list of yacht rock bands

Live LPs That Were Overdubbed
John Mayall Dead at 90
50 Greatest Solo Artists
Top 100 Live Albums
Top 200 '70s Songs
Win a $500 Visa Gift Card

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

Revisiting ‘Wonder Woman’ Lynda Carter’s Bonkers Kiss Tribute

Dan Sharp "Between The Brave, Bold and Given Up" - Review

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

The Vaccines "Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations" - Review

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 .

50 Fantastic Long-form Rock Songs

Top 100 Greatest Pop-Punk Songs of All Time

Top 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time

Top 100 Greatest Alternative Rock Albums of the '90s

Top 15 Songs by Vampire Weekend

Top 100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums of 2000-2009

Top 100 Greatest American Albums of All Time

100 Underrated Indie Rock Songs

Top 100 Greatest Rock Vocalists of All Time

100 Greatest Alternative Albums

100 Gre atest Alternative Artists

100 Greatest Debut Alternative Albums

100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums

100 Greatest Indie Rock Artists

100 Greatest Indie Rock Songs

100 Greates t Indie Rock Songs Post 2000

100 Fantastic Indie Rock DEEP CUTS Post 2000

100 Greatest Alternative Rock Songs of the '90s

100 Greatest Rock Artists

100 Greatest Rock Albums

100 Greatest Rock Albums of the '70s

100 Most Influential Rock Albums

10 Iconic Ea rly Alternative Rock Songs

ANOTHER 10 Iconic Early Alternative Rock Songs

10 Fantastic Song Titles

Five Underrated Albums of the 2000's

MusicInfluence.com

The 25 Best Yacht Rock Songs Of All Time

Yacht rock isn’t exactly a genre. it’s more a state of mind..

Yacht Rock is the musical equivalent of a mid-afternoon mimosa nap in a nautical location—a balmy lite-FM breeze with the substance of a romance novel and the machismo of a Burt Reynolds mustache comb.

But what exactly is Yacht Rock?

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 just easy to mock. It’s also deserving of the abuse. There’s a sensitive-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...

The survival of high quality music writing depends on subscribers like you. For as little as $5 per month, you can fund a project dedicated entirely to the love of music (and receive access to special monthly features). Upgrade today and support an endangered species—the independent music writer.

What are the qualifications for inclusion on our list?

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:

Finding the love of your life;

Having a memorable one-night stand; or

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...

1. "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes

"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.

2. "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) by The Looking Glass

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.

3. "Summer Breeze" by Seals and Crofts

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.

4. "Africa" by Toto

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 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.

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. 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.

6. "Drift Away" by Dobie Gray

Originally recorded 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.

7. "Love Will Find a Way" by Pablo Cruise

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.

8. "Ride Captain Ride" by Blues Image

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 with Atco Records. Their sophomore record, Open , yielded their one and only hit. The Blues Image reach #4 on the charts in 1970 with a tune about a bunch of men who disappear into the mists of the San Francisco Bay while searching for a hippie utopia.

9. "Eye in the Sky" by The Alan Parsons Project

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 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.

10. "Miracles" by Jefferson Starship

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 Jefferson 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.

11. "Sad Eyes" by Robert John

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.

In the summer of '79, he would again climb the charts, this time to the top spot. 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.

12. "Magnet and Steel" by Walter Egan

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.

13. "Lido Shuffle" by Boz Scaggs

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.

14. "What You Won't Do for Love" by Bobby Caldwell

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."

15. "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)" by Michael McDonald

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.

16. "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty

To the casual listener, Gerry Rafferty's name should sound vaguely familiar. Indeed, you may remember hearing it uttered in passing in the film Reservoir Dogs . In a key scene, a radio 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 the 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.

17. "Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang" by Silver

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.

18. "Biggest Part of Me" by Ambrosia

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.

19. "Baby Come Back" by Player

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.

20. "On and On" by Stephen Bishop

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).

21. "Chevy Van" by Sammy Johns

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 reached #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.

22. "You Are the Woman" by Firefall

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."

23. "Sailing" by Christopher Cross

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.

24. "Steal Away" by Robbie Dupree

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 listed just above--Christopher Cross.

25. "This is It" by Kenny Loggins

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.

Ready for more?

COVID-19 News
Submit A Story Idea
Submit A Picture Or Video
Main Street Festival
Tennessee Event Venues
Submit An Event
Eat & Drink
Entertainment
Kids & Family
Fashion and Style
Things to Do
Relocating to Williamson County
Morning Source
High School Football Scores
Nashville Predators
Nashville SC
Nashville Sounds
Tennessee Titans
Columbia State Community College
Tennessee Volunteers
Vanderbilt Commodores
Search Local Homes
Battle Ground Academy
Brentwood Academy
Brentwood High School
Centennial High School
Christ Presbyterian Academy
Fairview High School
Father Ryan High School
Franklin High School
Franklin Road Academy
Grace Christian Academy
Independence High School
Nolensville High School
Page High School
Ravenwood High School
Spring Hill High School
Summit High School
Cool Springs
Spring Hill
Nolensville
Thompsons Station

Playlist of the Week: Top 100 Songs of Yacht Rock

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 champaign 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

Please join our FREE Newsletter

Featured Local Savings

Related articles more from author, brantley gilbert to headline largest album release party on broadway, state fair to ‘sow fun and harvest memories’, warren haynes announces fall tour stop in nashville, close to home news, when, where and who to watch in the 2024 paris olympics, top stories from july 23, 2024, nolensville voters to vote on wine in grocery stores, spring hill police warns of home rental scams, tdec announces $718,757 in brownfield redevelopment area grants, close to home events, baby expo headed to franklin this fall, jared leto’s band thirty seconds to mars to perform at ascend..., 21st annual big backpack giveaway returns for williamson county students, 6 live shows this week- july 22, 2024, nashville home show to return to music city center, nashville film festival announces six feature films selected to screen at..., chukkers for charity returns this september.

Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Copyright Infringement Claims

Angie Greaves 4pm - 7pm

Now Playing

Tell Her About It Billy Joel Download 'Tell Her About It' on iTunes

The 20 greatest yacht rock songs ever, ranked

27 July 2022, 17:50

By Tom Eames

We can picture it now: lounging on a swish boat as it bobs along the water, sipping cocktails and improving our tan. Oh, and it's the 1980s.

There's only one style of music that goes with this image: Yacht rock.

What is Yacht Rock?

Also known as the West Coast Sound or adult-oriented rock, it's a style of soft rock from between the late 1970s and early 1980s that featured elements of smooth soul, smooth jazz, R&B, funk, rock and disco.

The 40 greatest disco songs ever, ranked
The 10 greatest and smoothest ever sax solos, ranked

Although its name has been used in a negative way, to us it's an amazing genre that makes us feel like we're in an episode of Miami Vice wearing shoulder pads and massive sunglasses.

Here are the very best songs that could be placed in this genre:

Player - 'Baby Come Back'

Player - Baby Come Back

Not the reggae classic of the same name, this 1977 track was Player's biggest hit.

After Player disbanded, singer Peter Beckett joined Australia's Little River Band, and he also wrote 'Twist of Fate' for Olivia Newton-John and 'After All This Time' for Kenny Rogers.

Steely Dan - 'FM'

It's tough just choosing one Steely Dan song for this list, but we've gone for this banger.

Used as the theme tune for the 1978 movie of the same name, the song is jazz-rock track, though its lyrics took a disapproving look at the genre as a whole, which was in total contrast to the film's celebration of it. Still, sounds great guys!

Bobby Goldsboro - 'Summer (The First Time)'

Bobby Goldsboro - Summer (The First Time)

A bit of a questionable subject matter, this ballad was about a 17-year-old boy’s first sexual experience with a 31-year-old woman at the beach.

But using a repeating piano riff, 12-string guitar, and an orchestral string arrangement, this song just screams yacht rock and all that is great about it.

Kenny Loggins - 'Heart to Heart'

Kenny Loggins - Heart To Heart (Official Music Video)

If Michael McDonald is the king of yacht rock, then Kenny Loggins is his trusted advisor and heir to the throne.

This track was co-written with Michael, and also features him on backing vocals. The song is about how most relationships do not stand the test of time, yet some are able to do so.

Airplay - 'Nothing You Can Do About It'

Nothin' You Can Do About It

You might not remember US band Airplay, but they did have their moment on the yacht.

Consisting of David Foster (who also co-wrote the Kenny Loggins song above), Jay Graydon and the brilliantly-named Tommy Funderburk, this tune was a cover of a Manhattan Transfer song, and was a minor hit in 1981.

Boz Scaggs - 'Lowdown'

Boz Scaggs - Lowdown (Official Audio)

We've moved slightly into smooth jazz territory with this track, which is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

The song was co-written by David Paich, who would go on to form Toto along with the song's keyboardist David Paich, session bassist David Hungate, and drummer Jeff Porcaro.

Steve Winwood - 'Valerie'

Steve Winwood - Valerie (Official Video)

This song is probably as far as you can get into pop rock without totally leaving the yacht rock dock.

Legendary singer-songwriter Winwood recorded this gong about a man reminiscing about a lost love he hopes to find again someday.

Eric Prydz later sampled it in 2004 for the house number one track ‘Call on Me’, and presented it to Winwood, who was so impressed he re-recorded the vocals to better fit the track.

Toto - 'Rosanna'

Toto - Rosanna (Official HD Video)

We almost picked 'Africa' , but we reckon this tune just about pips it in the yacht rock game.

Written by David Paich, he has said that the song is based on numerous girls he had known.

As a joke, the band members initially played along with the common assumption that the song was based on actress Rosanna Arquette, who was dating Toto keyboard player Steve Porcaro at the time and coincidentally had the same name.

Chicago - 'Hard to Say I'm Sorry'

Chicago - Hard To Say I'm Sorry (Official Music Video)

Chicago began moving away from their horn-driven soft rock sound with their early 1980s output, including this synthesizer-filled power ballad.

The 10 greatest Chicago songs, ranked

The album version segued into a more traditional Chicago upbeat track titled ‘Get Away’, but most radio stations at the time opted to fade out the song before it kicked in. Three members of Toto played on the track. Those guys are yacht rock kings!

Michael Jackson - 'Human Nature'

Michael Jackson - Human Nature (Audio)

A few non-rock artists almost made this list ( George Michael 's 'Careless Whisper' and Spandau Ballet 's 'True' are almost examples, but not quite), yet a big chunk of Thriller heavily relied on the yacht rock sound.

Michael Jackson proved just how popular the genre could get with several songs on the album, but 'Human Nature' is the finest example.

The Doobie Brothers - 'What a Fool Believes'

The Doobie Brothers - What A Fool Believes (Official Music Video)

Possibly THE ultimate yacht rock song on the rock end of the spectrum, and it's that man Michael McDonald.

Written by McDonald and Kenny Loggins, this was one of the few non-disco hits in America in the first eight months of 1979.

The song tells the story of a man who is reunited with an old love interest and attempts to rekindle a romantic relationship with her before discovering that one never really existed.

Michael Jackson once claimed he contributed at least one backing track to the original recording, but was not credited for having done so. This was later denied by the band.

Christopher Cross - 'Sailing'

Christopher Cross - Sailing (Official Audio)

We're not putting this in here just because it's called 'Sailing', it's also one of the ultimate examples of the genre.

Christopher Cross reached number one in the US in 1980, and VH1 later named it the most "softsational soft rock" song of all time.

Don Henley - 'The Boys of Summer'

The Boys Of Summer DON HENLEY(1984) OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

Mike Campbell wrote the music to this track while working on Tom Petty’s Southern Accents album, but later gave it to Eagles singer Don Henley, who wrote the lyrics.

The song is about the passing of youth and entering middle age, and of a past relationship. It was covered twice in the early 2000s: as a trance track by DJ Sammy in 2002, and as a pop punk hit by The Ataris in 2003.

England Dan and John Cord Foley - 'I'd Really Love to See You Tonight'

England Dan & John Ford Coley - I'd Really Love To See You Tonight.avi

A big hit for this duo in 1976, it showcases the very best of the sock rock/AOR/yacht rock sound that the 1970s could offer.

Dan Seals is the younger brother of Jim Seals of Seals and Crofts fame. Which leads to...

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.

Christopher Cross - 'Ride Like the Wind'

Ride Like The Wind Promo Video 1980 Christopher Cross

If Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins are in charge of the yacht rock ship, then Christopher Cross has to be captain, right? Cabin boy? Something anyway.

The singer was arguably the biggest success story of the relatively short-lived yacht rock era, and this one still sounds incredible.

Eagles - 'I Can't Tell You Why'

The eagles - I can't tell you why (AUDIO VINYL)

Many Eagles tunes could be classed as yacht rock, but we reckon their finest example comes from this track from their The Long Run album in 1979.

Don Henley described the song as "straight Al Green", and that Glenn Frey, an R&B fan, was responsible for the R&B feel of the song. Frey said to co-writer Timothy B Schmit: "You could sing like Smokey Robinson . Let’s not do a Richie Furay, Poco-sounding song. Let’s do an R&B song."

Gerry Rafferty - 'Baker Street'

Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street (Official Video)

Gerry Rafferty probably didn't realise he was creating one of the greatest yacht rock songs of all time when he wrote this, but boy did he.

The Story of... 'Baker Street'

With the right blend of rock and pop and the use of the iconic saxophone solo, you can't not call this yacht rock at its finest.

Michael McDonald - 'Sweet Freedom'

Michael McDonald - Sweet Freedom (1986)

If you wanted to name the king of yacht rock, you'd have to pick Michael McDonald . He could sing the phone book and it would sound silky smooth.

Possibly his greatest solo tune, it was used in the movie Running Scared , and its music video featured actors Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines.

Hall & Oates - 'I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)'

Daryl Hall & John Oates - I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) (Official Video)

This duo knew how to make catchy hit after catchy hit. This R&B-tinged pop tune was co-written with Sara Allen (also the influence for their song 'Sara Smile').

Hall and Oates' 10 best songs, ranked

John Oates has said that the song is actually about the music business. "That song is really about not being pushed around by big labels, managers, and agents and being told what to do, and being true to yourself creatively."

Not only was the song sampled in De La Soul's 'Say No Go' and Simply Red 's 'Home', but Michael Jackson also admitted that he lifted the bass line for 'Billie Jean'!

More Song Lists

See more More Song Lists

Crowded House's 10 greatest songs, ranked

Keane's 10 greatest ever songs, ranked, the xx's 10 greatest ever songs, ranked, father's day songs: the 20 greatest and emotional tracks about dads, stevie nicks' 10 greatest solo songs, ranked, more features.

See more More Features

When Dustin Hoffman farted next to Tom Cruise in 1988 interview and cracked them both up

TV & Film

Barry Gibb and Barbra Streisand squabble over how to make a cup of tea in hilarious video

Why this tense performance of 'in the air tonight' by phil collins is so good.

Phil Collins

How heartbreak encouraged Phil Collins to pursue pop superstardom

Alanis morissette sings 'ironic' with her 8-year-old daughter: 'i love you so much', smooth playlists, smooth's all time top 500, smooth soul, smooth country hot hits, smooth chill concentration, smooth podcast picks, they don't teach this at school with myleene klass, take that: this life, runpod with jenni falconer, the news agents.

an image, when javascript is unavailable

Yacht Rock: Album Guide

By David Browne

David Browne

Summer’s here and time is right for dancing … on the deck of a large nautical vessel. During the late Seventies and early Eighties, the radio was dominated by silver-tongued white-dude crooners with names like Rupert and Gerry, emoting over balmy R&B beats, swaying saxes, and dishwasher-clean arrangements. Though it didn’t have a name, the genre — soft rock you could dance to — was dismissed by serious rock fans as fluffy and lame. But thanks to a web series in the mid-2000s, the style — belatedly named “ yacht rock ” — has since spawned a satellite-radio channel, tribute bands, and a Weezer cover of Toto’s “Africa.” Is the modern love of the music ironic or sincere? Hard to say, yet there’s no denying yacht rock is a legit sound with a vibe all its own that produced a surprising amount of enduring music perfectly at home in summer. (John Mayer even tips his own sailor’s hat to the genre on his new “Last Train Home” single, and even the aqua-blue cover of his upcoming Sob Rock album.) The resumption of the Doobie Brothers’ 50th anniversary tour, postponed last year due to COVID-19 but scheduled to restart in August, is the cherry atop the Pina colada.

