In the mid-1970s and ‘80s in SoCal, bands like Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, and Toto blended jazz chords with R&B grooves and pop melodies to create a new soft style. Much of “yacht rock,” as the genre was later called, focused on heavy emotions and heartbreak. The songs inspired both adoration and mockery and are the subject of HBO’s new Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary.
Director Garret Price says in the mid-2000s, a group of internet comedians coined the term “yacht rock” in a low-budget but popular web series.
“They named it ‘yacht rock’ because of how expensive and smooth and grand this music was. … They had no idea that people would relate all the sailing songs to it right away.”
He notes that the tunes came from world-class studio musicians like Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Jeff Porcaro and Christopher Cross.
Christopher Cross appears in “Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary.” Courtesy of HBO.
Many yacht rockers got their start playing with Steely Dan, considered “the primordial ooze from which yacht rock sprang.” Price says, “Their pop music was so unique, and they really did see themselves almost as jazz musicians making pop music.”
While yacht rock dominated the radio, Billboard charts, and Grammys in the late 1970s, it fell off the map at the dawn of the MTV era, he says.
“Back then, you could be a pop star in your mid-30s, right? Which is remarkable. Music was less multidimensional. It wasn't always about how you looked. It was really all about the music. And I think in the MTV era, it pushed a lot of these guys out. We talked about in the documentary, Michael [McDonald] says he was afraid people will start watching music and not listening to it. I think it's a really valid point. And they adapted. A lot of them started going on soundtracks, working in this world where pop music and movies started coming together. They found a space there to continue to adapt their art.”
While many yacht rockers were white, they heavily drew inspiration from Black musicians. Price explains, “When the … moniker ‘yacht rock’ started … they were all really allergic to it because with that name comes this connotation of rich, white, yuppie music and everything they were against. They really made it clear to me … how influential Black music was to all of them, jazz and R&B and soul.”
After going somewhat dormant during the latter half of the ‘80s, yacht rock saw a ‘90s resurgence thanks to hip-hop. Michael McDonald’s “I Keep Forgettin’” was sampled by Warren G on his hit gangster rap song “Regulate.”
“[McDonald is] pretty vocal about saying that he thought his career was over in the mid to late-80s. He thought no one would ever listen to him again. And then hip-hop brought him back into the fold, which is so interesting,” Price says.
For the film, Price also spoke with contemporary musicians who brought more modern credibility to yacht rock.
“With these interviews with Thundercat and Questlove and Mac DeMarco and Prince Paul of De La Soul, you really see the reverence and adoration and the respect they have for these artists. They love their music, and it was inspiring to their own music they created.”