I am sending a somewhat lazy dispatch this week because I am attending a yacht rock birthday party tonight. Until this morning, I had never really considered “yacht rock.” What is it? Who made it? Who is it for? Why is it is called “yacht rock?”
So here we are. Let’s dip our toes into yacht rock.
What is it? Commercially successful soft rock music from the mid -70s to the mid-80s with high production value, jazz and R&B influences, complex, wry lyrics, and and upbeat rythm.
Who made it? Commercially successful soft rock artists from the mid-70s to the mid-80s. Think Hall and Oates, TOTO, The Doobie Brothers, Captain & Tennille, Tears for Fears, Paul Simon, Phil Collins, Van Morrison, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, and John Denver, to name a few.
Who is it for? Your dad. My dad. The dad-on-vacation in all of us.
Why is it called “yacht rock?” Thank you for asking! According to Wikipedia, my favorite source, the term “yacht rock” is recent—coined in 2005 in an online series fictionalizing the careers of American soft rock stars. At the time of its production, the genre was referred to as “West Coast Sound” or “adult-oriented rock.” Yacht rock was initially a pejorative, referencing wealthy yuppies sailing to the dulcet tones of soft rock.
If you want to send a group of recently retired white men into a tizzy, suggest a game of “yacht or nyacht?” There is an entire podcast of the same name dedicated to discussing which songs fall into the category and which don’t. It get's complicated. Yacht rock doesn’t usually apply to an artist’s entire catalog. Yacht rock is always soft rock, but soft rock is not always yacht rock.
Got it? Here’s a Rolling Stone article on the matter if you crave more information.
I was going to make y’all a playlist, but Spotify already has this beauty.
Enjoy!
Until next week,
Elizabeth
This newsletter is just one facet of Zhuzh, my platform dedicated to conscious consumption and making space for delight. I offer secondhand-and-vintage-based wardrobe and interior styling services, art curation, and super chill life coaching. Keep up with me on Instagram and learn more at www.zhuzhlife.com.