Boz Scaggs, Silk Degrees (1976)

Before yacht rock was an identifiable genre, Scaggs (no fan of the term, as he told Rolling Stone in 2018) set the standard for what was to come: sharp-dressed white soul, burnished ballads that evoked wine with a quiet dinner, and splashes of Me Decade decadence (the narrator of the pumped “Lido Shuffle” is setting up one more score before leaving the country). Add in the Philly Soul homage “What Can I Say,” the burbling life-on-the-streets homage “Lowdown,” and the lush sway of “Georgia,” and Silk Degrees , internationally or not, set a new high bar for Seventies smoothness.

Steely Dan, Aja (1977)

The sophisticated high-water mark of yacht, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker’s masterpiece is the midway point between jazz and pop, with tricky tempo shifts, interlocking horn and keyboard parts, and pristine solos. Not settling for easygoing period clichés, these love songs, so to speak, are populated by a sleazy movie director (the gorgeous rush of “Peg”), a loser who still hopes to be a jazzman even if the odds are against him (the heart-tugging “Deacon Blues”), and a guy whose nodding-out girlfriend is probably a junkie (“Black Cow”). The most subversive cruise you’ll ever take.

The Doobie Brothers, Minute by Minute (1978)

The Doobies got their start as a biker-y boogie band, but they smoothed things out for Minute by Minute . Highlighted by “What a Fool Believes,” the unstoppable Michael McDonald-Kenny Loggins co-write, the LP piles on romantic turmoil, falsetto harmonies, and plenty of spongy electric piano. But it also proves how much personality and muscle the Doobies could bring to what could be a generic sound. McDonald’s husky, sensitive-guy delivery shrouds the unexpectedly bitter title song (“You will stay just to watch me, darlin’/Wilt away on lies from you”) and honoring their biker roots, “Don’t Stop to Watch the Wheels” is about taking a lady friend for a ride on your hog.

Editor’s picks

Every awful thing trump has promised to do in a second term, the 250 greatest guitarists of all time, the 500 greatest albums of all time, the 50 worst decisions in movie history.

Further Listening

Seals & crofts, get closer (1976).

The Dylan-goes-electric moment of yacht, “Get Closer” validated the idea that folkie singer-songwriters could put aside their guitars (and mandolin), tap into their R&B side and cross over in ways they never imagined. In addition to the surprising seductiveness of the title hit, Get Closer has plenty of yacht-rock pleasures. In “Goodbye Old Buddies,” the narrator informs his pals that he can’t hang out anymore now that he’s met “a certain young lady,” but in the next song, “Baby Blue,” another woman is told, “There’s an old friend in me/Tellin’ me I gotta be free.” A good captain follows the tide where it takes him.

Christopher Cross, Christopher Cross (1979)

Cross’ debut swept the 1981 Grammys for a reason: It’s that rare yacht-rock album that’s graceful, earnest, and utterly lacking in smarm. Songs like the politely seductive “Say You’ll Be Mine” and the forlorn “Never Be the Same” have an elegant pop classicism, and the yacht anthem “Sailing” could be called a powered-down ballad. Fueled by a McDonald cameo expertly parodied on SCTV , the propulsive “Ride Like the Wind” sneaks raw outlaw lyrics (“Lived nine lives/Gunned down ten”) into its breezy groove, perfecting the short-lived gangster-yacht subgenre.

Rupert Holmes, Partners in Crime (1979)

The album that made Holmes a soft-rock star is known for “Escape (The Piña Colada Song),” which sports a made-for-karaoke chorus and a plot twist worthy of a wide-collar O. Henry. But what distinguishes the album is the Steely Dan-level musicianship and Holmes’ ambitious story songs, each sung with Manilow-esque exuberance. The title track equates a hooker and her john to co-workers at a department store, “Lunch Hour” ventures into afternoon-delight territory, and “Answering Machine” finds a conflicted couple trading messages but continually being cut off by those old-school devices.

Steely Dan, Gaucho (1980)

The Dan’s last studio album before a lengthy hiatus doesn’t have the consistency of Aja, but Gaucho cleverly matches their most vacuum-sealed music with their most sordid and pathetic cast of characters. A seedy older guy tries to pick up younger women in “Hey Nineteen,” another loser goes in search of a ménage à trois in “Babylon Sisters,” a coke dealer delivers to a basketball star in “Glamour Profession,” and the narrator of “Time Out of Mind” just wants another heroin high. It’s the dark side of the yacht.

Going Deeper

Michael mcdonald, if that’s what it takes (1982).

Imagine a Doobie Brothers album entirely comprised of McDonald songs and shorn of pesky guitar solos or Patrick Simmons rockers, and you have a sense of McDonald’s first and best post-Doobs album. If That’s What it Takes builds on the approach he nailed on “What a Fool Believes” but amps up the sullen-R&B side of Mac’s music. His brooding remake of Lieber and Stoller’s “I Keep Forgettin’” is peak McDonald and the title track approaches the propulsion of Christopher Cross’ “Ride Like the Wind.” With his sad-sack intensity, McDonald sounds like guy at a seaside resort chewing over his mistakes and regrets – with, naturally, the aid of an electric piano.

Kenny Loggins, Keep the Fire (1979)

Loggins’ journey from granola folk rocker to pleasure-boat captain embodies the way rock grew more polished as the Seventies wore on. Anchored by the percolating-coffeemaker rhythms and modestly aggro delivery of “This Is It,” another McDonald collaboration, Keep the Fire sets Loggins’ feathery voice to smooth-jazz saxes and R&B beats, and Michael Jackson harmonies beef up the soul quotient in “Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong.” The secret highlight is “Will It Last,” one of the sneakiest yacht tracks ever, fading to a finish after four minutes, then revving back up with some sweet George Harrison-style slide guitar.

Dr. Hook, Sometimes You Win (1979)

Earlier in the Seventies, these jokesters established themselves with novelty hits like “The Cover of ‘Rolling Stone,’’ but they soon paddled over to unabashed disco-yacht. Sometimes You Win features three of their oiliest ear worms: “Sexy Eyes,” “When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman” and “Better Love Next Time,” all oozing suburban pickup bars and the somewhat desperate dudes who hang out there. The album, alas, does not include “Sharing the Night Together,” recently reborn by way of its sardonic use in last year’s Breaking Bad spinoff El Camino .

Carly Simon, Boys in the Trees (1978)

As a trailblazing female singer-songwriter, Simon was already a star by the time yacht launched. Boys in the Trees features her beguiling contribution to the genre, “You Belong to Me,” a collaboration with the ubiquitous Michael McDonald. The Doobies cut it first, but Simon’s version adds an air of yearning and hushed desperation that makes it definitive. The album also packs in a yacht-soul cover of James Taylor’s “One Man Woman” and a “lullaby for a wide-eyed guy” called “Tranquillo (Melt My Heart),” all proving that men didn’t have a stranglehold on this style.

Anchors Aweigh

More smooth hits for your next high-seas adventure.

“BREEZIN’”

George Benson, 1976

The guitarist and Jehovah’s Witness made the leap from midlevel jazz act to crossover pop star with a windswept instrumental that conveys the yacht spirit as much as any vocal performance.

“WHATCHA GONNA DO?”

Pablo Cruise, 1976

Carefree bounce from a San Francisco band with the best name ever for a soft-rock act — named, fittingly, after a chill Colorado buddy.

“BAKER STREET”

Gerry Rafferty, 1978

Rafferty brought a deep sense of lonely-walk-by-the-bay melancholy to this epic retelling of a night on the town, in which Raphael Ravenscroft’s immortal sax awakens Rafferty from his morning-after hangover.

“REMINISCING”

Little River Band, 1978

The Aussie soft rockers delivered a slurpy valentine sung in the voice of an old man looking back on his “lifetime plan” with his wife. Innovative twist: flugelhorn solo instead of sax.

“WHENEVER I CALL YOU ‘FRIEND’ ”

Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks, 1978

After its ethereal intro, this rare genre duet grows friskier with each verse, with both Loggins and Nicks getting more audibly caught up in the groove — and the idea of “sweet love showing us a heavenly light.”

“LOTTA LOVE”

Nicolette Larson, 1978

Neil Young’s sad-boy shuffle is transformed into a luscious slice of lounge pop by the late Larson. Adding an extra layer of poignancy, she was in a relationship with Young around that time.

“STEAL AWAY”

Robbie Dupree, 1980

Is it real, or is it McDonald? Actually, it’s the best Doobies knockoff — a rinky-dink (but ingratiating) distant cousin to “What a Fool Believes” that almost inspired McDonald to take legal action.

“TAKE IT EASY”

Archie James Cavanaugh, 1980

Cult rarity by the late Alaskan singer-songwriter that crams in everything you’d want in a yacht song: disco-leaning bass, smooth-jazz guitar, sax, and a lyric that lives up to its title even more than the same-titled Eagles song.

“BIGGEST PART OF ME”

Ambrosia, 1980

Ditching the prog-classical leanings of earlier albums, this trio headed straight for the middle of the waterway with this Doobies-lite smash. Bonus points for lyrics that reference a “lazy river.”

“I CAN’T GO FOR THAT (NO CAN DO)”

Daryl Hall and John Oates, 1981

The once unstoppable blue-eyed soul duo were never pure yacht, but the easy-rolling beats and shiny sax in this Number One hit got close. Hall adds sexual tension by never specifying exactly what he can’t go for.

“COOL NIGHT”

Paul Davis, 1981

The Mississippi crooner-songwriter gives a master class on how to heat up a stalled romance: Pick a brisk evening, invite a female acquaintance over, and suggest . . . lighting a fire.

“KEY LARGO”

Bertie Higgins, 1981

Yacht’s very own novelty hit is corny but deserves props for quoting from not one but two Humphrey Bogart films ( Key Largo and Casablanca ).

“AFRICA”

The same year that members of Toto did session work on Michael Jackson’s Thriller, they released the Mount Kilimanjaro of late-yacht hits.

“SOUTHERN CROSS”

Crosby, Stills, and Nash, 1982

The combustible trio’s gusty contribution to the genre has choppy-water rhythms and enough nautical terminology for a sailing manual.

Watch Taylor Swift Mash-Up ‘We Are Happy,' ‘Happiness’ Live in Hamburg

Surprise Songs
By Emily Zemler

PnB Rock Murder Trial Opens With Accusations of 'Guesswork,' Lack of Evidence

"Somebody Should Pay"
By Nancy Dillon

John Mayall, Legendary Pioneer of British Blues, Dead at 90

By Tomás Mier

Black Belt Eagle Scout Launches Fundraiser Following 'Frightening Medical Emergency'

Health Detour

Sabrina Carpenter Thinks Halle's 'Please Please Please' Cover Is 'Heavenly Perfect'

Beachside Tunes

Most Popular

Viggo mortensen calls amazon 'appalling' and 'shameful' for dumping his 2022 ron howard film on streaming, says film criticism is 'pretty poor' these days, bob newhart, dean of the deadpan delivery, dies at 94, prince william & kate middleton's well wishes to princess anne didn't land the way they intended, international trafficking operation leads to 85 arrests and the recovery of thousands of artworks and artifacts, you might also like, jerry fuller, songwriter-producer whose dozens of hits include ‘young girl,’ ‘travelin’ man’ and ‘show and tell,’ dies at 85, moynat courts china’s young and affluent with stylist lucia liu on a dopamine-filled chinese valentine’s day capsule, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors, kevin costner’s ‘horizon’ finds redemption at home, florida man seeks dismissal of jaden rashada’s nil lawsuit.

YACHT ROCK | TOP 100 SONGS

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

More By Filtr

Featured artists, looking glass, earth, wind & fire, kenny loggins, christopher cross, the doobie brothers, daryl hall & john oates, rupert holmes, seals & crofts, bobby caldwell, africa, middle east, and india.

Côte d’Ivoire
Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The
Guinea-Bissau
Niger (English)
Congo, Republic of
Saudi Arabia
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Tanzania, United Republic Of
Turkmenistan
United Arab Emirates

Asia Pacific

Indonesia (English)
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Malaysia (English)
Micronesia, Federated States of
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Solomon Islands
Bosnia and Herzegovina
France (Français)
Deutschland
Luxembourg (English)
Moldova, Republic Of
North Macedonia
Portugal (Português)
Türkiye (English)
United Kingdom

Latin America and the Caribbean

Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina (Español)
Bolivia (Español)
Virgin Islands, British
Cayman Islands
Chile (Español)
Colombia (Español)
Costa Rica (Español)
República Dominicana
Ecuador (Español)
El Salvador (Español)
Guatemala (Español)
Honduras (Español)
Nicaragua (Español)
Paraguay (Español)
St. Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
St. Vincent and The Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos
Uruguay (English)
Venezuela (Español)

The United States and Canada

Canada (English)
Canada (Français)
United States
Estados Unidos (Español México)
الولايات المتحدة
États-Unis (Français France)
Estados Unidos (Português Brasil)
美國 (繁體中文台灣)


News on your favorite shows, specials & more!


News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

Feature: The 101 GREATEST YACHT ROCK SONGS OF ALL TIME for Your Summer Playlist - featuring Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross and Steely Dan

What Yacht Rock Classic Hit #1?

Yacht Rock is not for everyone. If you like your rock Cannibal Corpse intense or your hip hop extra Onyx edgy, then Yacht Rock will indubitably be your Kryptonite.

Some people consider this genre akin to musical wallpaper, marshmallow fluff, whiter-than-white bread snore-tunes or sax-heavy Sominex-inducing elevator muzak. They consider it slick, soulless pablum, even though true Yacht Rock vibrates with liveliness. Yes, it can be slow but it should never be sleepy; it should be relaxed and chill but never boring. Unfortunately, it's oft mistaken for any East Listening or Adult Contemporary tune (although, to be fair, many of the songs on this list do fall in these categories). But true Yacht Rock will not cause you to yawn; so don't worry, you won't find Air Supply, Barry Manilow or Dan Fogelberg anywhere near one of these rockin' yachts.

But what exactly is "Yacht Rock"? For those who don't know, it includes pop-rock songs from the late 1970's/early 1980's that would sound great on a yacht as you sip your pina coladas and get caught in the rain. Yacht Rock was not designed as thus; forty years ago, these songs that joyously filled the airwaves were called "soft rock" or "blue-eyed soul." It wasn't until the early 2000's when the term "Yacht Rock" was coined and the genre's guidelines were determined by the great J. D. Ryznar, Steve Huey, Hunter Stair, and David Lyons. Now it's everywhere, including on your SiriusXM radio app where a really bad Thurston Howell III soundalike introduces these Doobie-bounced ditties.

How can you identify a potential Yacht Rock classic? You can use Justice Potter Stewart's famous "I know it when I see it" (or, in this case, "hear it") dictum. To my ears, Yacht Rock is slick as an oil spill, part smooth pop, part light rock, both funky and jazzy. Most of the songs have tight harmonies, strong background singers (oftentimes sounding like Michael McDonald lost in an echo chamber), with added horns or strings. It's not lounge music, but it's music to lounge to. It's not disco, so you don't dance to it, but it's music where you can't help but tap your feet.

The joy of Yacht Rock is just that...its joyousness. This is bubblegum music for the jet set or the wannabe Richie Rich's. Its delightfully shallow, and part of its vibrancy is that it doesn't have a bad thought in its head. (Some of the songs obviously don't have any thoughts in their head, but if you want to have an intellectually stimulating conversation about, say, Toto's "Georgy Porgy," then have at it.) But never forget that part of its charm lies in its inability for deeper analysis; it's quite a stretch to compare some of these songs to a Winslow Homer painting or a Thomas Pynchon novel, but I'll try.

Officially, to be considered Yacht Rock, the song must have been released between 1976 and 1984, and I adhere to this rule for the 101. That means no songs that are proto-Yacht Rock, such as Seals & Crofts' "Summer Breeze," Ace's "How Long," or Steely Dan's "Dirty Work," are included. Neither did post-yacht rock favorites ("fire keepers") like Michael McDonald's "Sweet Freedom" (1986) get a chance. Some singers or groups, who are nowhere near Yacht Rock when looking at their oeuvre, may have a single YR classic in their midst; artists like Michael Jackson, Andy Gibb, the Eagles, and Earth, Wind and Fire have at least one Yacht Rock goodie on the list. And then there are those tunes that are not Yacht Rock: Nyacht Rock, which I tried but failed to avoid, but debates will happen nonetheless. For example, is "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" true Yacht Rock? Purists may say no, but I think there are few songs more yachty than the Rupert Holmes earworm.

Who would be on the Yacht Rock Mount Rushmore? Certainly Michael McDonald, whose presence is everywhere on this list with the Doobie Brothers, solos, duets, and as a backing vocalist on many of these tunes; he has 8 entries (not counting his prolific background singing). Kenny Loggins also epitomizes the genre (with 4 songs on the list, plus he co-wrote the #1 tune), as does Christopher Cross (with 5 songs on the list). But who gets that final position? Steely Dan (6 songs), Toto (6 songs), or Boz Scaggs (5 songs)? I'll let you try to settle on the filling of the fourth Rushmore slot.

