The term yacht rock wasn’t coined when the genre took the radio by storm in the 1970s and ’80s. The calmer soft rock gained its name 30 to 40 years later when Channel 101, an LA website, had a comedy web series called Yacht Rock.
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The web series imagined the lives of the stars of the genre with made-up plots. For instance, imagine if The Doobie Brothers and Hall & Oates were rivals and Kenny Loggins was a good friend of Boz Scaggs. Pretty amusing stuff, but thank God it brought a name to the genre, especially because it really is all-encompassing. You can’t describe yacht rock, you just know it when you hear it.
So, are you already “Reelin’ In The Years?” Picture this: it’s summer, you are on a sailboat or yacht with all of your closest friends, and you have the soft rock of the 1970s, with breezy vocals, glossy production, and bouncy rhythms playing. This could be you, and we are here to help you out. We have compiled the 10 best songs for your imagined boating adventure this summer.
Let’s check them out.
10. “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass
9. “How Long” by Ace
8. “Summer Breeze” by Seals and Crofts
7. “Reminiscing” by Little River Band
6. “Sarah Smile” by Daryl & John Oates
5. “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes
4. “Lowdown” by Boz Scaggs
3. “Ventura Highway” by America and George Martin
2. “Listen to the Music” by The Doobie Brothers
1. “Peg” by Steely Dan
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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