youtube yacht rock episode 1

Defining 'yacht rock' once and for all with the genre's creators

Jd ryznar and dave lyons coined the joke genre while making the mid-2000s comedic web-series of the same name.

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JD Ryznar and Dave Lyons are the co-creators of the mid-2000s comedic web-series Yacht Rock.  

While the joke genre they coined led to a legitimate smooth-music renaissance in pop culture, it has also led to a distorted definition of what yacht rock is all about.

The pair join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about setting the record straight with this week's launch of their podcast Yacht or Nyacht , where they'll adjudicate which songs belong to the yacht rock canon using a scientific scoring system.

WATCH | Yacht Rock Episode 1 :

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts .

Interview with JD Ryznar and Dave Lyons produced by Stuart Berman.

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• Hunter D Stair
• Cancelled Shows
• Brenan Campbell
• Doug Benson
• Kevin Bacon
• Justin Roiland
• James Adomian
• Peter Cetera
• Tom Savarese
• Vincent Price
• Steve Porcaro
• Kenny Loggins
• Michael McDonald
• Hall & Oates
• David B Lyons
• Lane Farnham
• View history

By Zettai on Flickr

Yacht Rock is an 12-part series following the fictionalized lives and careers of American smooth rock stars of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Created by JD Ryznar , Hunter D Stair and Lane Farnham , it is one of the most successful projects to come out of Channel 101 .

J. D. Ryznar and Hunter D. Stair devised the series after noticing the incestuous recording careers of such bands as Steely Dan , Toto , and The Doobie Brothers and the singer-songwriters Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald . For example, McDonald co-wrote Loggins' "This Is It" and Loggins co-wrote McDonald's band The Doobie Brothers' "What a Fool Believes" and also performed backing vocals for several other 'yacht rock' artists, including Steely Dan and Christopher Cross. Yacht Rock's episodes were "hosted" by "Hollywood" Steve Huey , a legitimate music critic for Allmusic. It should be noted that the term "Yacht Rock" is never used throughout the series by any characters except for by Huey during his introductions, instead it is always referred to as "Smooth Music". The look of the series was the responsibility of the show's editor Lane Farnham.

• 1 Channel101.com Summary
• 3 Music in the show
• 4 Artist Acknowledgment
• 5 Real people portrayed in Yacht Rock
• 6 Episode & Song List
• 7 Best Episode
• 8 Production
• 9 Fun Facts
• 10 See also
• 11 External links
• 12 References

Channel101.com Summary [ ]

JD and Hunter having won Channy Awards for Yacht Rock.

What can be said about Yacht Rock that hasn't been said by various magazines, newspapers and disc jockeys across the country? J.D. Ryznar and Hunter Stair's saga detailing the unknown mythical origins of a previously obscure genre of music struck the audience like a lightning bolt on its first episode, much like fellow 101 breakout House of Cosbys. Unlike HoC, however, Yacht Rock was never sued by its iconic characters' real life counterparts. In fact, it is said that at one time or another, just about every musician lovingly portrayed in the series has witnessed and enjoyed it behind closed doors. Yacht Rock enjoyed success on levels and in ways previously unattained by 101 shows, its title becoming a household phrase at radio stations, a bin at your local record store and a category on iTunes. But beneath its pop cultural triumph was an artistic one that often went undescribed: Yacht Rock's stories were always clever and sometimes downright genius in their assembly, weaving trivia, common knowledge, exaggerations and fabrications into a rope strong enough to hold it at the #1 position for an unbelievable number of non-consecutive months, setting audience share records at Channel 101 that are unlikely to be broken any time soon and sweeping the 2005 Channy Awards. Ironically, Channel 101's most memorable show came to its end quietly and unremarkably, not unlike some of the careers it saluted with a smirk. Instead of choking on its vomit in a Paris bathtub or overdosing on a Hollywood sidewalk, Yacht Rock simply told us one last story about Steely Dan, then hoisted its sails and drifted away while a satisfied crowd waved goodbye from the docks, exactly one incredible year after its historical debut. Bye, Yacht Rock. We loved you.