And shouldn't there be a Yacht Rock Broadway musical? There are Yacht Rock tours, online series, books, websites, radio stations, podcasts, Spotify playlists; why not an official jukebox musical?

Lastly, you may ask: What makes me, a theatre reviewer, a Yacht Rock expert? For starters, I lived through these songs during my teenage years; they are the soundtrack of my younger self, especially when listening to Casey Kasem every Sunday morning on American Top-40 on CK-101. No matter how cheesy, I have a place in my heart for them. And on my 60 th birthday, I hope to rent a yacht, invite friends, don an ascot and captain's hat, and while enjoying mounds of caviar, listen to the soothing sounds of my youth. I'll use this list, my YACHT ROCK 101, as our guide, and hopefully you will too. (And hopefully if a song is unfamiliar to you, then you'll seek it out on You Tube or Spotify.) So, without further ado, counting down Kasem-style from #101 to #1, let's climb aboard...

THE 101 GREATEST YACHT ROCK SONGS!

101. NOTHIN' YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT [Airplay; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: N/A]

We start our three-hour tour here, Mr. Howell, with Airplay's little-known yachter, "Nothin' You Can Do About It," featuring David Foster, who peppers much of the following 101, and Jay Graydon, who played guitar on the Yacht Rock classic, "Peg." And as you'll find in so many songs here, the session musicians from Toto play the instruments and lift this horn-pocked One-Off into the stratosphere. It's poppy and breezy and everything that a YR hit should be. And its lyrics could be the Yacht Rock credo: "Relax; enjoy the ride!"

100. GEORGY PORGY [Toto; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #48]

This sounds like an outtake from a lost Boz Scaggs album. I have a place deep (very deep) in my heart for this. Yes, it's annoying, and Cheryl "Got to Be Real" Lynn's "Georgy Porgy, pudding pie/Kissed the girls and made them cry" refrain will get horrifically stuck in your head, but my oh my, how I love its glorious badness. (Some might claim that this isn't Yacht Rock, it's Yuck Rock.) No other chart would dare unearth this lost remnant that many think should remain lost, but it's too late baby, yes, it's too late. And if you want a sign of the coming Apocalypse: The endearingly ridiculous "Georgy Porgy" is more popular and beloved now than when it was first released.

99. THE THEME FROM "THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO" (BELIEVE IT OR NOT) [Joey Scarbury; 1981; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #2]

Yacht Rock songs are usually called "likable," which is sort of a masked insult. When you can't think of something nice to say, you usually fall back on "likable," which doesn't mean you like it; it just means someone out there may like it. And "The Theme from 'The Greatest American Hero'" is certainly likable; it's maybe the only thing we remember from the otherwise forgotten William Katt TV series, which lasted three seasons. For "Seinfeld" fans, George's use of it on his answering machine in "The Susie" episode put the song on a level way above its pay grade. Just last year, it also showed up (with "Seinfeld's" Jason Alexander) in a Tide commercial. So, this song has planted its flag in our more current pop culture landscape; perhaps it and the roaches will be the only things to survive the end of the world. Believe it or not.

98. INTO THE NIGHT [Benny Mardones; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #11]

97. WE JUST DISAGREE [Dave Mason; 1977; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #12]

96. KEY LARGO [Bertie Higgins; 1982; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #8]

95. ESCAPE (THE PINA COLADA SONG) [Rupert Holmes; 1979; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #1]

These four songs, including one #1 hit, will cause arguments from purists; they score them low on the official Yacht Rock scale and label them the dreaded Nyacht Rock. But I think each of them deserve to be on the list, even if this low. Benny Mardones was a key part of one of my high school experiences as the special musical guest for 1981's Grad Night at Disney World; I remember hearing "Into the Night" into the nighttime distance and knowing that I was in the right place at the right time. (And I take the song's narrator as a teenager crooning about a girl-because with lines like "she's just sixteen years old/Leave her alone, they say," it's just too creepily cringy to contend with otherwise.) "We Just Disagree" builds as the best Yacht Rock songs do, even if it may be too gloomy in subject matter (the breaking up of a relationship). "Key Largo" by Tampa Bay area native Bertie Higgins may be more Tropical Rock than Yacht Rock, but it's yachty enough to make the cut; besides, who can resist the Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall allusions? And Rupert Holmes's "Escape," the last word in 70's pop, is what many people think of when they read the term "Yacht Rock." And yes, it may be excessively wordy for the genre, complete with a twist ending, but to leave it off the list entirely would be a pop culture misdemeanor if not a crime. For the purists who will not escape the strict Yacht Rock guidelines and unnecessarily nix great and yachty songs like these, then we just disagree.

94. YAH-MO BE THERE [James Ingram with Michael McDonald; 1983; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #19]

A Yacht Rock staple and the first appearance of the ubiquitous Mr. McDonald on our list. I'm sure more than one person agrees with Paul Rudd from the move The 40-Year-Old Virgin when he, having McDonald's songs on a continuous loop at his work place, exclaims, "...If I hear 'Yah-Mo Be There' one more time, I'm gonna 'yah mo' burn this place to the ground!"

93. BREEZIN' [George Benson; 1976; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #63]

The first of two instrumentals on the list and the initial Yacht Rock sighting of George Benson. I mentioned earlier that none of these songs should be compared to paintings by Winslow Homer, but if any comes close, it's this one, especially Homer's "Breezin' Up." Try looking at the painting and hearing the Benson hook at the same time, and I'll see you in the morning.

92. FOOLISH HEART [Steve Perry; 1984; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #8]

Although Steve Perry is more famous as the onetime front man for Journey, and for making "Don't Stop Believin'" the most overplayed track from the Eighties, this is his sole entry into my Yacht Rock 101. His smooth voice haunts this with an uber-emotional yearning that seldom finds its way onto the feel-good vibes found elsewhere on this list.

91. 99 [Toto; 1979; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #26]

Chalk up another inspiration from a George Lucas film, although not the film you may think it is. Star Wars may be Lucas' biggest achievement, but this song takes its idea from the seldom-seen Lucas cult hit, THX 1138 , which is dystopian cold in feeling. That such a stark story (losing your identity and only being known as numbers) gets the smooth pop-light Toto treatment can only be construed as ironic.

90. ONE STEP CLOSER [The Doobie Brothers; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #24]

The Doobie Brothers' last gasp of the Michael McDonald era before our bearded musical Michelangelo would meander into a solo career.

89. HARD HABIT TO BREAK [Chicago; 1984; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #3]

Love is an addictive drug that lasts years in this beautiful if not overwrought ballad produced by David Foster.

88. DO RIGHT [Paul Davis; 1979; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #23]

A rare example of RYR: Religious Yacht Rock. Certainly the most unabashedly Christian song on the list, its opening lines like something out of an old Jim and Tammy Bakker telecast from the early 1980's: " I know that he gave his life for me/Set all our spirits free/So I want to do right, want to do right/All of my life ..." Musically it has a total yacht quality, a toe-tapping buoyant drive, that didn't stop it from being the 10 th biggest Adult Contemporary Christian hit of 1980.

87. DON'T TALK TO STRANGERS [Rick Springfield; 1982; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #2]

A year after "Jessie's Girl," Rick Springfield nearly hit the top of the charts with this Yacht Rock plea of jealous rage (though Springfield's demeanor doesn't come across as "rage"; he seems disdainful but laid back, which is why this perfectly fits the YR mold). It's too much fun to rival "Every Breath You Take" in the paranoid Top-10 hit department. Make sure not to miss the lyrics in French near the song's end which are there because...well, I don't know exactly why they're there, but I appreciate the nod to Francophiles.

86. WAITING FOR YOUR LOVE [Toto; 1982; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #73]

This is Toto's third song in the 101, paving way for claims that they should be the final slot on the Yacht Rock Mount Rushmore. "Waiting for Your Love" may not have hit big, stalling at a disappointing #73 on the charts, but has since been cited as one of Toto's greatest songs.

85. IT KEEPS YOU RUNNIN' [The Doobie Brothers; 1976; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #37]

Michael McDonald's soulful vocals and the band's mesmerizingly funky rhythm catapult this entry into the stratosphere. Yes, it was shoved onto the soundtrack of Forrest Gump , but its Yacht Rock status comes from it being featured in another film (and soundtrack that is a Yacht Rock purist's dream): the forgotten film FM (which spawned an even higher entry on this list...Steely Dan's infectious title cut).

84. LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME [Boz Scaggs; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #14]

Boz Scaggs wasn't born with the name "Boz." Actually born William Royce Scaggs, he got the nickname "Boz" after someone kept wrongly referring to him as "Bosley" at St. Marks Academy. And with a name like "Boz," Yacht Rock elite status was certainly destined. In the 1970's, Scaggs would perfect that laid back soft rock sound with a slight funky beat, the quintessence of Yacht Rock. This song, slower than most on this list, would become his big reaching-for-the-stars power pop ballad, and it didn't hurt that it was featured in a John Travolta film (Urban Cowboy).

83. KISS YOU ALL OVER [Exile; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #1]

It's hard to imagine that learned people that I deeply admire have a difficult time including this as a Yacht Rock staple. With synthesized strings and inspired by the grizzly growling org*smic sound of Barry White in "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me," "Kiss You All Over" was voted ninth in Billboard's 2010 list of "The 50 Sexiest Songs of All Time" (for the record, "Physical" was #1).

82. BABYLON SISTERS [Steely Dan; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: N/A]

Dante-esque tour of California, with the jaded Yacht Kings, Steely Dan, playing the part of Virgil as your guide. Singing backup on this track, crooning those haunting words "Here comes those Santa Ana winds again," is none other than Patti Austin, who will be even more involved with another Yacht Rock classic that you'll find further down the list [see "Baby, Come to Me"]. A delicious downer.

81. SMOKE FROM A DISTANT FIRE [Sanford Townsend Band; 1977; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #9]

One of the great One Hit Wonders of the 1970's.

80. HOLD THE LINE [Toto; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #5]

The song that put the session musicians of Toto on the map and the fourth of their hits to make our 101.

79. TAKIN' IT TO THE STREETS [The Doobie Brothers; 1976; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #13]

The world was introduced to Michael McDonald as a Doobie right here, their first song written by him for the Doobie's and with him on lead vocals. And thus, the King of Yacht Rock started his reign. Also, who can forget the 1978 episode of "What's Happening" with Rerun illegally recording the Doobie's singing this very song?

78. KEEP THE FIRE [Kenny Loggins; 1979; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #36]

Mr. and Mrs. Howell, let me introduce you to our next entry...Kenny Loggins with his very own Herbie Hancock-inspired vocoder long before it was in vogue.

77. ISN'T IT TIME [The Babys; 1977; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #13]

Michael Corby's opening piano, backed with syrupy violins, leads way to John Waite's oxymoronic soft bombastic vocals and Tony Brock's pulsating drum work. Lisa Freeman-Roberts, Myrna Matthews and Pat Henderson get their gospel groove on while backing Waite's hearty screech in this scrumptious pop treat.

76. YOU CAN'T CHANGE THAT [Raydio; 1979; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #9]

A cool breeze of a song by Ray Parker Jr. & Co., one of the few Yacht Rock light-soul classics that you can dance to, though it's way too laid back to be considered disco. A song that immediately puts you in a good mood no matter how bad your day had been previously.

75. LIDO SHUFFLE [Boz Scaggs; 1976; Chart Position on the Billboard 100: #11]

Boz again, with this ode to a drifter looking for some luck. The galvanizing music would be created by none other than David Paich (keyboards), David Hungate (bass), and Jeff Porcaro (drums), all of them future members of Toto. Whoa-oh-oh-oh!

74. WHAT'CHA GONNA DO? [Pablo Cruise; 1977; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #6]

Is there a more apt band name for Yacht Rock greatness than "Pablo Cruise"? And this tune, a key part of that summer of 1977, was where they first introduced themselves to us in all their infectious pop-light glory. The group hit #6 in the U.S., which isn't bad, but Canada got it right when they elevated this tasty morsel to #1 on their charts.

73. SENTIMENTAL LADY [Bob Welch; 1977; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #8]

Bob Welch, a former member of Fleetwood Mac, originally recorded this for their 1972 album Bare Trees . After leaving the band, he recorded it again, giving it the lush Yacht Rock treatment. Fleetwood Mac may not be considered official Yacht Rock gurus, but this song comes closest, with the majority of their members performing on it: Mick Fleetwood on drums, John McVie on bass, Christine McVie on piano as well as joining Lindsey Buckingham in background vocals. All that's missing is Stevie.

72. MISS SUN [Boz Scaggs; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #14]

We can thank this record for giving us our beloved Toto. Originally recorded by them in 1977, and due to their tight musicianship, Toto made a deal with Columbia Records solely based on their performance of this song. Ironically, it didn't make Toto's first LP, but Boz and the Toto gang recorded it for his Hits! compilation and the rest is Yacht Rock history.

71. JOSIE [Steely Dan; 1977; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #26]

One of Steely Dan's very best, especially Chuck Rainey's hypnotic bass. And those lyrics: " When Josie comes home/So bad/She's the best friend we ever had/She's the raw flame/The live wire/She prays like a Roman/With her eyes on fire." Question: Where is Josie coming home from? College? War? Prison? With Steely Dan's don't-care-if-listeners-understand-them obtuse lyrics, we'll never know.

70. YOU ARE THE WOMAN [Firefall; 1976; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #9]

69. STILL THE ONE [Orleans; 1976; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #5]

Two light-rock classics from Year One of Yacht Rock. "You Are the Woman" would become a quasi-staple of yachty wedding reception playlists, especially if a flautist happened to be on board; "Still the One" would be the commercial jingle for both ABC-TV in the 1970's and Applebee's restaurants just a couple of years ago.

68. YEAR OF THE CAT [Al Stewart; 1976; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #8]

Perhaps the most haunting song on the list; it's what you get when you mix Casablanca with the Vietnamese Zodiac.

67. THUNDER ISLAND [Jay Ferguson; 1977; ; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #9]

This passionate ode to island lovin' can be heard in Anchorman 2 , the hockey movie Miracle , and the great "To'Hajiilee" episode of Breaking Bad .

66. RICH GIRL [Hall & Oates; 1977; ; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #1]

Hall & Oates first chart-topper and perhaps the first #1 single to use the word "bitch" in it. Interestingly, the song was written about a guy initially-the spoiled heir to a Chicago-based entrepreneur who owned Walker Bros. Original Pancake House and ran fifteen KFC restaurants; the gender of the person was changed and the song suddenly became destined for pop culture immortality. And yes, it entered skin-crawling notoriety when Son of Sam himself, David Berkowitz, claimed the song inspired him to continue his serial killing rampage that paralyzed New York City that summer of '77.

65. MORNIN' [Al Jarreau; 1983; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #21]

64. LOVELY DAY [Bill Withers; 1977; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #30]

Two of the peppiest songs imaginable, both about splendid sunshine days, perfect for relaxing while you count your money on your very own yacht. Jarreau's "Mornin'" sounds like the feel-good opening of a Broadway show, while Withers hit the motherlode with "Lovely Day," ubiquitous in ads and movies for the past 45 years, complete with an impressive 18-second note that Withers sings that may be the longest ever in a Top-40 hit

63. ARTHUR'S THEME (BEST THAT YOU CAN DO) [Christopher Cross; 1981; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #1]

Christopher Cross is up there with Michael McDonald as the face of Yacht Rock, and this Academy Award winner for Best Song from the movie Arthur put Cross at the pinnacle of his success. He never came close to those heights again, but Yacht Rock gave his cannon (and career) a whole new life.

62. LONELY BOY [Andrew Gold; 1976; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #7]

Teenage psychopathy never sounded so good.

61. BEING WITH YOU [Smokey Robinson; 1981; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #2]

Smokey's "Being with You" was kept out of the #1 position because Kim Carnes' owned the top of the '81 charts with the behemoth "Bette Davis Eyes." So the story goes, Smokey loved Carnes' version of his own "More Love" from the year before that he wrote a song specifically for her...and that song was "Being with You." But it was such a strong tune that he opted to record it himself and eventually had to settle with it at #2, behind the person who the song was originally intended for.

60. HOW MUCH I FEEL [Ambrosia; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #3]

Ambrosia is another Yacht Rock giant whose slick soft pop sound and lush harmonies would epitomize the genre.

59. LIVING INSIDE MYSELF [Gino Vannelli; 1981; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #6]

Is this too intense for Yacht Rock? Maybe at times with Vannelli's head-bursting vocals. But it's a musical treasure trove, at times as dramatic as any Hamlet soliloquy, and Vannelli sings it like an overemotive Johnnie Ray resurrected with big hair.

