Originating from southern California, “Yacht Rock” is mellow soft rock music from the 1970s and 1980s, incorporating jazz fusion, harmonized vocals, and bouncy rhythms. The name came from a 2005 web series of that title, influencing musicologists to further analyze. There’s playlists, countdowns, online polls, cover bands, podcasts, and streaming stations branding yacht rock. At the helm of my own interpretation, I crafted a 10 song playlist in chronological order, to lyrically make you feel you’re on a yacht.
Theme Song: "Dance Track", composed by Jessica Ann Catena
Spotify Playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5vgXVcoUhspT3Vx12X3JuB?si=641514c7a8884bdcSongs Mentioned:
“Closer to Home (I’m Your Captain)” - Grand Funk Railroad (1970)
“Ride Captain Ride” - Blues Image (1970)
“Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” - Looking Glass (1972)
“Sail On, Sailor” - The Beach Boys (1973)
“Reelin’ in the Years” - Steely Dan (1973-1974)
“Black Water” - The Doobie Brothers (1974)
“Love Will Keep Us Together” - Captain & Tennille (1975)
“Come Sail Away” - Styx (1977-1978)
“Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” - Rupert Holmes (1979-1980)
“Sailing” - Christopher Cross (1979, 1980)
Yacht or Nacht - song survey:
https://www.yachtornyacht.com/Masterclass' Yacht Rock article:
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/yacht-rock-guide#what-is-yacht-rockWikipedia's Yacht Rock entry:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yacht_rockSirius/XM's Yacht Rock channel:
https://www.siriusxm.com/channels/yacht-rock-311?intcmp=OTHER_NA_sxmAmazon Music - Yacht Rock Playlist:
https://music.amazon.com/playlists/B01J4WJN0C?ref_=dmm_acq_mrn_d_ds_z_-c_c_601504487185_g_120309761644&gclid=CjwKCAjww8mWBhABEiwAl6-2RU8zjv0BpZxdINeIj6Irm9IanYSaK_eQTVaICt2c6g5WEUObxShJqhoC4rgQAvD_BwEPandora - Yacht Rock station:
https://www.pandora.com/genre/yacht-rockYacht Rock Revue:
https://www.yachtrockrevue.com/tourYacht Rock web series:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMTI8vg7A5U