Yacht Rock Essentials: Robbie Dupree Gives the Irresistible Command to “Steal Away”

Some artists balk at having their music attached to the yacht rock movement (although less and less, as the genre has become such a popular brand). Robbie Dupree has always embraced it, going so far as to perform often with the popular covers band Yacht Rock Revue.

Dupree’s song “Steal Away” captures a lot of the vibes that people are seeking when they look to the soft rock of the 1970s and ’80s: romance, escape, suavity. Not bad for a guy who was well past the date when most acts have made it when he recorded the song.

From Street Corners to Pop Charts

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, in the ’50s and ’60s was a pretty good start for the music career of Robbie Dupree. Since doo-wop was all the rage in those days, Dupree would hang out on street corners, singing with his friends. That inspired him to tackle music as a career.

He eventually added songwriting to his repertoire. Throughout the ’70s, he joined several bands that came and went (one of which included the legendary Nile Rodgers). Toward the end of the decade, he decided it was time to try his luck as a solo performer.

Dupree connected with fellow musician Rick Chudacoff, and the pair worked up the songs that would make up his first solo album. But getting anybody interested in that music was a tough sell, especially because Dupree was already in his 30s by this time. That’s young by most standards, but a bit long in the tooth for the world of pop music.

“Away” He Goes

After getting turned down a bunch, Dupree took a day job in the event things didn’t work out. Luckily, an executive at Elektra Records heard his demos and decided to sign him. He had the opportunity to release his self-titled debut album in 1980.

Dupree actually had a couple of aces up his sleeve for that first record. “Hot Rod Hearts,” which would hit the Top 20, also appeared on the album. But “Steal Away,” a bopping piece of mid-tempo pop that features Dupree trying to convince a girl to join him for a hot-and-heavy getaway, was chosen for the first single.

And a good choice it was: The song shot to No. 6 on the U.S. charts. It was well-timed, because the early ’80s served as the last-gasp era for that kind of soft rock. Once MTV hit the scene, those songs struggled to find an audience, which could explain why Dupree was never again able to score a hit on the level of those first two.

What is “Steal Away” About?

“Steal Away” is a relatively straightforward ode to spending an intimate evening with someone special. Why don’t we steal away / Into the night, Dupree beckons to his significant other. The next line, however, adds a little spice to the proceedings: I know it ain’t right.

Does that line mean that it’s too soon for these two to be getting so close? Or does it imply that one or both are already in a relationship, making their tryst a type of betrayal? We never find out, but there’s no doubting what these two have in mind. I caught you glancing my way / And I know what you’re after.

Because of the gentle lilt of the music, “Steal Away” can sneak the salaciousness the lyrics suggest right past you. In any case, it’s a song that sounds effortless, which also makes it a worthy member of the yacht rock canon. Whatever toil Robbie Dupree might have exerted to finally get to the big time, he sounds so cool about it on this song that it feels like he always belonged there.

Photo by Jim Shea/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images