58. JOJO [Boz Scaggs; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #17]

Smoothly soulful as it is , "Jojo" deals with the darker side of Yacht Rock. The title character is quite obviously a pimp, especially with lines like "fifty dollars, he'll get you all you want" or "His baby stays high...he keeps her on the street." As rough as the thematic waters may seem, the music is smooth sailing, the perfect fusion of pop, jazz and funk. All this and Toto, too.

57. WHAT YOU WON'T DO FOR LOVE [Bobby Caldwell; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #9]

Of course this made the list. A heart-shaped pressing of the song was released just in time for Valentine's Day, 1979, and cost a whopping $7.98 from consumers (which was the price of most LP's back then) . So many artists from Boys II Men, Michael Bolton and even Tupac Shakur either covered it or sampled its contagious mellowness.

56. LOVE TAKES TIME [Orleans; 1979; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #11]

At the time, here's how Cash Box described the music of this winner: "...synthesizer coloration, firm pounding beat, piano, searing guitar fills, tambourine and dynamic singing." In other words, 100% pure Yacht Rock!

55. KISS ON MY LIST [Hall & Oates; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #1]

Certainly on my list of the best things in life.

54. SO INTO YOU [Atlanta Rhythm Section; 1977; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #7]

The lightest of Southern Rockers, Atlanta Rhythm Section's laid back brand of guitar rock suited the late 70's perfectly, a nice alternate to the disco pandemic but not quite in Lynryd Skynyrd territory either. Also, is the title "So Into You" a double entendre? And were the lyrics more sexually explicit than we ever imagined? " It's gonna be good, don't you know/From your head to your toe/Me into you, you into me, me into you..."

53. YOU'RE THE ONLY WOMAN [Ambrosia; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #13]

In sone ways Ambrosia may be the most Yacht Rocky of all groups (don't worry, Toto and Steely Dan will always give them a run for the money). But this song underscores the carefree feel of the genre, like reclining on a yacht with these words on the breeze in the background: "You and I've been in love too long/To worry about tomorrow/Here's a place where we both belong/I know you're the only woman I'm dreaming of..." Not worrying about tomorrow, just floating without a care in tthe world. Is there anything more yachty than that?

52. I'D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT [England Dan & John Ford Coley; 1976; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #2]

Ingenious opening, the listener privy to a one-way phone conversation: " 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 ..." It's up to the listener to decide whether the caller is pathetic or sweet. "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" may be the perfect easy listening song of all time, better than anything by Barry Manilow (who would cover it decades later); it's its sing-along boisterousness that saves it from being unceremoniously tossed into the Nyacht Rock bin.

51. EVERY TIME I THINK OF YOU [The Babys; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #13]

Another feel-good Babys bombast, pounding the power pop vibes in a song that's both intense and full of positive feelies.

50. ALL NIGHT LONG (ALL NIGHT) [Lionel Richie; 1983; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #1]

This massive hit has a bit of everything, a sort of melting pot of styles--adult contemporary, pop, R&B, Richie's soothing easy listening vocals, all to a Caribbean beat. The song was everywhere in 1984, in the popular music video (directed by Five East Pieces' Bob Rafelson and produced by Mike Nesmith of the Monkees), heard in the premiere of "Miami Vice," and sung by Richie at the closing ceremonies of the '84 Olympics. And what is the translation of the lines, " Tom bo li de say de moi ya/Yeah jambo jumbo"? Don't even bothering going to Google Translate; turns out they're just gibberish with no deeper meaning. No deeper meaning, i.e. the way we like our Yacht Rock.

49. IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW [Chicago; 1976; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #1]

So popular that it's featured in works as diverse as "The Modern Family," "South Park," Shaun of the Dead and even the video game, Grand Theft Auto V . It's perhaps the most soaring, lush, heartfelt and yearning ballad on the list, with Peter Cetera's lead vocals drowning listeners in waves of pure reverie.

48. JUST REMEMBER I LOVE YOU [Firefall; 1977; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #11]

Such a sober, serious song in such a vibrantly feel-good genre, and yet it's uplifting and filled with hope. I think of someone on the verge of suicide, maybe wanting to jump off a building or maybe seeking help calling a hotline, and the singer, perhaps a close friend, talking him or her down: " When there's so much trouble that you want to cry/When your love has crumbled and you don't know why/When your hopes are fading and they can't be found/Dreams have left you waiting, friends let you down..." But then the friend reminds the sorrowful soul, "just remember I love you and it will be all right" and that "maybe all your blues will wash away..." And that's really what Yacht Rock does, doesn't it? It washes those blues away.

47. BABY, COME TO ME [Patti Austin & James Ingram; 1982; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #1]

As with so many songs on this list, Michael McDonald adds superb backing vocals here, in this enchanting ballad made famous by its appearance on "General Hospital" as Luke and Holly's love song.

46. HEY NINETEEN [Steely Dan; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #10]

An aging boomer can't connect with his young lover; not quite Nabokovian but close, especially when the leering singer exclaims to his youngling in the perviest way possible, "Skate a little lower now!" The 19-year-old girl in question doesn't even know who Aretha Franklin is; I was 18 when the song was released and I sure knew the Queen of Soul as did most of my peers. Who, I wondered way back when, is this ditsy girl? Perhaps the most startling thing about the work is the singer's unblinking dive into cocaine and alcohol in order to be able to deal with a world that is slowly leaving him behind: " The Cuervo Gold / The fine Colombian / Make tonight a wonderful thing..."

45. YOU BELONG TO ME [Carly Simon; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #6]

44. HE'S SO SHY [The Pointer Sisters; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #3]

43. THROUGH THE FIRE [Chaka Khan; 1984; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #60]

Yacht Rock is not known for its diversity. Of course there are several songs by people of color, and there are definitely strong women on the chart, but we would be remiss if we did not mention that overall the genre is mostly male and white. But the women who do appear on the list have created some of the finest tunes of them all. Carly Simon's wondrous "You Belong to Me," written by Simon and Michael McDonald with backing vocals by James Taylor, started as a Doobie ballad, but Simon's more poignant version actually bests the "Brothers." The Pointer Sisters are not Yacht Rock, but their hit, "He's So Shy," certainly is; that they sang it with Isaac on an infamous episode of "The Love Boat" is about the highest order of Yachtdom there is. And Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire," produced by David Foster, is one her all-time greatest songs, even though it didn't score big in the Land of the Hot-100; still, Khan's vocals are breathtaking in this scorching torchy ballad that is nothing short of Yacht Rock gold bullion.

42. TIME OUT OF MIND [Steely Dan; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #22]

One of the funkiest songs about heroin ("chasing the dragon") ever written.

41. AN EVERLASTING LOVE [Andy Gibb; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #5]

40. AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE [Earth, Wind & Fire; 1979; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #2]

39. I CAN'T TELL YOU WHY [The Eagles; 1979; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #8]

38. HUMAN NATURE [Michael Jackson; 1982; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #7]

Not all Yacht Rock hits are by Yacht Rock artists, as is the case with these four songs. The Bee Gees are definitely not Yacht Rock, especially their disco hits, and neither is brother Andy Gibb...with one exception. Gibb's "An Everlasting Love" with its nonstop overlapping vocals (combined with Barry Gibb's falsetto and the string arrangement) make this irresistible. Earth, Wind & Fire's "After the Love Has Gone," another David Foster masterpiece, with its rousing vocals and brilliant use of horns, is EWF's most gorgeous tune. The Eagles, certainly not a Yacht Rock group (though often mistaken as such), has one hit in their oeuvre that's unadulterated YR: "I Can't Tell You Why," with Timothy B. Schmidt, pulling out his inner Smokey Robinson and Al Green, providing its stirring lead vocals. And Michael Jackson's Yacht Rock entry, "Human Nature" from the Thriller album , was backed by members of Toto, with some of Jackson's most lush vocals, and is the dictionary definition of the word "euphoric."

37. HOT ROD HEARTS [Robbie Dupree; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #15] There are so many hits in the rock era about two teenagers making love in a parked car, from "Night Movies" to "Paradise By the Dashboard Lights," but "Heart Rod Hearts" may be the most daring of them all in its own way: " Ten miles east of the highway/Hot sparks burnin' the night away/Two lips touchin' together/Cheek to cheek, sweatshirt to sweater/Young love born in a back seat/Two hearts pound out a back beat / Headlights, somebody's comin'..." And obviously that last lyric just quoted has a rather sordid double meaning.

36. JUST THE TWO OF US [Grover Washington, Jr. with Bill Withers; 1981; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #2]

This jazzy ballad, with Withers' heart full o' soul vocals, is a soft-jazz saxfest, later spawning Will Smith's cover (about fathers and sons), Bill Cosby's unlistenable "Just the Slew of Us," and, most hilariously, Dr. Evil's duet with Mini Me in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me .

35. MAGNET AND STEEL [Walter Egan; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #8]

Inspired by Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks, who sings backup in it, "Magnet and Steel" is totally yachtriffic, with inspiring heavenly harmonies. A sort of musical snapshot of 1978, this light-rock masterwork is featured in the phenomenal Boogie Nights and the phlegmatic Deuce Bigalow: American Gigolo .

34. WHENEVER I CALL YOU FRIEND [Kenny Loggins with Stevie Nicks; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #5]

One of the great duet tracks on the list, written by Loggins and Melissa Manchester. When first released, because Stevie Nicks is not credited on the original 45 single, this was officially considered Loggins first solo Top-40 hit.

33. GIVE ME THE NIGHT [George Benson; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #4]

Yacht Rock was created for George Benson's jazzy-guitar, cool-funk sensibilities. Although "Give Me the Night" may border on disco, it's not quite there and rests firmly in our beloved Yacht Rock territory.

32. NEVER BE THE SAME [Christopher Cross; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #15]

Love never dies, not even after a break up, not even after you've found someone else; that's what this Christopher Cross song teaches us: " The years go by, there's always someone new/To try and help me forget about you/Time and again it does me no good/Love never feels the way that it should..."

31. TIME PASSAGES [Al Stewart; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #7]

There's a floating, drifting quality to the song, as '70's mellow as they come. The top single of the year on the Easy Listening charts, "Time Passages" has Al Stewart's thin voice singing, " Drifting into time passages / Years go falling in the fading light / Time passages/Buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight..." If he had sung about a "yacht" rather than a "train," then this classic might rest even higher on the YR list.

30. REAL LOVE [The Doobie Brothers; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #5]

29. LOTTA LOVE [Nicolette Larson; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #7]

Nicolette Larson sings backup on the Doobie's third biggest hit, "Real Love," and lead on her sweet cover of Neil Young's "Lotta Love." Take the lyric, "It's gonna take a lotta love/To change the way things are..." In Young's version, he comes across as rather somber, yearning, on the verge of melancholia, like it's a wish that he knows can never be fulfilled; Larson sings with a Melanie-like playfulness to a disco-light beat, and in her hands the song becomes life-affirming, vivacious, with a somewhat positive can-do attitude that's not found in the original.

28. I'M NOT GONNA LET IT BOTHER ME TONIGHT [Atlanta Rhythm Section; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #14]

This song's sensibility is all Yacht Rock...that the world is in upheaval, and there are terrors out there waiting to destroy us, but who cares when we can save the worry for another day? This outlook stands as the true philosophy of procrastination found in Yacht Rock: " About all the pain and injustice / About all of the sorrow / We're living in a danger zone / The world could end tomorrow/But I'm not gonna let it bother me tonight..."

27. FEELS SO GOOD [Chuck Mangione; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #4]

The title of this flugelhorn-driven instrumental says it all.

26. ALL RIGHT [Christopher Cross; 1983; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #12]

If you're ever down and troubled, then do yourself a favor: Put on Christopher Cross' "All Right," with MM's patented backing vocals, and watch as the bad times wash away and a smile creeps upon your face. This stands as perhaps the most optimistic song ever written: "'Cause it's all right, think we're gonna make it/Think it might just work out this time..."

25. TURN YOUR LOVE AROUND [George Benson; 1981; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #5]

George Benson + Toto + David Foster + Jay Graydon on guitar + an early use of the Linn LM-1 Drum machine = Yacht Rock platinum status.

24. MINUTE BY MINUTE [The Doobie Brothers; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #14]

Listening to this Michael McDonald marvel of mellowness beats Xanax any day.

23. ONE HUNDRED WAYS [Quincy Jones and James Ingram; 1981; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #14]

What a perfect example of scrumptiously soft soul music with the velvet voice of Mr. Ingram leading the way, singing a litany of 100 things to romance his lady. He's never been better than a moment in this Grammy-winner, when he hits outrageous notes while singing, "Sacrifice if you care/Buy her some moonlight to wear..." To quote Robert Palmer: Simply irresistible.

22. I LOVE YOU [The Climax Blues Band; 1981; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #12]

This surely plays on rotation in heaven.

21. BAKER STREET [Gerry Rafferty; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #2]

Is this the coolest Top-5 hit of the 1970's? With Raphael Ravencroft's searing saxophone riff rivaling anything by Clarence Clemons, the answer must be a resounding YES!

20. FM (NO STATIC AT ALL) [Steely Dan; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #22]

Perhaps the only Top-40 hit where the songwriters dare to rhyme "Elvis" with "yells his" and sing about "grapefruit wine." Recorded as the title song for a little-known 1978 film, FM, the significance of this Grammy-winning Steely Dan song cannot go unnoticed. The year it was released was the first time FM radio (clearer sound, no static at all) superseded AM radio (too much static) in listening popularity. So, if you ran an AM station and had to play a song called "FM" in rotation-a song about your competitor, a radio format that was making you obsolete-then what would you do? In the case of some stations, they edited the Steely Dan track and put the "A" sound from the group's song "Aja" where the "F" in "FM" should be. Their newly fine-tuned tune would be called "AM," even though the repeated phrase of "no static at all" would now make no sense whatsoever.

19. COOL NIGHT [Paul Davis; 1981; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #11]

Paul Davis' ultimate love song, even stronger than his iconic "I Go Crazy." Its boppin' bliss shields the fact that the lead singer is lost: " I sometimes wonder why /All the flowers have to die / I dream about you /And now, Summer's come and gone / And the nights they seem so long ..." But this is Paul Davis, and nothing can bring him down, not when there's a cool night comin' and he invites his love to join him by the fire so that they can bring "back memories of a good life when this love was not so old..." The singer's optimism is so heartfelt, and this being Yacht Rock, we know that these two will ultimately get back together.

18. REMINISCING [Little River Band; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #3]

This slick throwback to a black-and-white Cole Porter world should be on any indispensable wedding reception playlist, starting with a young couple falling in love and ending when they're older, spending their hours looking back at their good times. You would think this melodic pop treasure would be a Paul McCartney fave, but in an interesting twist, it was John Lennon who claimed "Reminiscing" as one of his favorite songs.

17. DEACON BLUES [Steely Dan; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #19]

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 University of Alabama cheer, then play them this line: "They call Alabama the Crimson Tide/Call me Deacon Blues." Still, the song is so seriously sober in tone that few people, even the most ardent of Alabama fanatics, will be yelling "Roll Tide!" after hearing it.

16. BABY COME BACK [Player; 1977; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #1]

Tranquil and comforting even though it was written after two of the Player members suffered recent break-ups. Pop culture has had a heyday with its infectious hook, with "Baby Come Back" popping up in the Transformers, "The Simpsons," "King of the Hill" and even a "General Hospital" ep featuring the band themselves playing this classic live.

15. AFRICA [Toto; 1982; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #1]

The Gods of Yacht Rock blessed the reign of this "Africa," Toto's sole #1 single that has been hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as "The New 'Don't Stop Believin'." It's been utilized in such works as Stranger Things, South Park and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City . During the funeral of Nelson Mandela, CBS accompanied the footage with this song, raising more than one eyebrow. But if you haven't heard the song in awhile, or have never heard it (who are you?), then please heed the song's advice: "Hurry, boy, it's waiting there for you!"

14. MOONLIGHT FEELS RIGHT [Starbuck; 1976; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #3]

"The wind blew some luck in my direction/I caught it in my hands today..." One of the earliest Yacht Rock ventures on the list, with nods to French Connections, Ole Miss, the Chesapeake Bay, Southern Belles ("hell at night") and 1974 graduates ("a class of '74 gold ring"). According to Casey Kasem on AT-40, it was also the first song to chart that featured a marimba. Wafts along so joyfully, complete with suggestive giggles at the end of a particularly evocative verse.