Synopsis [ ]

Ryznar admits to having a fascination with the music of the period. Ryznar explains, "Getting into Steely Dan really started this for me. As did the ability to buy dollar records at Amoeba and put them on tapes for my car. Kenny Loggins has made his way into all the pilots I've been involved with except one. [1] " As Ryznar told Reuters contributor Andy Sullivan, "I'm making fun of the songwriting process, but the music is generally treated pretty lovingly." [2]

The series depicts some realistic aspects of the music, but builds exaggerated storylines around them. For example, main protagonists Loggins and McDonald receive inspiration from a fictional Yacht Rock impresario named Koko Goldstein, whose death in Episode 2 ultimately leads them to go their separate ways musically. Another example is the series' presentation of several real-life characters. McDonald is an idealistic and earnest singer/songwriter, but takes both Smooth Music and himself far too seriously. Loggins is his easygoing friend and frequent collaborator who eventually abandons Smooth Music in favor of commercial rock and roll in the 80s, which strains their friendship. The portrayal of John Oates as the abusive, foulmouthed leader of Hall & Oates , exerting sometimes violent control over the milquetoast Daryl Hall , is clearly different from reality, in which Hall is the main lead vocalist and songwriter with no hint of a rivalry. Christopher Cross is depicted as a wide-eyed, timid newbie whose song "Sailing" is lauded as the "smoothest song ever". Loggins' former partner Jim Messina is a bitter wino who hates Loggins for his success and perceived betrayal. Michael Jackson is depicted as a hard-rock enthusiast who believes his partnership with guitarist Eddie Van Halen will lead to an endless parade of female sexual conquests. Jeff Baxter , the Doobie Brothers' lead guitarist, is seen threatening to kick McDonald "out of the Doobies" if he doesn't write them another hit. The real Baxter did bring McDonald into the band but, as they achieved their greatest commercial success, Baxter left the Doobie Brothers because of his displeasure with their new commercial sound and attitude. The Eagles (portrayed here as jock-like meatheads) and Steely Dan (portrayed as snarky nerds, with Donald Fagen speaking in an incoherent babble of Scat) really did insert lyrical references to each other in their music, as depicted in the show, but these were actually friendly in nature, not part of a longtime grudge involving baseball bats and lunch-money shakedowns. [3]

The series was written, directed, and produced by Ryznar, co-produced by David B Lyons and Hunter Stair, and edited by Lane Farnham. The production has a "bad-on-purpose aesthetic". [4] Ryznar credits lots of people here.

Yacht Rock 2 Behind the Smooth

Yacht Rock debuted on Channel 101 at the June 26, 2005 screening. It placed in the top five at subsequent screenings until the June 25, 2006 screening, where it placed seventh and was canceled.

However, the show remained a popular download on Channel 101, convincing the creators to make an 11th episode independently. This episode, featuring Jason Lee as Kevin Bacon , debuted during a screening at the Knitting Factory in New York City on December 27, 2007. A month later, Channel 101 themselves included it in a screening, and hosted it on their website along with the other episodes on January 28, 2008. [5]

Of the episode, Abed Gheith had this to say:

"Truly a great and wonderful episode in all ways. From the blood bath Footloose scene to the Me-L.T. There were moments in this that restored those awesome memories from what seemed like ages ago. I think Sevan said something that he heard Hunter say that was pretty crazy, about seeing the show up there was like ghosts on the screen. It was a wonderful ride down memory lane of Channel 101's best days."

A 12th and final episode premiered in April 2010.

Music in the show [ ]

"Yacht rock" is a name [6] [7] for the popular soft rock that peaked between the years of 1975 and 1984. Significant "yacht rockers" include Michael McDonald , Kenny Loggins , Christopher Cross , and Toto . In the musical sense, yacht rock refers to the highly polished brand of soft rock that emanated from Southern California] during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In part, the term relates to the stereotype of the yuppie yacht owner, enjoying cocaine and smooth music while out for a sail. Additionally, since sailing was a popular leisure activity in Southern California, many "yacht rockers" made nautical references in their lyrics, videos, and album artwork, particularly the anthemic track "Sailing" by Christopher Cross.

Yacht Rock music is commonly described as, "A little bit better than elevator music!"

The foundation of the yacht rock scene was a local pool of versatile session musicians who frequently played on each other's records. This professionalism often gave yacht rock recordings a high level of sophistication in composition, arrangement, and instrumental skill.

