I Keep Forgettin” was conceived by the legendary songwriting duo Leiber and Stoller–best known for iconic staples like “Hound Dog”, “Kansas City”, “Poison Ivy” and much much more. The original recording is by Chuck Jackson and dates to 1962. But McDonald’s 1982 take is definitive. If that wasn’t already true upon its release and #4 peak position on the charts, certainly Warren G. and Nate Dogg cemented its status when they sampled McDonald on “Regulate”. Get the whole history on that brilliant 1994 time capsule here .
Oh and by the way, this tune also features most of the guys from Toto. I know, right? These dudes were everywhere.
To the casual listener, Gerry Rafferty’s name may sound vaguely familiar. Indeed, you may remember hearing it uttered in passing in the film Reservoir Dogs . In a key scene, the DJ (deadpan comedian Steven Wright) mentions that Rafferty formed half the duo known as Stealers Wheel, which recorded a “Dylanesque, pop, bubble-gum favorite from April of 1974” called “Stuck in the Middle With You.” In the same scene, Mr. Blonde (portrayed with sadistic glee by Michael Madsen), slices off a policeman’s ear. At any rate, this is a totally different song, and is actually Rafferty’s biggest hit. “Baker Street” is a tune that reeks of late nights, cocaine, and regret. Peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, “Baker Street” soared on wings of the decade’s most memorable sax riff. Raphael Ravenscroft’s performance would, in fact, lead to a mainstream revitalization of interest in the saxophone writ large.
There are several interesting things about Silver that have almost nothing to do with this song. First, bass guitarist and singer Tom Leadon was both the brother of Bernie Leadon from the Eagles and a member of Tom Petty’s pre-fame band, Mudcrutch. Second, the band’s keyboardist was Brent Mydland, who would go on to become the Grateful Dead’s longest tenured piano guy. Third, Silver put out their only record in 1976, and future Saturday Night Live standout Phil Harman designed the cover art. With all of that said, Arista executives felt that their first album lacked a single so they had country songwriter Rick Giles cook up this ridiculous, gooey concoction that I kind of love. Let’s say this one falls into the “so bad it’s good” category. Anyway, the song peaked at #16 on the charts. The band broke up in ’78, leading Mydland to accept the deadliest job in rock music. He defied the odds by playing with the Grateful Dead until an accidental drug overdose claimed his life in 1990.
I admit, I’m kind of hard-pressed to make Ambrosia interesting. In fact, they were extremely prolific, and earned high regard in early ’70s prog rock circles. And in the 1990s, lead singer David Pack would actually be the musical director for both of Bill Clinton’s presidential inauguration concerts. But this Southern California combo is much better known to mainstream audiences for their top-down, hair-blowing-in-the-wind soft rock from the decade in between. Peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980, “Biggest Part of Me” is the group’s best-known tune–a seafoamy bit of blue-eyed soul served over a raw bar of smooth jazz and lite funk.
Player released their self-titled debut album in 1977 and immediately shot up to #1 with “Baby Come Back.” Bandmates Peter Beckett and J.C. Crowley had both recently broken up with their girlfriends. They channeled their shared angst into this composition, a self-sorry guilty pleasure featuring former Steppenwolf member Wayne Cook on keys. Granted, Steppenwolf’s edgy disposition is nowhere to be found on this record, but it is pretty infectious in a late-summer-night, slightly-buzzed, clenched-fist sort of way. Player endured various lineup changes, but never returned to the heights of their first hit.
Remember that scene in National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978) where there’s this dude in a turtleneck singing a super cloying folks song before John Belushi mercifully snatches away his guitar and smashes it to smithereens? That guy was Stephen Bishop, who was actually in the middle of enjoying considerable success with his 1976 debut album, Careless . “On and On” was the album’s biggest hit, a vaguely Caribbean soft-rocker that reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in ’77. The gentle electric riffs you hear there are supplied by guitarist Andrew Gold–who wrote the theme song for the Golden Girls . (I freakin’ know you’re singing it right now).
The classic tale of boy-meets-girls, bangs-her-in-his-van, and brags-to-his-buds, all with backing from the world famous Wrecking Crew studio team. In 1975, a lot of people super related to it. It sold over a million copies and reach #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. I can’t tell you this song is good. But I also can’t tell you I don’t like it.