13. COOL CHANGE [Little River Band; 1979; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #10]

In its own way, perhaps the yachtiest song on the list, a plea for escape, to come to terms with nature, to sail away on the "cool and bright clear water." It's not unlike Thoreau's "Walden Pond" set to music: "Well, I was born in the sign of water/And it's there that I feel my best/The albatross and the whales, they are my brothers/It's kind of a special feeling/When you're out on the sea alone/Staring at the full moon like a lover..." With "Cool Change," we don't need to journey outdoors to escape by emracing nature, to climb mountains or to sail the seas; we have the song itself which, to this listener, becomes the perfect escape without ever having to leave the house.

12. THIS IS IT [Kenny Loggins; 1979; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #11]

"It's not a love song," Loggins once said. "It's a life song." If you want proof of American exceptionalism, go no further than here, because this is it . Although written for personal reasons, the song was needed when America was a bit down and out, "our backs to the corner" so to speak: Long gas lines, the Three Miles Island nuclear catastrophe, the cold war in its iciest state in years, and American hostages in Iran. And this song said it best: "Sometimes I believe/We'll always survive/Now I'm not so sure..." But then he stands tall and proclaims: "For once in your life/Here's your miracle/Stand up and fight!" I look at today, when America and the world once again are down and out (with soaring gas prices, gun violence, Russia invading the Ukraine and extreme tribalism); it's not a bad idea to play "This Is It" at full volume in order to lift our spirits, to help us stand up and fight through these dark days.

11. RIDE LIKE THE WIND [Christopher Cross; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #2]

It's like something you'd find in a Sam Peckinpah film: A murderer of ten people is on the run, escaping inevitable execution (by hanging), chased by a posse all the way "to the border of Mexico." And yes, in "Ride Like the Wind," the bad guy gets away with it in this thrilling ride of a song, both driving and jazzy, with the trumpeting death horns and Michael McDonald's background vocals seemingly chasing the outlaw lead singer. Only recently I discovered that the line in the song is "gunned down ten," not "Gunga Din"; am I the only one who misunderstood these lyrics for most of my life?

10. LOWDOWN [Boz Scaggs; 1976; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #3]

Here's the "dirty lowdown" (the honest truth) about "Lowdown." Boz Scaggs reinvented himself as the sunglasses-at-night bastion of cool with this soft-funk, discofied killer of a track. It was written by Scaggs and David Paich, their first collaboration; Paich, as you may know, would later go on to form the group Toto. Their creation would be honored with a Grammy win for best R&B song, and Scaggs would become the first white artist to win the award in that particular category. It could have also been one of the great additions to the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, which the filmmakers wanted, but Boz's manager nixed the idea. They lost tons of money and popularity by settling for the soundtrack of the trauma-drama, Looking for Mr. Goodbar , where incidentally I first heard the song and wound up playing it over and over again long after it was a Top-10 hit.

9. LOVE WILL FIND A WAY [Pablo Cruise; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #6]

"Shadow Dancing" may have been the #1 song of '78, but it's this Pablo Cruise rollicking heap of pop brilliance that overfilled the radio airwaves that summer the way ivy covers the walls of Harvard. It was everywhere, and you couldn't escape it: "Once you get past the pain/You'll learn to find your love again." Such optimism, such hope, "Love Will Find a Way" became the signature hit of that fun-filled summer. It wasn't deep, but don't worry, it was happy. Pablo Cruise actually exemplifies the YR genre, the positive vibes perfect for summertime paradise by a band long forgotten, now remembered endearingly and, due to the recent adoration of Yacht Rock, justifiably immortalized.

8. ROSANNA [Toto; 1982; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #2]

The ultimate Toto tune and, thus, one of the Ultimate Yacht Rock entries. Named after Rosanna Arquette, the song became the summer anthem of '82, nesting at #2 for five weeks. The song's West Side Story -inspired music video featured Patrick Swayze, a year before The Outsiders, in a small part and Cynthia Rhodes as the title girl. Sylvester Stallone, who was directing Stayin' Alive at the time, saw Rhodes in the video and immediately cast her as a lead in his film. Stayin' Alive turned out to be a bad film, but it's a great story.

7. PEG [Steely Dan; 1977; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #11]

Welcome to L.A. where we're at a questionable photoshoot for an actress/model of perhaps ill-repute named Peg; narrating it is a disgruntle, sarcastic boyfriend who keeps her pictures with him and loves her even more due to her fame or infamy. The mention of foreign movies in the lyrics brings to mind seedier fair for our Pag, perhaps pornography. But any Steely Dan darkness that shrouds "Peg" is eclipsed by the jubilant music, so springy, so animated, so full of verve. Add Michael McDonald's patented backing vocals and Jay Graydon's guitar work, and you have nothing less than a fist-in-the-air triumph .

6. I KEEP FORGETTIN' (EVERY TIME YOU'RE NEAR) [Michael McDonald; 1982; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #4]

The captain of our Yacht Rock, Michael McDonald is everywhere in this 101. If you take only the top 12 songs, his voiceprints can be found somewhere in following: #12, #11, #7, #6, #3 and #1. And this song, his first big solo scribed by both McDonald and Ed Sanford (of the Sanford Townsend Band, famous for "Smoke from a Distant Fire"), obviously typifies the genre as strong as Coca Cola typifies soda. It even boasts the title of an episode of the online video series, "Yacht Rock," which after you've seen it is something you'll never forget.

5. STEAL AWAY [Robbie Dupree; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #6]

Yes, it sounds a little too close to the bubbly beat of "What a Fool Believes." And yes, it's the only time you will ever see Robbie Dupree in a Top-10 list during the modern era. But this is a wonder of Yacht Rocky delight, so shallow, so sweetly stupid, and so infectious to the ear. Listening to it might zap a few IQ points away from you, but the song is so agreeable, so toe-tappingly charming, who cares?

4. BIGGEST PART OF ME [Ambrosia; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #3]

Michael McDonald did not sing lead or backing vocals in "Biggest Part of Me," and he didn't write it, but he does have a footnote in its creation. When Ambrosia's David Pack scribed the song, the lead singer questioned his own lyrics: " There's a new sun arisin' /I can see a new horizon /That will keep me realizin'/You're the biggest part of me..." He wondered if it was too saccharine sweet for what he wanted, so he called the authority of such things, Michael McDonald. McDonald gave the thumbs up and the rest is Yacht Rock history.

3. HEART TO HEART [Kenny Loggins; 1982; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #15]

QUESTION: What do you get when your so-good-it-makes-you-wanna-cuss song features the Holy Trinity of Yacht Rock: Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald and David Foster? ANSWER: A masterpiece.

2. SAILING [Christopher Cross; 1980; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #1]

Yacht Rock used to be known as the West Coast style, and "Sailing" is its finest example. Hearing it is akin to being on that yacht, wearing that silly captain's hat, and just chilling as the boat gently rocks with the breeze. Its accolades are many: Grammy Awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Arrangemt of the Year and Best New Artist of the Year. Wow. And time has never erased it from our lives. Over the years you could hear the song on "WKRP in Cincinnati," "Family Guy," "Cobra Kai" and Hyundai TV commercials. I don't care who you are or where you are, "Sailing" automatically takes the listener "not far down from paradise." And, like me, you can find tranquility, just you wait and see.

And now for the #1 Yacht Rock song of all time...

1. WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES [The Doobie Brothers; 1978; Chart Position on the Billboard Hot 100: #1]

All right, Mr. and Mrs. Howell, our journey ends here, with this obvious Yacht Rock classic, a song written by our popes of YR, Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald, where the stars were aligned upon its creation and everything went right. It hit Number One on the charts as well as winning Song of the Year and Record of the Year Grammy Awards. But it's the delectable beat fusing light-jazz and lighter-funk combined with McDonald's smooth velvet vocals that takes "What a Fool Believes" into the coveted top spot. No one can argue that this is the genre's finest three minutes and forty-one seconds. When it pops up on the radio or on your playlist, the world doesn't seem to be such a bad place, not with sophisticated keen pop like this. You have to turn up the volume. And It rightfully stands tall at the Number One position, the bouncy Citizen Kane of Yacht Rock.

And that's that. Have a great summer!

Tampa/St. Petersburg SHOWS


		Straz Center for the Performing Arts (10/01-6/08)
		Carrollwood Cultural Center (7/26-8/04)
		Straz Center [Carol Morsani Hall] (2/25-3/02)
		New Tampa Performing Arts Center (7/19-7/28)
		freeFall Theatre Company (8/09-9/08)
		Manatee Performing Arts Center (8/08-8/18)
		New Tampa Performing Arts Center (9/20-9/21)
		St. Pete Music, Acting, and Dance (7/25-7/27)
		Duke Energy Center for the Arts - Mahaffey Theater (7/26-7/27)
		Straz Center [Carol Morsani Hall] (1/03-1/05)

Recommended For You

Genre Finder

Genre: yacht rock

Yacht rock is a smooth and polished music genre that emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It features a blend of soft rock, jazz, and R&B with a focus on harmonies, catchy melodies, and laid-back rhythms. The genre is often associated with the luxurious lifestyle of yacht owners and the coastal cities of California. The songs typically have themes of love, relationships, and nostalgia.

Most popular yacht rock artists

Related genres

deep soft rock
mellow gold
classic rock
singer-songwriter
country rock
new wave pop
smooth jazz
new romantic
southern rock
jazz guitar
adult standards
australian rock
classic canadian rock
rock keyboard
swedish melodic rock
jazz fusion
post-disco soul
sophisti-pop
quiet storm
heartland rock
brill building pop

Instruments used

Releases by year.

Here you can see the popularity of Yacht Rock genre over time. This graph shows albums and singles releases count by year and decade.

Popular yacht rock Songs

The Doobie Brothers

Daryl Hall & John Oates

Kenny Loggins

Robert Palmer

Rick Springfield

Seals and Crofts

Top New yacht rock Songs of 2024

Neil Diamond

George Benson

Lee Ritenour

Little River Band

Barry Manilow

Most popular yacht rock albums

yacht rock music by decade

Explore yacht rock history by listening to songs from every decade. Click on the decade to view songs.

List of yacht rock artists

Here is a list of yacht rock artists on Spotify, ranked based on popularity, who exemplifies the yacht rock genre. You can find out what yacht rock genre sounds like where you can preview artists or sort them the way you want, just click the headers to sort.

--> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> -->

#	popularity	followers
1	69	2527367
2	76	2449218
3	68	2245002
4	67	1101139
5	76	10770283
6	75	2958876
7	57	1026638
8	69	4109040
9	62	846869
10	63	1592476
11	56	747386
12	56	1198881
13	59	719327
14	81	11683124
15	48	293385
16	68	2809925
17	52	787503
18	56	809438
19	54	658135
20	63	1204073
21	42	187158
22	62	1693332
23	64	1034625
24	44	160271
25	55	526741
26	53	484687
27	62	366378
28	55	391041
29	55	154937
30	52	253662
31	51	173474
32	46	191579
33	44	140830
34	41	99876
35	40	221596
36	40	166760
37	64	805705
38	38	17089
39	37	15511
40	37	11268
41	35	5250
42	34	3517
43	34	3075
44	60	58541
45	60	102943
46	59	329846
47	33	13613
48	32	12980
49	32	44890
50	32	14825
51	32	7286
52	48	171447
53	51	223353
54	31	2072
55	51	393302
56	29	2641
57	29	6120
58	27	5944
59	28	1125
60	28	1278
61	27	3042
62	27	770
63	26	3959
64	52	56939
65	47	164326
66	25	1974
67	24	1406
68	24	2518
69	23	1601
70	23	850
71	23	4316
72	23	9102
73	47	9824
74	45	238162
75	45	58935
76	44	29190
77	43	11387
78	43	21606
79	43	12532
80	42	70316
81	41	51963
82	40	16804
83	38	72025
84	39	9285
85	35	10071
86	35	18792
87	34	5969
88	34	20636
89	33	7664
90	29	3912
91	27	17423
92	30	7880
93	29	1679
94	28	4877
95	27	34870
96	27	138291
97	25	29271
98	25	2726
99	24	2939
100	22	2935

yacht rock playlist created by Chosic

Enjoy this playlist of popular yacht rock music. We made this playlist using an algorithm created by our team.

Similar Genres to

Discover more related genres to genre. This list is ordered by similarity from left to right.

Spotify is currently not available in your country.

Follow us online to find out when we launch., spotify gives you instant access to millions of songs – from old favorites to the latest hits. just hit play to stream anything you like..

Listen everywhere

Spotify works on your computer, mobile, tablet and TV.

Unlimited, ad-free music

No ads. No interruptions. Just music.

Download music & listen offline

Keep playing, even when you don't have a connection.

Premium sounds better

Get ready for incredible sound quality.

SoundVapors

Top 24 Yacht Rock Songs | Sound Vapors

Yacht Rock Extravaganza – The Top 24 Greatest Yacht Rock Songs

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.

Yächtley Crëw will bring 'yacht rock' to Providence, with a Warwick native on board

If songs like “I'd Really Love to See You Tonight” and “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” make you think of kicking back on a boat and cruising in the summertime, you’re not alone.

YouTube coined the genre “yacht rock” to describe the soft rock sound of the 1970s and '80s, and Warwick native Tom Gardner, guitarist with the band Yächtley Crëw , invites you to get on board with the vibes when their “Full Steam Ahead” tour stops at the Providence Performing Arts Center on Saturday, July 27.

“It’s like a feeling that reminds you of your childhood or first love. It’s nostalgia,” says Gardner, who goes by the stage name Tommy Buoy. “It’s actually a jazz-rock fusion that’s pretty hard to play. We had to step up our game to learn these songs, many of which were originally performed by high-quality studio musicians.”

After years performing solo and in bands across the region – maybe you’ve heard his song “Summertime in Rhode Island” with the rock/reggae band Someday Providence – Gardner moved to Los Angeles in 2010. He connected with six other musicians to form Yächtley Crëw, which performed for the first time in January 2017, and he says “it’s been kind of a rocket ride since then.”

Clad in nautical attire for shows, the band has performed with artists like Elliot Lurie, lead singer of the band Looking Glass, whose song “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” is one of the covers Yächtley Crëw regularly includes in set lists. After signing with Jimmy Buffett’s Mailboat Records label, they also had a six-month residency in Las Vegas.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Born in 1983, Gardner, a Pilgrim High School and University of Rhode Island graduate, says he was drawn to the mellow sound of yacht rock even before it was so named. Songs like Steely Dan’s “Reeling in the Years,” “Don’t Bring Me Down” by ELO and “Rich Girl” by Hall & Oates are buoyant, he says.

As for the definition of yacht rock, he says that’s highly debated in the industry but generally revolves around big vocals and harmonies.

“We let the fans tell us what they want to hear,” Gardner says. “Some songs end up borderline yacht rock, but if the fans love it, we’ll play it. We also bring our own style. We’re faithful to the originals, but we are high-energy with choreography, banter and lights. We’re here to entertain!”

Yächtley Crëw performed several years ago at The Strand in Providence, but the group has multiple venues in the area on this year’s tour, including three in Massachusetts: Indian Ranch in Webster , South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset, and the Cape Cod Melody tent in Hyannis.

“The whole sailing vibe fits in with New England,” Gardner says, adding that he loves returning to his home state. “I’m always going to be proud of Rhode Island. It’s special when we see someone from here – it’s like one big town.”

If you go ...

What: Yächtley Crëw

When: Saturday, July 27, 8 p.m.

Where: Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St., Providence

Tickets: $10-$45

Info: ppacri.org , (401) 421-2787

The 25 Best Yacht Rock Songs Of All Time

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.

But what exactly is Yacht Rock?

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…

What are the qualifications for inclusion on our list?

Ideally, one or more of these themes will be present:

Finding the love of your life;
Having a memorable one-night stand; or
Doing something nautical.

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…

1. “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes

“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.

2. “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) by The Looking Glass

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.

3. “Summer Breeze” by Seals and Crofts

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.

4. “Africa” by Toto

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.

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. 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.

6. “Drift Away” by Dobie Gray

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.

7. “Love Will Find a Way” by Pablo Cruise

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.

8. “Ride Captain Ride” by Blues Image

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.

9. “Eye in the Sky” by The Alan Parsons Project

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.

10. “Miracles” by Jefferson Starship

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.

11. “Sad Eyes” by Robert John

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.

12. “Magnet and Steel” by Walter Egan

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.

13. “Lido Shuffle” by Boz Scaggs

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.

14. “What You Won’t Do for Love” by Bobby Caldwell

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.”

15. “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)” by Michael McDonald

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.

16. “Baker Street” by Gerry Rafferty

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.

17. “Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang” by Silver

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.

18. “Biggest Part of Me” by Ambrosia

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.