The most popular yacht rock artists enjoyed considerable commercial success. During its peak years, yacht rock dominated the Grammy Awards, with Christopher Cross and Toto sweeping the major awards in 1981 and 1983 respectively, feats consistently derided by Grammy prognosticators. [8] However, yacht rock was not a hit with most rock critics at the time, who dismissed it as being corporate rock that was overproduced, generic, and middle of the road, instead favoring punk and new wave acts such as The Clash , Blondie , Patti Smith , and Elvis Costello . [9]

In developing the show Yacht Rock , creator J. D. Ryznar commented that the term was intended to describe the "more elite studio artists" of the period, such as Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. [10] David B. Lyons , who co-produced the show and played Koko Goldstein, noted that a friend of his devised the term "marina rock" in college to describe a more "working-class" group of artists that didn't achieve the same high profile, such as Seals and Crofts, Rupert Holmes, and Looking Glass. [11] However, despite the show's intentions, music journalists have begun using the term yacht rock to describe all of the similar-sounding music of the period, including bands such as Ambrosia, 10cc, Pablo Cruise, Firefall, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Orleans, Ace, and Player. [12]

While Ryznar and the show popularized the term "yacht rock," it's alleged to have existed previously, according to Wikipedia, which states its earliest-known appearance came in 1990 from Dave Larsen, popular music critic for the Dayton Daily News, describing an upcoming Jimmy Buffett concert in Cincinnati.

Artist Acknowledgment [ ]

Hunter D Stair with Steve Porcaro .

John Oates credited Yacht Rock in 2007 with rekindling interest in Hall & Oates and lowering the demographic age of the group's fans. He wrote:

I think Yacht Rock was the beginning of this whole Hall & Oates resurrection...They were the first ones to start to parody us and put us out there again, and a lot of things have happened because of Yacht Rock. [13]

Daryl Hall and John Oates with Wade Randolph and Drew Hancock .

Michael McDonald acknowledged Yacht Rock in 2008:

Have you ever owned a yacht? No, but I thought Yacht Rock was hilarious. And uncannily, you know, those things always have a little bit of truth to them. It’s kind of like when you get a letter from a stalker who’s never met you. They somehow hit on something, and you have to admit they’re pretty intuitive.

Okay. So what’s the craziest thing you ever did with Kenny Loggins? We mostly worked a lot when we would get together. Kenny, he’s one of those guys who was a more serious artist; I was just a schlub. He was like, "C’mon, let’s get this right," and I was like, "Got any beer?" [14]

Real people portrayed in Yacht Rock [ ]

• Ian Anderson
• Michael Anthony (referred to as 'the other guy' in Van Halen)
• Rosanna Arquette
• Jeff "Skunk" Baxter
• Walter Becker
• Jimmy Buffett
• Christopher Cross
• Daryl Dragon
• Donald Fagen
• David Hungate
• James Ingram
• Michael Jackson
• Steve Lukather
• Jim Messina
• Jaye P. Morgan
• David Paich
• Steve Perry
• Jeff Porcaro
• Harold Ramis
• Tanya Roberts
• David Lee Roth
• David Sanborn
• Patrick Simmons
• Ted Templeman
• Toni Tennille
• Charles, Lord Townshend
• Jethro Tull
• Alex Van Halen
• Eddie Van Halen
• Lindsey Buckingham

Episode & Song List [ ]

SPOILERS in the Episode Summaries!

1. " What a Fool Believes "

• SCREENING DATE Sunday, June 26th - 2005
• AUDIENCE SHARE 70.2% (1st at screening with 194 votes)

In the pilot episode, Kenny Loggins, under the guidance of Koko Goldstein, reaches out to a struggling Michael McDonald, who's having trouble writing a smooth hit for his band the Doobie Brothers.

• Michael McDonald-Sweet Freedom
• George Benson-Breezin'
• Loggins & Messina-Sailin the wind
• Kenny Loggins-Whenever I call You Friend
• Doobie Brothers-What a Fool Believes
• Doobie Brothers-Sweet Feelin'
• Doobie Brothers-You Never Change
• Hall and Oates-Alley Katz
• Kenny Loggins - What a fool Believes

2. " Keep the Fire "

• SCREENING DATE Sunday, July 24th - 2005
• AUDIENCE SHARE 95.0% (1st at screening with 233 votes)

Loggins and McDonald pair up against the duo Hall & Oates for a songwriting competition. Koko is accidentally impaled by his lucky harpoon during the ensuing melee, but is at peace before his death by hearing the smoothest song ever sung by a young Christopher Cross.

• Steely Dan: Peg
• Doobie Brothers - What a fool believes
• Hall and Oates-Sara Smile
• Hall and Oates-Portable Radio
• Kenny Loggins-This is It
• Kenny Loggins-Love has come of age
• Also featured in S.O.S. Fantome episode two.