Firefall’s lead guitarist Jock Bartley perfectly captures this song’s impact, calling the band’s biggest hit “a singing version of [a] Hallmark card.” That feels right. The second single from Firefall’s 1976 self-titled debut was only a regional hit at first. But it was driven all the way to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the strength of radio requests. As Bartley explained, “Every female between the ages of 18 and 24 wanted to be the woman portrayed in the song, and that caused their boyfriends and spouses to call radio stations and subsequently flood the airwaves with dedications of the song and the sentiment.”
Arguably, “Sailing” is the single most emblematic song of the Yacht Rock genre. Its thematic relevance requires no explanation. But it’s worth noting that the song is inspired by true events. During a tough time in his youth, Cross was befriended by Al Glasscock. Serving as something of an older brother to Cross, Glasscock would take him sailing. He recalls in his biggest hit that this was a time of escape from the harsh realities of his real life. In 1979, Cross released his self-titled debut. In early 1980, “Sailing” became a #1 hit, landing Cross a hat-trick of Grammys–including recognition as best new artist. Though Cross and Glasscock would lose touch for more than 20 years, they were reunited during a 1995 episode of The Howard Stern Show . Cross subsequently mailed a copy of his platinum record to Glasscock.
Apparently, this song was perceived as so blatant a ripoff of Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins’ “What a Fool Believes” that legal action was actually threatened. It never formulated. Instead, Robbie Dupree landed a #6 Billboard Hot 100 hit with the lead single from his self-titled 1980 debut. Critics hated it, but it was a dominant presence in the summer of 1980. It even earned Dupree a Grammy nomination for best new artist. He ultimately lost to the man just above–Christopher Cross.
You didn’t think we’d get through this whole list without an actual Kenny Loggins tune. This song has the perfect pedigree, teaming Loggins and Michael McDonald on a 1979 composition that became the lead single off of Kenny Loggins’ Keep the Fire. Coming on the tail end of the ’70s, “This is It” felt positively omnipresent in the ’80s. I may be biased here. I grew up in Philadelphia, where a local television show by the same name adopted “This is It” as its theme song. But then, it did also reach #11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
And in that spirit…this is it, the end of our list.
But as usual, here’s a bonus playlist–an expanded voyage through the breezy, AOR waters of the mid-’70s to early ’80s.
I’ve been wanting to put together a best of Yacht Rock list for quite sometime. Now that we’re into the month of May – I’m inspired to pull this list together and get ready to jam to these (and others) all summer long. As an added bonus, recording artist Carly Shea stopped by to talk about her favorite Yacht Rock songs. She listed her songs during the intermission or halftime on the video countdown below .
As I started writing down names to songs that I felt should be included on the list, I noticed that it was being dominated by Michael McDonald/Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, Christopher Cross and America. So I decide to make some ground rules:
Only one song per band would be ranked with solo projects being treated separately. Of course that made for even more decisions. Choosing between the three or four America songs to include on the list was TOUGH. Same with Seals & Croft. Summer Breeze or Diamond Girl ? But then it hit me. A calmness of floating through a no wake zone, if you will. Just relax and make your selections and live with it. At the end of the day, when you are dealing with Yacht Rock – there really aren’t any bad choices.
Speaking of which. A couple of artists got left off of the list. I nearly expanded the list to 30 to make room for anyone. But I decided to keep the top 24. So Hall and Oates (I Can’t Go For That), Toto (Georgy Porgy), Fleetwood Mac (You Make Loving Fun), Kenny Loggins (This Is It), Dobie Gray (Drift Away) and Olvia Newton-John (Magic) – just missed. In fact, the first two names I wrote down initially were Hall & Oates and Toto. It’s a touch business – this Yacht Rock.
Without further ado. Here’s my Top 24 Yacht Rock Songs .
24. England Dan and John Ford Coley – I’d Really Love To See You Tonight
23. Herb Alpert – Route 101
22. Jay Ferguson – Thunder Island
21. Boz Scaggs – JoJo
20. Bobby Caldwell – What You Won’t Do For Love
19. Looking Glass – Brandi (You’re A Fine Girl)
18. Player – Baby Come Back
17. Ambrosia – Biggest Part Of Me
16. Michael Martin Murphey – Wildfire
15. Todd Rundgren – I Saw The Light
14. Michael McDonald – Sweet Freedom
13. Ace – How Long
12. Lionel Richie – All Night Long
11. 10cc – I’m Not In Love
10. Rupert Homes – Escape (Pina Colada)
09. Donald Fagen – I.G.Y.
08. Robbie Dupree – Steal Away
07. Seals & Croft – Summer Breeze
06. America – Horse With No Name
05. Gerry Rafferty – Baker Street
04. Christopher Cross – Ride Like The Wind
03. Steely Dan – Peg
02. Starbuck – Moonlight Feels Right
01. Doobie Brothers – What A Fool Believes
So there you go. The songs I consider the greatest Yacht Rock Songs ever. Of course, with the twist of only one song per act.