19. “Baby Come Back” by Player

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.

20. “On and On” by Stephen Bishop

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).

21. “Chevy Van” by Sammy Johns

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.

22. “You Are the Woman” by Firefall

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.”

23. “Sailing” by Christopher Cross

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.

24. “Steal Away” by Robbie Dupree

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.

25. “This is It” by Kenny Loggins

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.

Share on Facebook
Email this Page
Share on Pinterest
Share on Reddit
Share on Tumblr
Share on Pocket
Share on SMS

'Man, they came to party': Yachtley Crew sails back to Indian Ranch with more yacht rock

When Yachtley Crew came to Indian Ranch by the shores of Indian Lake in Webster last summer, it was evidently a very popular voyage through the smooth waters of a yacht rock tribute show.

"We love Indian Ranch. Man, they came to party. They were amazing," recalled Phillip Daniel, also known as Yachtley Crew's Philly Ocean and lead vocalist, about how the the show went and the reaction of the audience.

Yachtley Crew will be setting sail again for an appearance at Indian Ranch on July 25. "If it's anything like last year, we're stoked," Daniel said.

'Sailing ... takes me away ....'

The seven-member band, which dresses in nautical suits with captain's hats and wears aviator sunglasses, is currently on its "Full Steam Ahead" nationwide tour, the biggest tour since it was founded in Los Angeles in 2017. Upcoming dates also include South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset on July 26, Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence on July 27, and the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis on July 28.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

The band is riding the yacht rock wave since a 2005 video series launched the term in 2005 in an affectionate send up of artists such as Christopher Cross and Hall and Oates. Cross, who was at Indian Ranch July 7 with Justin Hayward of Moody Blues fame, had a big hit in 1979 with the soft rock song " Sailing " which is about getting away from everything on a sail boat and so helped form the archetype of Yacht Rock.

Yachtley Crew also call themselves "The Titans of Soft Rock."

Asked for a definition of yacht rock, Daniel said "it's one of those elusive things ... I think the most easy way to define it is the iconic soft rock hits from the late 70s and early 80s music." Except that, instead of soft rock, "yacht rock just sounds kind of more fun."

Yachtley Crew's first recording release "Seas the Day" (2023) includes its renditions of songs that have become regarded as yacht rock classics such as Boz Scaggs’ “Lido Shuffle,” Ace’s “How Long,” Robbie Dupree’s “Steal Away,” the Bee Gees’ “How Deep Is Your Love” and Christopher Cross’ “Ride Like the Wind.” Other songs in the band’s set include Toto’s “Africa,” Looking Glass’ “Brandy” and Rupert Holmes’ “ Escape (The Piña Colada Song).”

Indeed, "The Piña Colada song, that is a great yacht rock core song, like 'Ride Like the Wind,'" Daniel said.

Audiences often dress up for the shows in yacht-themed attire and love to sing-along. Other yacht rock tribute and fun party bands include Yacht Rock Revue who will be performing at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield on Aug. 4.

'It has to be smooth'

Elsewhere, there has been some rather pedantic debate in some quarters about what makes true yacht rock, with terms appearing such as "nyacht" rock. An article in Mental Floss magazine helps keep things straightforward by saying " But above all else, the sound has to be smooth . "

Daniel's vocals are certainly smooth, and the depth of sound that Yachtley Crew brings to its music is enhanced by having a sax player.

Daniel has memories of listening to the soft music of the late 70s/early 80s era while riding around with his father in a car and singing along to the radio. Later, he was in several original bands in Los Angeles. Besides Daniel (Philly Ocean) Yachtley Crew is made up of drummer Rob Jones (Sailor Hawkins), bassist Chaz Ruiz (Baba Buoy), guitarist Thomas Gardner Jr. (Tommy Buoy), backing vocalist Curt Clendenin (Stoney Shores), saxophone/flutist Paul Pate (Pauly Shores) and keyboardist Matt Grossman (Matthew McDonald).

"Each of us had careers with bands," Daniel said. The crew started to be assembled by Jones and Ruiz who are long-time friends and were listening to yacht rock music and felt they could do something with it. They put out a Craigslist ad and found guitarist Gardner. Daniel is friends with Gardner and also came aboard.

"Everything came together really organically," Daniel said.

'I think we have something here'

The idea of uniforms for the band came early. "Just the idea of yacht rock is such fun," Daniel said. But the group spent several months rehearsing to get the music down right. "We wanted to embody what people remember about these songs."

When the curtain was pulled on their first gigs Daniel recalls the shock on the faces of the audiences when they saw a band in nautical uniform. However, "They got it within two or three songs. They were screaming and dancing ... (I thought) Man, I think we have something here."

Yachtley Crew was soon selling out local venues and were noticed by the late legendary Jimmy Buffett who signed them to his own Mailboat Records label. The group have appeared on SiriusXM’s Yacht Rock Radio “Yacht Rock 311” show as the first ever Yacht Rock band to perform live at the station.

Just as the band was about to get ready for its first nationwide tour in 2020, the pandemic struck. "We had a ton of shows booked," Daniel said. Yachtley Crew made music videos, put on live-streamed concerts and played at some drive-in concerts that were organized in the Los Angeles area. "People seemed to really respond.'

As the lockdown eased, "I think there was so much pent up demand for live music it really helped us. We got all the gigs back and places we'd never played before were selling out," Daniel said.

'Something original'

The "Seas the Day" recording also has Yachtley Crew's first original song, "Sex on the Beach," ostensibly about the drink that bears the name.

"We wanted to put something original out there," Daniel said. The challenge for the band was to come up with a song that sounds like it could have been written in the late '70s/early '80s soft rock era. "We wanted to capture the same vibe," he said. The video for "Sex on the Beach" has a guest appearance by the Access Hollywood & iHeart host Mario Lopez.

The song and video includes a list of names of drinks, a couple falling in love, and "innuendo," Daniel said. All the members of Yachtley Crew contributed to the song. Once they had the concept, "we had the song written in 30 minutes. Everyone brings something unique to it." Fans have started requesting the song at shows.

Yachtley Crew has "two albums in the works" and two more original songs "in the mix." With that, "The core will always be the iconic songs," Daniel said.

The band has been venturing out across the seven seas with appearances abroad, including the United Kingdom.

"Total world domination," Daniel joked when asked about his ultimate goal for Yachtley Crew. Or at least, "To play for a stadium full of people," he said.

"We want to play the music for as many people as we can all over the world. When people come to our shows they're creating memories they will have for the rest of their lives. That's what it's about."

Yachtley Crew — Full Steam Ahead tour

When: 7 p.m. July 25 (doors 5:30 p.m.)

Where: Indian Ranch, 200 Gore Road, Webster

How much: $25 to $35. Indianranch.com

Statistics Stats
You are here:

Yacht Rock Revue

July 21, 2024 Setlist

Yacht Rock Revue Setlist at Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI, USA

Edit setlist songs
Edit venue & date

Edit set times

Add to festival
Report setlist

Tour: Summer Road Trip 2024 Tour statistics Add setlist

She's Gone ( Daryl Hall & John Oates cover) Play Video
Sweet Freedom ( Michael McDonald cover) Play Video
Kiss You All Over ( Exile cover) Play Video
Ride Like the Wind ( Christopher Cross cover) Play Video
You Make Loving Fun ( Fleetwood Mac cover) Play Video
Brandy ( Looking Glass cover) Play Video
Tropical Illusion Play Video
Africa ( Toto cover) Play Video
Heart to Heart ( Kenny Loggins cover) Play Video
Baker Street ( Gerry Rafferty cover) Play Video

Edits and Comments

5 activities (last edit by Derpo1 , 22 Jul 2024, 05:05 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

Africa by Toto
Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty
Brandy by Looking Glass
Heart to Heart by Kenny Loggins
Kiss You All Over by Exile
Ride Like the Wind by Christopher Cross
She's Gone by Daryl Hall & John Oates
Sweet Freedom by Michael McDonald
You Make Loving Fun by Fleetwood Mac
Tropical Illusion

Pine Knob Music Theatre

Yacht Rock Revue This Setlist Start time: 6:25 PM 6:25 PM
REO Speedwagon Start time: 7:45 PM 7:45 PM
Train Start time: 9:30 PM 9:30 PM

Yacht Rock Revue Gig Timeline

Jul 19 2024 Artpark Amphitheater Lewiston, NY, USA Start time: 8:00 PM 8:00 PM
Jul 20 2024 Budweiser Stage Toronto, ON, Canada Add time Add time
Jul 21 2024 Pine Knob Music Theatre This Setlist Clarkston, MI, USA Start time: 6:25 PM 6:25 PM
Jul 23 2024 Saratoga Performing Arts Center Saratoga Springs, NY, USA Add time Add time
Jul 24 2024 Bethel Woods Center for the Arts Bethel, NY, USA – Find tickets Add time Tickets Add time

7 people were there

anatheathen
dav2001best
MonkeyWrench32

Share or embed this setlist

Use this setlist for your event review and get all updates automatically!

<div style="text-align: center;" class="setlistImage"><a href="https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/yacht-rock-revue/2024/pine-knob-music-theatre-clarkston-mi-73a82629.html" title="Yacht Rock Revue Setlist Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI, USA, Summer Road Trip 2024" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.setlist.fm/widgets/setlist-image-v1?id=73a82629" alt="Yacht Rock Revue Setlist Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI, USA, Summer Road Trip 2024" style="border: 0;" /></a> <div><a href="https://www.setlist.fm/edit?setlist=73a82629&step=song">Edit this setlist</a> | <a href="https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/yacht-rock-revue-63dc3253.html">More Yacht Rock Revue setlists</a></div></div>

Last.fm Event Review

[url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/yacht-rock-revue/2024/pine-knob-music-theatre-clarkston-mi-73a82629.html][img]https://www.setlist.fm/widgets/setlist-image-v1?id=73a82629[/img][/url] [url=https://www.setlist.fm/edit?setlist=73a82629&step=song]Edit this setlist[/url] | [url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/yacht-rock-revue-63dc3253.html]More Yacht Rock Revue setlists[/url]

Tour Update

Marquee memories: upsahl.

Jul 22, 2024
Jul 21, 2024
Jul 20, 2024
Jul 19, 2024
Jul 18, 2024
Jul 17, 2024
FAQ | Help | About
Terms of Service
Ad Choices | Privacy Policy
Songtexte.com

Review: Minnesota Yacht Club festival ends in rowdy, dopey style with Chili Peppers

A fter a rather meaningful and mellower start on Friday , the Minnesota Yacht Club festival turned more dopey, sweaty, goofy, brawny and wild on Saturday.

For better or worse, Twin Cities music lovers finally got a taste of what major rock festivals are all about.

The highly anticipated, nationally touted inaugural festival continued Saturday on St. Paul's Harriet Island Park with a lineup led by the maybe ultimate '90s party band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who played the same site in 1992 on the second Lollapalooza tour with their famous bassist dressed solely in a diaper.

Flea and his bandmates have cleaned up since then but haven't grown up much. Their rowdy, back-slappy, semi-tawdry spirit seemed to waft through Saturday's festival like the semi-legalized marijuana smoke that was prominent throughout the 10-hour day.

There was way more weed, bouncing beach balls, backward ball caps and mosh pits on Saturday for performers, including the Offspring, Gary Clark Jr., the Hold Steady and Soul Asylum — quite a contrast to Friday's more sophisticated (and less virile) lineup with Alanis Morissette, Gwen Stefani and Joan Jett. There were about a thousand more people, too, as attendance topped out at 35,000.

It really was a tale of two festivals over the two days. The Yacht Club vibe was so festive and kooky on Saturday, even the Offspring came off like a halfway decent band. Yes, two long days in the sun can really mess with people's heads.

Here's a rundown of Saturday's defining moments:

The Minnesotans sure were smart-alecky. "I arrived to the gig in my yacht," Soul Asylum frontman Dave Pirner said near the start of his band's midafternoon set on the main stage. Lots more yachting quips followed. And then there was Hippo Campus singer Jake Luppen's hello to the crowd: "Thank you for coming. We're the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Both bands got down to serious business when they weren't talking between songs, though, each blending in new songs from albums out this fall alongside older radio hits. Soul Asylum also dropped in a few deeper-cut oldies for the hometown fans alongside "Runaway Train," including "Little Too Clean" and "Bittersweetheart." Hippo Campus had many fans twice the age of its typical crowd singing and clapping along to its most buoyant tunes, including "Way It Goes" and "South."

St. Paul finally got its due from two of the bands. Hippo Campus guitarist Nathan Stocker got on the mic to express their gratitude for the city and specifically the St. Paul Conservatory for the Performing Arts, which he and his bandmates attended and could see from the stage.

The Hold Steady's Edina-reared bandleader Craig Finn could also see the source of many of his songs from the second stage: the Mississippi River. He sang about it in "Stevie Nix" and then paid homage to the smaller Twin City in his still-thrilling band's mellower jam, "We Can Get Together," which he introduced by saying, "Minneapolis is hard to rhyme with, so thank you St. Paul. You have it all."

Finn also had fun with the festival's nautical theme, which tied into his wardrobe choice for the day: a dapper, gentlemanly light-blue suit he bought for the Kentucky Derby: "I'd like to thank them for calling this the Minnesota Yacht Club so I could wear this suit again," he said.

The Chili Peppers' set wasn't the funkiest of the fest. New Orleans' funk and soul band Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue — something of an odd entry in the rock-heavy lineup — went over like a beignet goes with a hangover on the second stage in the afternoon heat. Their hyper-grooving set included fun originals blended with snippets of New Orleans classics like Ernie K-Doe's "Here Come the Girls" and even Green Day's "Brain Stew," all of which they seamlessly and tirelessly mixed together nonstop like a good DJ mixes on two turntables. The real show-stopping moment came when they jubilantly covered Prince's "Let's Go Crazy." Even with all the Minnesota acts on Saturday's bill, there was no better act to honor Minnesota's big chief.

Gary Clark Jr. went against the vibe. While he's put on many shows in town that would've delighted Saturday's crowd, the Texas blues-rocker instead filled the day's penultimate set with a lot of the hazier and more soulful, Curtis Mayfield-tinged tunes from his new record, "JPEG Raw." It was an impressive divergence but was somewhat lost on the crowd. At least until he launched into the older and heavier jam "Bright Lights," and things indeed brightened.

The Chili Peppers were mildly hot. Any fan who caught the Los Angeles rock vets' concert last year at U.S. Bank Stadium was probably overjoyed seeing them outside with excellent acoustics. However, they probably did not appreciate that this set list leaned more heavily on recent tunes, even while 2022′s slow-builder "Eddie" reiterated how great it is having John Frusciante back on guitar.

Appreciation for the improved setting and sound seemed to carry over on the band's end, too. Flea, the band's sometimes-aloof singer Anthony Kiedis and its St. Paul-born drummer Chad Smith good-naturedly and excitedly bounced their way through the 90-minute set and didn't waver as they began to check off some of their many hits later in the last half-hour, starting with "Californication" and then picking up steam with "By the Way" and "Give It Away."

"We're really happy that you're here, and we love to play music for you," Flea said as sweetly as could be at one point.

OK, maybe the dude has grown up. It certainly felt like the Twin Cities grew up as a concert market by the end of the Yacht Club on Saturday, when the festival appeared to run even more smoothly and impressively than Friday, despite a bigger and more ruffian crowd. Here's to next year's voyage.

The Hold Steady's Craig Finn sported a Twins T-shirt and a Kentucky Derby-ready blue suit on stage at Saturday's Minnesota Yacht Club festival in St. Paul.

“Bon Scott chose to hang out with us more than AC/DC. He thought they were boring”: the rollercoaster story of Y&T, the greatest hard rock band never to become huge

Headlining over Van Halen, hanging with Bon Scott, out-partying Mötley Crüe – Y&T deserve way more love than they get

San Francisco’s Y&T were one of the greatest hard rock bands of the late 70s and 80s thanks to albums such as Earthshaker and Black Tiger and songs like Rescue Me and Summertime Girls, but their reputation as a hard rock powerhouse was never matched by their sales. In 2005, frontman Dave Meniketti sat down with Classic Rock to look back over the career of one of rock’s greatest but unluckiest bands.

Let’s be honest: most reunions suck. All too often thrown together through desperation, minus key personnel, regroupings usually fail to recapture the spirit and quality of the original incarnations. When San Francisco hard rockers Y&T, on the other hand, toured the UK in the summer of 2005 – the first time in 22 years they’d played these shores – their powerhouse live shows easily matching the performances of yesteryear.

