It’s the ‘70s and you’re on a boat drinking something classy. You probably have a mustache or a manly bare chest, or a jumpsuit. You’re listening to really smooth, perfect pop music. You are a yacht rocker, my friend. As an ode to the beautiful spring weather I’ve been experiencing, I’ve compiled a list of the 10 best songs from the sunny corporate rock era. Here are my favorite yacht rock songs, listed in order of awesomeness.
10. “Love Will Keep Us Together”- Captain and Tennille (1976)
Seirously, this is so ‘70s. That bouncy jangling intro? Are you for real, Captain? It literally sounds like the whole thing is drenched in Sunny-D. Tennille’s sickeningly sweet vocals about love and being together 4EVR and the Captain’s funky backbeat makes this the perfect sunny day song. I mean, you’re pretty much instantly transported to a poolside party when you hear the piano’s melody. Except you’re inexplicably wearing bell bottoms.
9. “FM (No Static At All)” -Steely Dan (1978)
I don’t think it’s possible to be agitated when you listen to this. “The girls don’t seem to care, tonight/ as long as the mood is right,” Donald Fagan croons coyly. He knows how to set the most mellow mood. The laid-back, jazzy musicality of this song is a beach sunset. The smooth electric guitar melts with the bluesy bass line and the piano supports the melody like a sturdy lifeboat with extra martini supplies in the first aid kit. When the saxophone comes in it acts like the summer breeze, effectively blowing all your cares away. All this contrasts with the sharp, clear snare snaps. No worries, no static at all.
8. “Takin’ It To The Streets”- The Doobie Brothers (1976)
A ‘70s booty shaker if I ever heard one. Can’t you see the crochet tops swaying to the horn section? This is my favorite era for The Doobie Brothers; the Michael McDonald days were some funky times. I’m pretty sure “Takin’ It To The Streets” should be played at every summer BBQ. And the necessity of this song being played has a direct correlation to how many mustaches are in attendance. Whether you have a bunch of hipster ‘staches sipping tall cans or mustachioed balding beer-bellies, you should probably play this song. Everyone will love it.
7. “Danny’s Song”- Loggins and Messina (1971)
Oh my god; a sunset, nostalgia and a summer zephyr. This song sounds like a glass of sangria at dusk. It’s part of the slower, more introspective yacht rock sound, the kind that feel like satisfaction incarnate as opposed to simply a good time. “Danny’s Song” is from the Loggins and Messina era, before Caddyshack and Footloose and “Kenny Loggins.” He wrote it about his newborn son and it’s so cheesy and smooth and adorable. “Love the girl who holds the world in a paper cup./ Drink it up” are actual lyrics but I don’t even care; it’s too perfect.The chorus couldn’t be any more lovely; “Even though we ain’t got money,/ I’m so in love with you honey./ And everything will bring a chain of love.” And the lone violin? Seriously? Bravo.
6. “Rosanna”- Toto (1982)
The intro to “Rosanna” is so smooth it sounds like Dave Mathews Band stole it for every one of their song openings. It’s a little too ‘80s as exhibited by the synth solo, but oh my god; so smooth. The groovy sax line binds itself to the wailing guitar, and it all sounds better with a swirling organ. The horns section of this song sounds like it was made to be played in a dentist’s waiting room. The song has an infectious, shuffling beat that gives it absolute catchiness and will force itself into your head for days. Sorry I’m not sorry.
5. “Summer Breeze”- Seals and Crofts (1972)
“See the curtains hanging in the window,/ in the evening on a Friday night,” starts “Summer Breeze” off with an airy understanding that’s sustained throughout the song. I mean, obviously. “Summer breeze makes me feel fine./ Goin’ to a jazz club in my mind.” How are you not on a yacht? It doesn’t work any other way. This song has the most laid-back guitar riff I’ve ever heard, sculpted from the foamy waves of yacht rock waters. Mellow as the stillest lake, you’ll find sailboats in this song’s soul. “Summer Breeze” transports you to peace and summer and nice.
4. “Peg”- Steely Dan (1977)
Pop perfection. How could anyone beat this song or anything else on Aja , for that matter? Corporate rock at it’s finest, you can shuffle in your khakis to the beat even if you’re only minimally proficient in rhythm. That sax line is nothing but grooveable, and the synth carries “Peg’s” upbeat feel. This song is all about good times and cheesy polaroids, “And when you smile for the camera, I know I love you better.” Steely Dan, the leader in white person jazz-rock fusions, knew how to get liquored-up yuppies on the dance floor.
3. “This is It” - Kenny Loggins (Ft. Michael McDonald) (1979)
Written by Loggins as an ode to his sickly father, he deemed it not a love song, but a “life song.” Because yacht rock is life, obviously. Loggins and McDonald, the behemoths of the genre team up on this song which would win a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1981. It won a Grammy. That is an award-winning “chicka-chickpa” at the beginning of this song. Those impeccable synth runs earned a little statue. Kenny Loggins’ breathy delivery in the verses transforms itself into a butt-hurt howl during the chorus. While McDonald’s husky backup vocals fill Loggins’ lapses, they also work too well with the traces of calypso instrumentation in “This Is It.”
2. “What a Fool Believes”- The Doobie Brothers (1978)
This song is co-written by Kenny Loggins, which I love because Loggins and McDonald are kings of yacht rock. Together, they produce unstoppably catchy pop hits. The opening synth line warbles in the most toe-tapping fashion. It’s the kind of thing Carleton from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” would dance to. With beautiful, slightly meaningless lyrics like “as he rises to her apology,” it’s hard to say they’re great songwriters. But, anyone can admit they’re damn good pop musicians.
1. “Sailing” - Christopher Cross (1980)
The smoothest yacht rock song of all time. Have you heard it? The guitar line is a fucking summer breeze. Do you feel how calming Cross’ voice is? It’s actually a summer breeze. This is also the song that you hear in every doctor’s waiting room ever. But, that’s okay, because yacht rock is great and so are string sections. "Sailing" is all sand and getting tipsy on fruity summer drinks and “it’s not far to Never-Never-Land.” If it rocked even a tiny bit harder, it could be an anthem, but instead is one of the smoothest, most understated beach ballads known to man.