Do you have a favorite? Hit me up on Twitter or Instagram below and let me know which song is your top choice.
-Tommy Marz
You can follow Tommy on Twitter and Instagram let him know what you think.
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Published April 28, 2023
Yacht rock is a subgenre of soft rock. It became prevalent in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and while it’s no longer as popular now, it still continues to be loved by fans today.
It’s best known for the jazzy arrangements, sophisticated harmonies, and lyrics that would often encapsulate the laid-back lifestyle of yacht owners. Needless to say, yacht rock targets a specific niche, and even those outside of that niche can enjoy the songs the genre offers.
If that sounds like you, then you’re in luck. In this post, we’ve compiled a list of the best yacht rock songs of all time, from deep cuts to classics that came out from 1972 to 1990.
While yacht rock is often associated with the late 1970s and early 1980s, there have been some recent songs that were able to capture the yacht rock vibe or sound. They’re now quite popular among fans of this genre. Here’s a yacht rock songs list of these songs:
Yacht rock has proven to be a timeless genre that has, for decades, captured the hearts of not only yacht enjoyers and owners, but also music lovers in general. Whether you’re a newcomer to yacht rock or a long-time enthusiast of the genre, the top yacht rock songs in this list will offer a glimpse into the melodic, smooth sound that defines the yacht genre.
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Lenard Arceo is passionate about the outdoors and South Florida life. He is a professional blogger for several renowned publications and also loves learning how to code in his free time.
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Each week we’re featuring a playlist to get your mind going and help you assemble your favorites. This week we take a deep dive into the soft rock hits of the late ’70s and early ’80s, which have come to be known in some circles as Yacht Rock. The term Yacht Rock generally refers to music in the era where yuppies enjoyed sipping champagne on their yachts — a concept explored in the original web series Yacht Rock, which debuted in 2005 and has developed a cult following. Artists most commonly thought of in the Yacht Rock era include Michael McDonald, Ambrosia, 10cc, Toto, Kenny Loggins, Boz Scaggs, and Christopher Cross. Yacht Rock has become the muse of a great number of tribute bands and is the current subject of a short-run channel on Sirius XM.
Here is a stab at the Top 100 Songs of Yacht Rock — not necessarily in rank order, with a few more added for honorable mention. We welcome your comments. What songs are ranked too high? What songs are ranked too low? What songs are missing? Make your case. Also, please let us know concepts for playlists you’d like to see — or share a favorite list of your own.
Artist | Title | |
---|---|---|
1 | Steely Dan | Hey Nineteen |
2 | Herb Alpert | Route 101 |
3 | Robbie Dupree | Steal Away |
4 | Jan Hammer Group | Don't You Know |
5 | Blues Image | Ride Captain Ride |
6 | Toto/Cheryl Lynn | Georgy Porgy |
7 | Gerry Rafferty | Right Down The Line |
8 | Paul Young | Every Time You Go Away |
9 | Boz Scaggs | Jojo |
10 | Johnny Nash | I Can See Clearly Now |
11 | Daryl Hall/John Oates | Sara Smile |
12 | Orleans | Dance With Me |
13 | Olivia Newton John | Magic |
14 | Seals & Crofts | Summer Breeze |
15 | Lionel Richie | All Night Long |
16 | Fleetwood Mac | You Make Loving Fun |
17 | Steely Dan | Deacon Blues |
18 | Christopher Cross | Ride Like The Wind |
19 | Little River Band | Cool Change |
20 | Jackson Browne | Somebody's Baby |
21 | 10cc | Dreadlock Holiday |
22 | Dr. Hook | When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman |
23 | Boz Scaggs | Lowdown |
24 | Player | This Time I'm In It For Love |
25 | Fleetwood Mac | Everywhere |
26 | Steely Dan | Peg |
27 | Todd Rundgren | I Saw The Light |
28 | Gerry Rafferty | Baker Street |