The quartet must still seal the deal by returning to the studio, and rhythm guitarist Joey Alves is sadly absent from their ranks, but guitarist Dave Meniketti’s lungpower has diminished virtually nil, bassist Phil Kennemore must have been cryogenically frozen back in the late 80s and, despite slimming down drastically, Leonard Haze slams the skins with all the same fervour and finesse. Besides their skills as musicians, Y&T also have the luxury of an expansive repertoire.

“Most nights we don’t bother with what you’d call a real set list,” says Dave Meniketti, a couple of hours before a Mean Fiddler show that will surely bring back good memories for both band and audience. “We go out and play maybe half an hour of planned material, then throw the rest of the show open to requests – and we’re on stage for two hours. It’s up to the fans let us know what they want to hear.”

Formed in California’s Bay Area at the turn of the 70s, Yesterday & Today (as they were originally known) joined ZZ Top on the roster of London Records, releasing two albums for the label: 1976’s self-titled debut and Struck Down in 1978.

Newly abbreviated to Y&T (“It’s what the fans called us anyway,” Meniketti explains), they already had a following in Los Angeles where, among numerous appearances at the Starwood Club, Van Halen and Mötley Crüe opened for them, the latter making their own debut. It was the start of a longstanding friendship.

“Lots of bands that became big checked us out at the Starwood, wanting to get backstage afterwards,” Meniketti reminisces. “Bobby Blotzer [Ratt drummer] was a big fan, so was Blackie Lawless [of WASP]. Years later, we’d be out on the road and bands would tell us, ‘Oh man, we cut our teeth watching you guys at the Starwood.’ We heard that so many times I lost count.”

Classic Rock Newsletter

Y&T’s fortunes were kick-started by the aptly titled Earthshaker . A punchy, irresistible slice of commercial hard rock from start to finish, the 1981 album’s twin defining moments were Rescue Me and I Believe In You . Both introduced by melancholy acoustic passages, the former was a swaggering, chest-beating anthem, the latter lasted for seven mesmerising minutes, Meniketti’s vocals and squealing guitar building towards a climax worthy of Joan Collins in The Stud .

“We had no idea that Earthshaker would make such an impact, especially in Europe,” claims Meniketti. “It wasn’t until we came here to Britain to record [follow-up] Black Tiger that we discovered people even knew who we were.”

Indeed, incredible scenes greeted Y&T at a pair of now fabled June 1982 shows at the old Marquee Club in London’s Wardour Street; it has even been claimed that the venue’s sweltering conditions caused the rubber on a guitar stand to melt.

“Completely true!” swears Meniketti. “I even had heatstroke afterwards. They were almost crowbarring people into the place. Not only did it shock us, it made our booking agent [Rod MacSween] sit up and take notice.”

The second album as Y&T, 1982’s aforementioned Black Tiger , was recorded in Surrey with Max Norman and turned out to be as auspicious as Earthshaker .

“Being out in Surrey, amid rolling hills, sheep and 16th-century buildings, was amazing – it really rubbed off on the record’s vibe,” reflects Meniketti. “And having played those first amazing European shows… Jesus, you can also hear the shock factor of that.”

Mean Streak (’83) was inferior to its two predecessors (“We kinda stretched out a little with the songs, maybe alienating some of the real hard rock fans,” admits Dave). But Y&T had made an impression at the previous year’s Reading festival, and snapped up an offer to support AC/DC , who were promoting For Those About To Rock ….

“The AC/DC guys saw us at Reading and remembered us supporting them at a few Texan dates while Bon Scott was alive,” the guitarist relates. “They had great respect for us; in fact, Bon chose to hang out with us more than them. He thought they were boring for not letting chicks onto the bus. We were still young, smoking dope and hanging out with groupies, so he came along with us.”

It was while Y&T were on the road with AC/DC that Meniketti received an unusual offer from Ozzy Osbourne .

“In Dublin he came backstage with Sharon,” relates Dave, still clearly amused. “And in front of my entire band, Ozzy got down his knees and said, ‘David, would you please join my band.’ I looked around and thought, ‘Oh no, this isn’t gonna go down well with the rest of the guys.’ I replied: ‘Thanks, but I’m kinda busy,’ to which Ozzy insisted that I teach his guitarist, Brad Gillis, how to be a rock star.”

Y&T themselves needed no tuition when it came to the art of hellraising. Indeed, Meniketti insists that Mötley Crüe’s tour manager once had to lay down the dressing room law, claiming his charges were being lead astray by their then support band.

“The Crüe were supposed to be the ultimate party animals,” he chuckles. “And two weeks into the tour we were being told, ‘Can you keep your guys away from our guys? Leonard and Phil are a bad influence.’ There was a lot of oneupmanship going on backstage; mass orgies and stuff. Nikki Sixx once put his cigarette out on Phil’s arm. Phil saw that as a challenge; we put decaying fish onto their microphones.”

Y&T went along with record label A&M’s suggestion of collaborating with songwriter Geoff Leib on their next album, 1984’s In Rock We Trust . “We thought we’d made a really deep record, but the UK the press slammed us,” he winces.

Flying in for interviews two days before that year’s Castle Donington festival, it was a thoroughly deflated Y&T that appeared mid-way up a stellar bill of headliners AC/DC, Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Accept and Mötley Crüe.

“We were praying the fans wouldn’t hate us, too,” admits Dave. “But after two days off being nailed by the press, and never having had anything thrown at us at a UK festival until then, we took those few bottles of piss that did hit us to heart.”

Y&T wouldn’t play again in Britain for almost two decades. The following year’s live album Open Fire included the studio cut Summertime Girls , its highly comical video featuring the rotund Haze preening amid bikini-clad beauties. Because Summertime Girls had been America’s tenth-most-requested song for a fortnight in ’85, A&M hooked them up with REO Speedwagon producer Kevin Beamish for that year’s Down For The Count . Red-hot in the wake of tours with Aerosmith and the Crüe, Beamish had wanted them to call the record Poised For Platinum , but band and label had reached the end of the road. Given the high-profile tours they’d been on, Meniketti doesn’t lay all the blame for what went wrong on A&M.

“In Europe and Japan they were great,” he says. “But in America it was a different story. They were constantly on our butts for us to try particular songs or ideas, even with record covers. Any other company that dealt in quality hard rock, such as Atlantic, would have broken us at least two albums earlier.”

Released from their contract whilst out on tour, Y&T met with Geffen executive John Kalodner, who snapped them up for Contagious and Ten; the former saw Jimmy DeGrasso succeed Haze, Stef Burns taking Alves’ place for the latter in 1990. “It was the 90s; there were drug issues, personal problems – you name it,” says Meniketti. “For some of us, motivation was getting lost along the way.” Worse still, the new record deal wasn’t turning out to be all it seemed.

“Kalodner told us, ‘A&M is the worst label in the world; my niece could’ve broken Summertime Girls ’,” smiles Meniketti. But hardcore fans regarded the sugarcoated, Desmond Child-esque strains of Contagious ’ title track with weary suspicion and Geffen were unable to triumph where A&M had already failed. “ Contagious came out in the exact same week as two records you may have heard of: Appetite For Destruction and 1987 [by Whitesnake],” sighs Dave wearily.

The band had already decided to split if Geffen failed to back Ten , and two weeks of touring was all it took to make up their minds. “Our longevity was working against us,” explains Dave. “Grunge was coming in, the writing was on the wall.”

Y&T’s Dave Meniketti and Phil Kennemore performing onstage in 1982

Y&T’s 17-year run ended on New Year’s Eve 1990, with a show at The Cabaret in San Jose, later documented as the Metal Blade Records double set Yesterday & Today Live . However, the group remained friends and returned to the same venue to usher in both ’92 and ’93 with reunion events. Two years later, a new CD called Musically Incorrect was put on sale for the Japanese market, followed by Endangered Species in 1997. With numerous best-of anthologies having kept their name alive, a well-received appearance at 2003’s Sweden Rock Festival encouraged Y&T to permanently reunite, John Nymann replacing the still-absent Joey Alves.

That same year, the new-look group joined Whitesnake and Gary Moore on a Monsters Of Rock arena tour of the UK. Having exhumed two solid CDs of archive material in twin volumes of Unearthed , the quartet’s next task is a new studio album.

“We’re back for good and we kick butt every night, maybe more so now than ever before,” states Dave proudly. “But if you’d asked me about a new record six months ago I’d have been doubtful. Does the demand even exist? The musicians in Whitesnake told me they’re desperate to release something new because they want to prove they’re good, but David [Coverdale] was like, ‘Why? Let’s just do DVDs.’ I don’t really understand that attitude. Even if no one cares except the band and a few fans, I still believe it’s something we should try our best to do.”

Originally published in Classic Rock 85. Since this piece was published, Leonard Haze, Phil Kennemore and Joey Alves have all passed away

Dave Ling was a co-founder of Classic Rock magazine. His words have appeared in a variety of music publications, including RAW, Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Prog, Rock Candy, Fireworks and Sounds. Dave’s life was shaped in 1974 through the purchase of a copy of Sweet’s album ‘Sweet Fanny Adams’, along with early gig experiences from Status Quo, Rush, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Yes and Queen. As a lifelong season ticket holder of Crystal Palace FC, he is completely incapable of uttering the word ‘Br***ton’.

“I’m like, ‘I don’t know, man! I’m in Arizona!’” In 1993, Kurt Cobain asked Sepultura man Max Cavalera where to get heroin in Brazil

“Finding old forgotten images from shoots done long ago has been a joy, it’s like finding treasures from a different time.” Legendary photographer Scarlet Page announces London exhibition, 30

“I'm honoured to be here because I always represent peace.” Legendary exercise and clean-living advocate Snoop Dogg to run with the Olympic torch in Paris

Entertainment

How to Watch
My watchlist
Stock market
Biden economy
Personal finance
Stocks: most active
Stocks: gainers
Stocks: losers
Trending tickers
World indices
US Treasury bonds
Top mutual funds
Highest open interest
Highest implied volatility
Currency converter
Basic materials
Communication services
Consumer cyclical
Consumer defensive
Financial services
Industrials
Real estate
Mutual funds
Credit cards
Balance transfer cards
Cash back cards
Rewards cards
Travel cards
Online checking
High-yield savings
Money market
Home equity loan
Personal loans
Student loans
Options pit
Fantasy football
Pro Pick 'Em
College Pick 'Em
Fantasy baseball
Fantasy hockey
Fantasy basketball
Download the app
Daily fantasy
Scores and schedules
GameChannel
World Baseball Classic
Premier League
CONCACAF League
Champions League
Motorsports
Horse racing
Newsletters

New on Yahoo

Privacy Dashboard

The Black Crowes cancel Friday night performance at Minnesota Yacht Club Festival

Reunited Southern rock band The Black Crowes have pulled out of their Friday night performance at the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival .

Organizers of the two-day festival held on St. Paul’s Harriet Island Regional Park announced the news on social media : “Due to illness in the band, The Black Crowes will not be appearing at Minnesota Yacht Club this weekend. The band apologizes to their fans for any inconvenience.”

The post did not share any details on possible refunds, but the festival’s website contains this line on its ticket and wristband policy page: “All sales are FINAL — no refunds and no exchanges.”

RELATED: What to know if you’re headed to the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival

The festival did not add a replacement act, but reworked Friday’s schedule and gave several acts more time on stage.

The revised lineup includes: Gully Boys (1-2 p.m.), Harbor and Home (2-2:40 p.m.), Morgan Wade (2:40-3:40), Michigander (3:40-4:40), Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (4:40-5:40), Durry (5:40-6:40), Gwen Stefani (6:45-8), The Head and the Heart (8-9) and Alanis Morissette (9-10:30).

Music and Concerts | What to know if you’re headed to the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival

Music and Concerts | High water forces changes to Lumberjack Days in Stillwater — but the floating stage is back

Music and Concerts | Metallica fans can go bowling, throw axes and more on the day between the band’s Minneapolis shows

Music and Concerts | Concert review: Earth, Wind and Fire upstages Chicago at the X

Music and Concerts | Forbidden Festival promises eight-hour college music event, open bar, at St. Paul’s Allianz Field

CrowdStrike offers a $10 Uber Eats card to say sorry before pulling the offer

CrowdStrike offered some of its clients a voucher for Uber Eats to apologize for the global shutdown but some found the offer had been pulled when they tried to redeem it.

NFL training camp 2024: Tua Tagovailoa on special practice schedule as contract negotiations play out

Follow every development these next few weeks with Yahoo Sports before the NFL regular season starts.

CrowdStrike offers a $10 apology gift card to say sorry for outage

CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity firm that crashed millions of computers with a botched update all over the world last week, is offering its partners a $10 Uber Eats gift card as an apology, according to several people who say they received the gift card, as well as a source who also received one. On Tuesday, a source told TechCrunch that they received an email from CrowdStrike offering them the gift card because the company recognizes “the additional work that the July 19 incident has caused.” The email was sent in the name of Daniel Bernard, the company’s chief business officer, according to a screenshot of the email seen by TechCrunch According to one post on X, in the United Kingdom the voucher was worth £7.75, or roughly $10 at today’s exchange rate.

Put those scissors away! This compact, finger-friendly box opener is down to $9

The auto-retractable blade and convenient magnetic base make it a no-brainer, shoppers say.

How to watch the USWNT at the 2024 Paris Olympics: Full soccer schedule, where to stream games and more

Here's how to watch every USWNT game at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Climate change is ending the Sun Belt boom

For decades, Americans streamed from North to South. No more.

Wayne Brady says sitcom writers had 'no respect' for his real modern family: 'Let's do a reality show so we can do it our way'

"Our life is much more exciting than anything a writer could create," Brady's ex-wife, Mandie Taketa, tells Yahoo Entertainment.

Stock market news today: Nasdaq sinks near 3% as Tesla, Alphabet earnings spark tech sell-off

Disappointing Alphabet and Tesla earnings have stirred up worries that Big Tech's power to fuel stock market gains is fading.

I'm a pro shopper who loves this roll-up dish rack: It's $22 (nearly 40% off)

It's also a cookie rack, taco holder, veggie strainer and so much more.

StarTribune

Festival, ahoy a dozen things to know about st. paul's minnesota yacht club.

It's the biggest music festival launched in the Twin Cities in 12 years. It's expecting more than 30,000 musicheads per day. And it's being produced by the same company that puts on Lollapalooza and the Austin City Limits fests.

There's a lot to learn about the Minnesota Yacht Club — especially for deprived Twin Cities music lovers who haven't been to a big, nationally promoted festival like this since Live Nation's ill-fated River's Edge Music Festival on the same site in 2012.

With its inaugural voyage scheduled Friday and Saturday at Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul, the river-themed event features a Gen-X-nostalgic all-rock lineup led by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alanis Morissette, Gwen Stefani, Black Crowes, the Offspring, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, the Hold Steady and a dozen more acts. New Orleans' soul-funk troupe Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue are the only non-rock act on the bill, and they actually rock harder than most of them.

Here are some pointers, talking points and pointed opinions going into this weekend's mega-bash.

1. Saturday's single-day tickets are sold out. Even though they just played in town last year , the Chili Peppers' day as headliners quickly proved more popular than Morissette's. However, two-day general admission festival passes (now $255) and one-day Friday tickets ($135) were still available at press time via minnesotayachtclubfestival.com .

2. No, it's not a "yacht rock" festival. There actually has been a lot of confusion about this. The event's name is simply a fun spin on its riverside location and the relative irony of someone having a yacht in Minnesota. It has nothing to do with the genre of music associated with breezy and cheesy '70s-'80s hitmakers like Toto, Seals & Crofts and Christopher Cross. How fun would it have been to see one of those acts sandwiched between the Hold Steady and Offspring, though?

3. Boats actually are part of the experience. "Riverboat VIP" ticket holders ($825) can lounge in air-conditioning on the Jonathan Padelford and even take a 60-minute cruise on the paddleboat during the fest. Why anyone would want to go to a music fest to set sail for South St. Paul, we're not sure, but it's a unique idea for a festival.

4. The company behind it is in the festival business. C3 got its start with the hugely successful Austin City Limits Music Festival in the early 2000s before turning Lollapalooza into a one-weekend Chicago event. Live Nation bought a 51% stake in the company in 2014 but mostly leaves C3 to do its own thing when it comes to festivals. Other fests in its portfolio include Boston Calling, Atlanta's Shaky Knees and New York's Governors Ball — all steeped in unique branding and preparations for each city.

"We've been talking to the city well over a year now and working with them on the logistical plans," C3 promoter Tim Sweetwood said of MYC.

5. There will be only two stages (and no overlapping performances). While many festivals require fans to make tough decisions and Iditarod-like treks between competing stages — OK, maybe that's being a little dramatic — the setup at MYC in its first year features just two stages with alternating music that never runs concurrently. Dubbed the Skipper Stage and Crow's Nest Stage, they are only about a quarter-mile apart, too.