3. " I'm Alright "

• SCREENING DATE Sunday, August 28th - 2005
• AUDIENCE SHARE 68.9% (2nd at screening with 234 votes)

As everyone grieves Koko's death, Loggins lashes out at McDonald and "smooth music" as a whole, causing a rift between the two. An entertainment executive behind the movie Caddyshack demands that the movie's director, Harold Ramis, obtain Loggins' talents to write the movie's theme song. Ramis takes advantage of an angry and confused Loggins and gets him to write and record the hard rock song "I'm Alright" much to McDonald's dismay.

• Bad Caddyshack Theme - Rick Johnson
• Steely Dan-King of the World
• Kenny Loggins- This is it (Live)
• Steely Dan-Time Out of Mind
• Kenny Loggins - Keep the Fire
• Doobie Brothers-How do the Fools Survive
• Journey - Lights
• Journey - Anyway you want it
• Steely Dan - Kid Charlamagne
• Kenny Loggins-I'm Alright

4. " Rosanna "

• SCREENING DATE Sunday, September 25th - 2005
• AUDIENCE SHARE 87.7% (1st at screening with 274 votes)

Steve Porcaro ( Steve Agee ), the keyboard player of the band Toto, is asked by his girlfriend, Rosanna Arquette, to write a song about her, and she wants him to have Michael McDonald sing on the track. Discouraged by McDonald's disdain for his band, Porcaro devises a three-step plan to make it happen.

• Something by Benetictine Monks
• Toto-Hold the Line
• Toto-I Won't Hold You Back
• Toto-Make Believe
• Doobie Brothers - What a Fool Believes
• Doobie Brothers - You Never Change
• Christopher Cross-Ride the Wind
• Loggins & Messina - Sailing the wind
• Kenny Loggins/Steve Perry-Don't Fight it
• Michael McDonald-Love Lies
• Toto-I'll supply the Love
• Toto-Rosanna

5. " Believe in It "

• SCREENING DATE Sunday, October 30th - 2005
• AUDIENCE SHARE 78.6% (1st at screening with 268 votes)

Toto has been commissioned to write a smooth song for Michael Jackson's Thriller, but Jackson rejects the band, believing after working with Eddie Van Halen on Beat It that such material is in his past. Fearing that Jackson will destroy "smooth music" for a decade, Porcaro turns to McDonald, Loggins, Skunk Baxter, Cross, and Vincent Price ( James Adomian ), to summon up Koko's ghost for help writing Human Nature.

• Samuel Barber- Adagio for Strings
• Michael McDonald - Believe in It
• Michael Jackson - Beat it
• Michael Jackson - Thriller
• Kenny Loggins - I Gotta Try
• Michael McDonald - I Gotta Try
• Christopher Cross - Sailing
• Kenny Loggins - This is it
• Van Halen - Eruption
• Michael Jackson - Human Nature

6. " The Seed Drill "

• SCREENING DATE Sunday, January 29th - 2006
• AUDIENCE SHARE 62.1% (2nd at screening with 315 votes)

"Hollywood" Steve's father demands that Steve stop wasting his time on Yacht Rock, and regales a historic tale of Jethro Tull, which is very similar to episode one.

• Michael McDonald - Sweet Freedom
• Jethro Tull - Velvet Green
• Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick
• Jethro Tull - Witch's Promise
• Jethro Tull - Flute Solo (Live)
• Jethro Tull - Aqualung
• Jethro Tull - Teacher
• Jethro Tull - Jack-In-The-Green
• Jethro Tull - Cold Wind to Vallhalla
• Jethro Tull - Too Old to Rock and Roll, Too Young to Die
• Jethro Tull - Living in the Past
• Jethro Tull - Reasons for Wait
• Jethro Tull - The Whistler

7. " I Keep Forgettin' "

• SCREENING DATE Sunday, February 26th - 2006
• AUDIENCE SHARE 89.1% (1st at screening with 318 votes)

McDonald and Loggins make a bet about McDonald's new song, "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)", that takes a decade to resolve. Ten years later, Long Beach-based rappers Warren G and Nate Dogg struggle with creating smooth rap (yacht rap), and only when they kidnap McDonald, is there a solution to everyone's problems.