29 | Eagles | One Of These Nights |
30 | James Ingram | Yah-Mo Be There |
31 | 10cc | I'm Not In Love |
32 | Ambrosia | Biggest Part Of Me |
33 | Terri Gibbs | Somebody's Knockin' |
34 | Atlanta Rhythm Section | So In To You |
35 | Boz Scaggs | Lido Shuffle |
36 | Steve Miller Band | Wild Mountain Honey |
37 | Michael McDonald | I Gotta Try |
38 | Matthew Wilder | Break My Stride |
39 | England Dan & John Ford Coley | I'd Really Love To See You Tonight |
40 | Player | Baby Come Back |
41 | Kenny Loggins | This Is It |
42 | Michael McDonald | I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near) |
43 | Toto | Rosanna |
44 | Daryl Hall/John Oates | Kiss On My List |
45 | The Doobie Brothers | What A Fool Believes |
46 | Christopher Cross | Sailing |
47 | Loggins & Messina | Watching The River Run |
48 | Eagles | The Long Run |
49 | Looking Glass | Brandy (You're A Fine Girl) |
50 | Bread | Everything I Own |
51 | Steely Dan | Reelin' in the Years |
52 | Joe Jackson | Steppin' Out |
53 | Jackson Browne | Doctor My Eyes |
54 | Sanford & Townsend | Smoke from a Distant Fire |
55 | Bobby Caldwell | What You Won't Do For Love |
56 | Fleetwood Mac | Rhiannon |
57 | Ace | How Long |
58 | Daryl Hall/John Oates | Rich Girl |
59 | Toto | Africa |
60 | Steely Dan | Do It Again |
61 | Bertie Higgins | Key Largo |
62 | Rupert Holmes | Escape (The Pina Colada Song) |
63 | Little River Band | Reminiscing |
64 | Jimmy Buffett | Margaritaville |
65 | Fleetwood Mac | Dreams |
66 | Firefall | Just Remember I Love You |
67 | Eagles | I Can't Tell You Why |
68 | Eagles | The Best Of My Love |
69 | Eagles | Take It To The Limit |
70 | Eagles | Tequila Sunrise |
71 | Chicago | Saturday In The Park |
72 | Bob Welch | Sentimental Lady |
73 | America | Sister Golden Hair |
74 | America | A Horse With No Name |
75 | Ambrosia | How Much I Feel |
76 | Alan Parsons | Eye In The Sky |
77 | Air Supply | Lost In Love |
78 | Steely Dan | Dirty Work |
79 | Steely Dan | Only A Fool Would Say That |
80 | Orleans | Still The One |
81 | Stephen Bishop | Sinking In An Ocean Of Tears |
82 | 10cc | The Things We Do For Love |
83 | America | Ventura Highway |
84 | Al Stewart | Year Of The Cat |
85 | Bread | Baby I'm A Want You |
86 | Firefall | You Are The Woman |
87 | George Benson | Gimme The Night |
88 | Barbara Streisand/Barry Gibb | Guilty |
89 | Christopher Cross | Arthur's Theme |
90 | Marty Balin | Hearts |
91 | Poco | Barbados |
92 | Daryl Hall/John Oates | I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) |
93 | Al Stewart | Time Passages |
94 | Jay Ferguson | Thunder Island |
95 | Dr. Hook | Sexy Eyes |
96 | Donald Fagen | I.G.Y. |
97 | Michael McDonald | Gotta Try |
98 | Bread | Make It With You |
99 | Pablo Cruise | Whatcha Gonna Do |
100 | Doobie Brothers | Dependin' On You |
101 | Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Jackie Blue |
102 | Pablo Cruise | Love Will Find A Way |
103 | Starbuck | Moonlight Feels Right |
104 | Billy Ocean | Caribbean Queen |
105 | Linda Ronstadt | Ooh Baby Baby |
106 | Hues Corporation | Rock The Boat |
107 | Loggins & Messina | Danny's Song |
108 | Rupert Holmes | Answering Machine |
109 | Stephen Bishop | On And On |
110 | Bread | The Guitar Man |
111 | Seals & Crofts | Diamond Girl |
112 | Air Supply | Even The Nights Are Better |
113 | Ambrosia | You're The Only Woman |
114 | George Benson | Breezin' |
115 | Daryl Hall/John Oates | She's Gone |
116 | Dave Loggins | Please Come To Boston |
117 | Rickie Lee Jones | Chuck E.'s In Love |
118 | Captain/Tennille | Love Will Keep Us Together |
119 | Dr. Hook | Better Love Next Time |
120 | Chilliwack | I Believe |
121 | Crosby, Stills & Nash | Southern Cross |
122 | Climax Blues Band | Couldn't Get It Right |
123 | Gilbert O'Sullivan | Alone Again (Naturally) |
124 | America | Daisy Jane |
125 | Beach Boys | Sail On, Sailor |
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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 ...
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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.