6. Gwen Stefani's appearance is the rarest among the top names. Last seen in town making a surprise appearance with husband Blake Shelton at the TC Summer Jam in 2022 , the former No Doubt singer and ex-coach on NBC's "The Voice" has not been performing a lot of late; just a handful of fly-in gigs this summer.

In the solo gigs she has done in 2024, Stefani has been revisiting many songs from No Doubt (with whom she reunited at Coachella fest in April ), including "Don't Speak," "Just a Girl" and "Hella Good."

7. The lineup isn't entirely a nostalgia trip. All these aforementioned acts make it look exclusively like a '90s and early '00s throwback fest, but there are actually modern stars and buzzmakers on the lineup.

Texas slinger Gary Clark Jr. has been the most thrilling blues-rock guitarist on tour over the past decade . Harmonious Seattle rockers the Head and the Heart have racked up a swath of radio hits and TV/film placement with songs like "Lost in My Mind." Twangy singer Morgan Wade has made a couple of well-reviewed records with Jason Isbell's guitarist Sadler Vaden as her producer. Indie-rocker Michigander is a critical favorite.

The Twin Cities' own pop-rock darlings Hippo Campus have become a big draw , too, recently playing New York's Governors Ball festival and selling out the Armory in Minneapolis.

8. There's good local representation. In addition to Hippo Campus, we'll see hard-charging local faves Gully Boys help kick off the fest Friday ahead of viral sensations Durry . On Saturday, fuzz-rocky kids Bugsy play before a fun afternoon twofer with Soul Asylum and the semi-local Hold Steady. As rock-only lineups go — musical diversity is not Yacht Club's strong suit — these are some of the state's most relevant acts present or past playing live in 2024.

9. The list of items you're allowed to bring in is short. Leave the chairs, coolers and umbrellas at home. Only small fanny packs, clutch purses, emptied hydration packs or small clear bags are allowed in. Other permissible items include: phones, baby strollers, blankets/towels, binoculars, reusable water bottles, non-aerosol sunscreen (3.4 ounce max) and Frisbees. For our sake, though, please don't bring any Frisbees.

10. There's a longer list of alternative transportation options. Coming from Austin, Texas, a city with notorious traffic problems, C3 makes a point of encouraging biking, ride-sharing and public transit options at all its festivals.

There's a designated rideshare dropoff site (Uber, Lyft, taxi) near the Wabasha Street entrance at 49 E. Fillmore Av. Bike lots are located at both that entrance and the second set of gates along W. Water Street (bring your own lock). For light rail, the Green Line's Central Station is a half-mile walk away. Ample public bus route stops also can be mapped out via metrotransit.org .

11. Harriet Island isn't really an island, and it isn't all that hard to get to. You wouldn't know it from the maps on the festival's website — or if you're one of those uppity Minneapolitans who never visit the other Twin City — but you can approach the park from the southwest side of the river as well as the downtown side. There are assorted parking options over there, too.

12. This is just a start. "It's sort of a slow burn to start," C3′s Sweetwood said, promising expansion in the years to come. "We'll try to give it a little more color and better branding, the kind of things we have a good feel for at C3, being primarily a festival producer."

Minnesota Yacht Club

Friday lineup (in order, 12:45-10:30 p.m.): Harbor and Home, Gully Boys, Michigander, Morgan Wade, Durry, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, the Head and the Heart, Gwen Stefani, Black Crowes, Alanis Morissette.

Saturday (1-10:30 p.m.): Nico Vega, Bugsy, Wilderado, Soul Asylum, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Hippo Campus, the Hold Steady, the Offspring, Gary Clark Jr., Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Tickets: $135-$925 Fri. only, $255-$1,395 two-day.

Website: minnesotayachtclubfestival.com .

Chris Riemenschneider has been covering the Twin Cities music scene since 2001, long enough for Prince to shout him out during "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)." The St. Paul native authored the book "First Avenue: Minnesota's Mainroom" and previously worked as a music critic at the Austin American-Statesman in Texas.

By land or air, how one reporter returned to MSP — and sought compensation — amid Delta debacle
'It was just shocking': Rainbow Health workers push for answers on abrupt shutdown
Why the Mall of America doesn't have a heating system, and more sustainable fun facts
Plan to link north, northeast Mpls. with new pedestrian bridge draws excitement
Is Vikings starting QB job really up for grabs at training camp?
Minn. Supreme Court upholds conviction of shooter in 2021 road rage death

Comic Con 2024: What to expect as the convention returns to San Diego

FILE - Conductor John Eliot Gardiner leads musicians as they perform in Westminster Abbey, ahead of the coronation of King Charles III and Camilla, th

Conductor John Eliot Gardiner quits the choir and orchestra he founded after musician assault claim

Fake protest set for tv shoot on nyc campus sparks real demonstration by pro-palestinian activists, adam lambert and auli'i cravalho to step into 'cabaret' on broadway this fall, can you guess olympians' warmup songs world's top athletes share their favorite tunes.

The inaugural River's Edge Music Festival continued for it's second day Sunday, June 24, 2012 under sunny skies on Harriet Island in St. Paul, Minn. M

Chili Peppers, Alanis top '90s-heavy lineup for first Minnesota Yacht Club Festival in St. Paul Jan. 30
Harriet Island boasts long music fest history starring Bob Dylan, Whitney Houston and Dave Matthews Jul. 16
The Big Gigs: 10 best concerts to see in the Twin Cities this week • Music
Sheila E. talks about Paisley Park dust-up and her two new albums • Music
Review: Minnesota Yacht Club festival ends in rowdy, dopey style with Chili Peppers • Music
Review: Stefani, Morissette spark a 'Hella Good' start to Minnesota Yacht Club festival • Music
Purple problems: What was right and what was wrong with Prince Celebration 2024 • Music

Katy Perry’s ‘Woman’s World’ Fails to Crack Top 10 and Debuts at No. 63 on Billboard Chart

By Thania Garcia

Thania Garcia

Pepe Aguilar on Maintaining the Aguilar Dynasty, Selling His Catalog and New ‘Que Llueva Tequila’ Album: ‘Not a Family Affair – This Is Business’ 1 hour ago
Latin Grammys Predictions: Shakira Gunning for Multiple Nominations, Mon Laferte and Peso Pluma Among Frontrunners 3 hours ago
Omar Apollo to Make Acting Debut in Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Queer’ 17 hours ago

It’s no secret that Perry’s comeback single — a seemingly female-forward anthem called “ Woman’s World ” — had a bumpy landing, between the involvement of Dr. Luke, the pop hitmaker who was accused of sexual misconduct by his former artist Kesha (the case was settled with no conviction or admission of guilt on Luke’s part), and its heavy-handed video, which was intended to be ironic but wasn’t perceived that way.

More from Variety

‘the dog thief’ producer alvaro manzano zambrana preps debut directorial feature ’99 secrets’ for locarno’s producers lab (exclusive), fine-tuning ai video models getting early interest from film & tv studios, adam lambert, ‘moana’ star auli’i cravalho taking over lead roles in broadway’s ‘cabaret at the kit kat club’, prince harry says tabloid lawsuits added to ‘rift’ with royal family, claims mother diana was ‘probably one of the first people to be hacked’, gaming layoffs already top 2023’s total — and it’s only july, ‘presumed innocent’ finale shocker: is jake gyllenhaal’s rusty sabich guilty or innocent the killer is revealed to be [spoiler], more from our brands, grateful dead’s mickey hart makes music inspired by sport legends in ‘rhythm masters’, this luxe, ultra-private resort in anguilla offers up sweeping clifftop views—here’s a look inside, nfl 18-game season debate pits financial incentive vs. more labor, the best loofahs and body scrubbers, according to dermatologists, joe biden withdraws from presidential race, endorses kamala harris to be democratic nominee.

IMAGES

Yacht Rock (The Band)
Yacht Rock: A tribute to the greatest soft rock songs and bands of the
The Docksiders: America's Favorite Yacht Rock Band
The Yacht Rock All Stars|Show
Please, Please Rock Me to the Dark Side of the Rainbow, Yacht Rock
Yacht Rock Revue Is More Than Just a Sexy Cover Band

COMMENTS

List of yacht rock artists
Appearance. move to sidebarhide. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The following is a list of yacht rockbands and artists. Yacht rock. Airplay[1][2] Alessi[1] Ambrosia[3][4]
Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs
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 ...
Top 100 Greatest Yacht Rock Songs of All Time
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 ...
The 25 Best Yacht Rock Songs Of All Time
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.
Yacht rock
Yacht rock (originally known as the West Coast sound or adult-oriented 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, common stylistic traits include high-quality production, clean vocals, and a focus on light ...
Playlist of the Week: Top 100 Songs of Yacht Rock
A playlist of soft rock hits from the late '70s and early '80s, featuring artists like Steely Dan, Toto, Boz Scaggs, and more. See the full list of 126 songs and learn about the Yacht Rock era and its tribute bands.
The 20 greatest yacht rock songs ever, ranked
A list of the best yacht rock songs from the late 1970s and early 1980s, featuring smooth soul, jazz, R&B, funk and disco influences. Find out which artists and bands made the cut, from Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins to Toto and Michael Jackson.
Yacht Rock: Album, Record Guide
A list of albums by yacht rock artists, a smooth and danceable subgenre of soft rock that dominated the radio in the late Seventies and early Eighties. Learn about the history, style, and highlights of yacht rock bands like Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers, Christopher Cross, and more.
Sailing: The Best Of Yacht Rock
Sailing: The Best Of Yacht Rock is the ultimate #YachtRock playlist of the smoothest classic rock songs ever written.
Yacht Rock
Yacht Rock - 100 Best Ever - Top Yacht Rock Songs · Playlist · 113 songs · 1.8K likes.
‎YACHT ROCK
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
Feature: The 101 GREATEST YACHT ROCK SONGS OF ALL TIME for Your Summer
Officially, to be considered Yacht Rock, the song must have been released between 1976 and 1984, and I adhere to this rule for the 101. That means no songs that are proto-Yacht Rock, such as Seals ...
Top 100 Yacht Rock Songs
Top 100 Yacht Rock Songs. A new music service with official albums, singles, videos, remixes, live performances and more for Android, iOS and desktop.
Yacht Rock artists, music and albums
Yacht rock is a smooth and polished music genre that emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It features a blend of soft rock, jazz, and R&B with a focus on harmonies, catchy melodies, and laid-back rhythms. The genre is often associated with the luxurious lifestyle of yacht owners and the coastal cities of California.
YACHT ROCK
YACHT ROCK | TOP 100 SONGS · Playlist · 151 songs · 44.1K likes
The Ultimate Collection of Yacht Rock/70's and 80's hits
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
YACHT ROCK - CERTIFIED PLAYLIST · Playlist · 592 songs · 13.6K likes
Best Yacht Rock Songs
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...
Top 24 Yacht Rock Songs
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.
36 Best Yacht Rock Songs You Will Love
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 ...
My Top 100 "Yacht Rock" songs
There are many different schools of thought on what "Yacht Rock" really is. Many different artists and songs fall under the wide range of the term. To me, it is what used to be called "soft rock". The term came in to play around 2005. Artists like Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, Toto and even some of Billy Joel's music got slapped with this label.
Yächtley Crëw brings 'yacht rock' to RI, with Warwick native on board
YouTube coined the genre "yacht rock" to describe the soft rock sound of the 1970s and '80s, and Warwick native Tom Gardner, guitarist with the band Yächtley Crëw, invites you to get on ...
The 25 Best Yacht Rock Songs Of All Time
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.
Yachtley Crew on board for Yacht Rock in its return to Indian Ranch
The band is riding the yacht rock wave since a 2005 video series launched the term in 2005 in an affectionate send up of artists such as Christopher Cross and Hall and Oates. Cross, who was at ...
Yacht Rock Revue Setlist at Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston
Get the Yacht Rock Revue Setlist of the concert at Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI, USA on July 21, 2024 from the Summer Road Trip 2024 Tour and other Yacht Rock Revue Setlists for free on setlist.fm!
Review: Minnesota Yacht Club festival ends in rowdy, dopey style ...
For better or worse, Twin Cities music lovers finally got a taste of what major rock festivals are all about. The highly anticipated, nationally touted inaugural festival continued Saturday on St ...
Y&T: the story of the hard rock band who should have been huge
San Francisco's Y&T were one of the greatest hard rock bands of the late 70s and 80s thanks to albums such as Earthshaker and Black Tiger and songs like Rescue Me and Summertime Girls, but their reputation as a hard rock powerhouse was never matched by their sales. In 2005, frontman Dave Meniketti sat down with Classic Rock to look back over the career of one of rock's greatest but ...
The Black Crowes cancel Friday night performance at Minnesota Yacht
Reunited Southern rock band The Black Crowes have pulled out of their Friday night performance at the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival. Organizers of the two-day festival held on St. Paul's Harriet ...
Festival, ahoy! A dozen things to know about St. Paul's Minnesota Yacht
As rock-only lineups go — musical diversity is not Yacht Club's strong suit — these are some of the state's most relevant acts present or past playing live in 2024.
Katy Perry's 'Woman's World' Fails to Achieve Top 10 Placement
Katy Perry's long-awaited musical return, a female-empowerment single dubbed 'Woman's World,' debuts at No. 63 on the Hot 100, derailing her comeback.

Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs

Top 100 Classic Rock Artists

More From Ultimate Classic Rock

Recent Posts

Comentarios

MusicInfluence.com

The 25 Best Yacht Rock Songs Of All Time

But what exactly is Yacht Rock?

What are the qualifications for inclusion on our list?

1. "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes

2. "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) by The Looking Glass

3. "Summer Breeze" by Seals and Crofts

4. "Africa" by Toto

5. "Reminiscing” by Little River Band

6. "Drift Away" by Dobie Gray

7. "Love Will Find a Way" by Pablo Cruise

8. "Ride Captain Ride" by Blues Image

9. "Eye in the Sky" by The Alan Parsons Project

10. "Miracles" by Jefferson Starship

11. "Sad Eyes" by Robert John

12. "Magnet and Steel" by Walter Egan

13. "Lido Shuffle" by Boz Scaggs

14. "What You Won't Do for Love" by Bobby Caldwell

15. "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)" by Michael McDonald

16. "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty

17. "Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang" by Silver

18. "Biggest Part of Me" by Ambrosia

19. "Baby Come Back" by Player

20. "On and On" by Stephen Bishop

21. "Chevy Van" by Sammy Johns

22. "You Are the Woman" by Firefall

23. "Sailing" by Christopher Cross

24. "Steal Away" by Robbie Dupree

25. "This is It" by Kenny Loggins

Playlist of the Week: Top 100 Songs of Yacht Rock

Featured Local Savings

Now Playing

The 20 greatest yacht rock songs ever, ranked

What is Yacht Rock?

Player - 'Baby Come Back'

Steely Dan - 'FM'

Bobby Goldsboro - 'Summer (The First Time)'

Kenny Loggins - 'Heart to Heart'

Airplay - 'Nothing You Can Do About It'

Boz Scaggs - 'Lowdown'

Steve Winwood - 'Valerie'

Toto - 'Rosanna'

Chicago - 'Hard to Say I'm Sorry'

Michael Jackson - 'Human Nature'

The Doobie Brothers - 'What a Fool Believes'

Christopher Cross - 'Sailing'

Don Henley - 'The Boys of Summer'

England Dan and John Cord Foley - 'I'd Really Love to See You Tonight'

Seals & Crofts - 'Summer Breeze'

Christopher Cross - 'Ride Like the Wind'

Eagles - 'I Can't Tell You Why'

Gerry Rafferty - 'Baker Street'

Michael McDonald - 'Sweet Freedom'

Hall & Oates - 'I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)'

More Song Lists

Crowded House's 10 greatest songs, ranked

When Dustin Hoffman farted next to Tom Cruise in 1988 interview and cracked them both up

Barry Gibb and Barbra Streisand squabble over how to make a cup of tea in hilarious video

How heartbreak encouraged Phil Collins to pursue pop superstardom

Yacht Rock: Album Guide

David Browne

Boz Scaggs, Silk Degrees (1976)

Steely Dan, Aja (1977)

The Doobie Brothers, Minute by Minute (1978)

Editor’s picks

Further Listening

Christopher Cross, Christopher Cross (1979)

Rupert Holmes, Partners in Crime (1979)

Steely Dan, Gaucho (1980)

Going Deeper

Related Stories

Kenny Loggins, Keep the Fire (1979)

Dr. Hook, Sometimes You Win (1979)

Carly Simon, Boys in the Trees (1978)

Anchors Aweigh