Playlist · Yacht Rock - 100 Best Ever - Top Yacht Rock Songs · 114 items · 2.4K likes.
Putting aside its self-aware inauthenticity, "Africa" is an infectious, 8x platinum AOR monster. 5. "Reminiscing" by Little River Band. Released in the summer of 1978 and reaching up to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Reminiscing" was guitarist Graeham Goble 's nostalgic take on the swing band era.
Artists most commonly thought of in the Yacht Rock era include Michael McDonald, Ambrosia, 10cc, Toto, Kenny Loggins, Boz Scaggs, and Christopher Cross. Yacht Rock has become the muse of a great number of tribute bands, and is the current subject of a short-run channel on Sirius XM.
This slick, sprawling mega-work about a midlife crisis is the most epic of Yacht Rock songs, its jazzy War and Peace, a veritable A la Recherche du Tremps Perdu. If you want to hear a fan of the ...
70s + 80s Soft Rock for a day on the boat. Island tunes, chill summer hits + nothing but smooth sailing while jamming to hits from TOTO, Looking Glass, Billy Joel, Hall & Oates + more. 101 Songs, 6 hours, 52 minutes
Top 100 Yacht Rock Songs. A new music service with official albums, singles, videos, remixes, live performances and more for Android, iOS and desktop. It's all here.
Playlist · YACHT ROCK | TOP 100 SONGS · 153 songs · 52.9K likes
Listen to the The Best Yacht Rock Songs (That Don't Suck) playlist by Rolling Stone on Apple Music. 12 Songs. Duration: 1 hour, 1 minute. ... Yacht Rock actually resulted in some amazing pop music beyond Christopher Cross' "Sailing." Here are tracks that define the genre's rich, jazzy textures and irresistible melodies. 12 Songs, 1 hour, 1 ...
Sailing: The Best Of Yacht Rock is the ultimate #YachtRock playlist of the smoothest classic rock songs ever written.
70s 80s Soft Rock for a day on the boat. Island tunes, chill summer hits smooth sailing while jamming to hits from Earth, Wind & Fire, TOTO, Looking Glass, B...
If you don't love songs about boats, one-night stands, and breezy California nights, you've come to the wrong place. Yacht Rock embodies the singer-songwriter soft rock that dominated FM radio playlists in the '70s. Combine slick L.A. production, earnest singing, and a touch of lite-country songwriting, and chances are, you had a Top 40 hit. These are the best of them.
According to AllMusic, Yacht Rock is a broad music style and aesthetic commonly associated with Soft Rock, one of the most commercially successful genres from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s.Drawing on sources such as Smooth Soul, Smooth Jazz, R&B, and Disco. Meanwhile, common stylistic traits include high-quality production, clean vocals, and a focus on light, catchy melodies.
Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) - Looking Glass. Written by the band's lead guitarist Elliot Lurie, pop-rock band Looking Glass is a one-hit wonder thanks to their popular single 'Brandy (You're a Fine Girl).'. The song tells the story of a young "barmaid" in a bustling seaport who brushes off endless propositions as she longs for ...
Here's my Top 24 Yacht Rock Songs. 24. England Dan and John Ford Coley - I'd Really Love To See You Tonight. 23. Herb Alpert - Route 101. 22. Jay Ferguson - Thunder Island. 21. Boz Scaggs - JoJo.
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Needless to say, yacht rock targets a specific niche, and even those outside of that niche can enjoy the songs the genre offers. If that sounds like you, then you're in luck. In this post, we've compiled a list of the best yacht rock songs of all time, from deep cuts to classics that came out from 1972 to 1990. 67 Best Yacht Rock Songs List
Artists most commonly thought of in the Yacht Rock era include Michael McDonald, Ambrosia, 10cc, Toto, Kenny Loggins, Boz Scaggs, and Christopher Cross. Yacht Rock has become the muse of a great number of tribute bands and is the current subject of a short-run channel on Sirius XM.
Here's the foremost Top 100 yacht rock songs of all time. In fact, here's the real deal. More importantly, for you aficionados, these are the songs you've been looking for. Finally, we are posting the hilarious list that really helped turn us on to the best in the YR genre. Unbelievably, the commentary on these songs and the pure genius ...
Best Yacht Rock Songs - Ultimate Yacht Rock Music (Playlist Updated in 2024) If you liked this playlist, we recommend you also listen to these music lists: 1...
Tommy Marz counts down his Top 24 Yacht Rock Songs. There's one caveat: Only one song per band. Solo projects are treated separately. Michael McDonald mad...