• Michael McDonald - I Keep Forgetting
• Kenny Loggins - Swear Your Love
• Michael McDonald - Love Lies
• Dr. Dre - Nothin' but a G Thang
• Dr. Dre - Dre Day
• Snoop Doggy Dogg - G's and Hustlaz
• Dr. Dre - Let Me Ride
• Christoper Cross - Words of Wisdom
• Snoop Doggy Dogg - Who am I (What's My Name?)
• Doobie Brothers - What a Food Believes
• Warren G - Regulate

8. " Gino (the Manager) "

• SCREENING DATE Sunday, March 26th - 2006
• AUDIENCE SHARE 70.9% (2nd at screening with 251 votes)

"Hollywood" Steve returns to the very beginning, where Doobie Brothers producer Ted Templeman explains his dream about the origin of "the smoothest rock [he's] ever heard" to Skunk Baxter over lunch. Baxter suggests seeing Koko about it, and Templeman starts seeing his dream come into fruition as he meets a young McDonald, then a background singer for Steely Dan, being talked into joining the Doobie Brothers by Steely Dan and Koko, Loggins showing signs of his imminent break from Messina and solo stardom, and an effeminate Hall and Oates with a very familiar looking manager named Gino, who tries to bully McDonald and Loggins into employing him as a manager. When they refuse, he plots revenge.

• Steely Dan - Your Gold Teeth II
• Doobie Brothers - Takin It to the Streets
• Hall & Oates - Gino (The Manager)
• Captain & Tennille - Love Will Keep Us Together
• Steely Dan - Any World (That I'm Welcomed To)
• Loggins & Messina - Watching the River Run
• Loggins & Messina - Your Mama Don't Dance
• Kenny Loggins - Love Has Come of Age
• Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone

9. " Runnin' with the Devil "

• SCREENING DATE Sunday, May 28th - 2006
• AUDIENCE SHARE 66.9% (4th at screening with 216 votes)

Van Halen puts a curse on Ted Templeman to force him to produce their hard rock song. In a subplot, Loggins loses his car keys and has everyone in the studio helping him look. Comedian Drew Carey makes a cameo appearance.

• Limewire tricked JD into thinking this was a Cheap Trick song. The original version was from an Ian Hunter (Mott the Hoople) solo album. The one used in the Drew Carey Show was the Presidents of the USA version. His intention for Yacht Rock was to use the classic version, but he messed up. NEVER trust Limewire. Buy your music from the store.
• Michael McDonald "Sweet Freedom"
• Kenny Loggins "Only a Miracle"
• Van Halen "Atomic Punk"
• Van Halen "Runnin' with the Devil"
• Doobie Brothers "Echoes of Love"
• Van Halen "I'm The One"
• Michael McDonald "Playin by the Rules"
• SCREENING DATE Sunday, June 25th - 2006
• AUDIENCE SHARE 44.4% (7th at screening with 155 votes)

Steely Dan and the Eagles settle a long-time, childish feud with a hit song.

• Tori Amos - "Winter"
• Michael MacDonald - "Sweet Freedom"
• Kenny Loggins - "I Believe In Love"
• Eagles - "Life In The Fast Lane"
• Steely Dan- "Everything You Did"
• Steely Dan - "Do It Again"
• Steely Dan - "Peg"
• The Eagles - "Hotel California"
• Steely Dan - "FM"
• Kenny Loggins - "Danger Zone"

11. " Footloose "

• SCREENING DATE Sunday, January 27th - 2008

Jimmy Buffett is convinced by Kevin Bacon and Gene Balboa to trick Loggins into making yet another movie song. He is subsequently kidnapped by Buffett and psychotic "Parrot Heads" and its up to McDonald and James Ingram to rescue him. Jason Lee makes a guest appearance as Bacon.

• Cheeseburger in Paradise - Jimmy Buffet
• I Need a Hero - Bonnie Tyler
• If it's Not What You're Looking For - Kenny Loggins
• Yah Mo Be There - James Ingram & Michael McDonald
• Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett
• Changes in Latitude - Jimmy Buffett
• I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man) - Kenny Loggins
• There's No Easy Way to Break Someone's Heart - James Ingram
• Pencil Thin Mustache - Jimmy Buffett
• Why Don't We Get Drunk - Jimmy Buffett
• Footloose - Kenny Loggins
• Boat Drinks - Jimmy Buffett
• Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins

12. "Dangerzone"

Premiered at the Bell House in Brooklyn, New York. Screened at Channel 101 April 24th.

Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald must fight Hall and Oates to destroy a Black Hole with Smooth Music.

• Sweet Freedom - Michael McDonald * No Lookin' Back - Kenny Loggins * Chase - Giorgio Moroder * No Lookin' Back - Michael McDonald * We are the World - USA for Africa * Adult Education - Hall & Oates * Charm The Snake - Christopher Cross * Out of Touch - Hall & Oates * From Here to eternity - Giorgio Moroder * Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins * Playing With The Boys - Kenny Loggins * Method of Modern Love - Hall & Oates * Sailing - Christopher Cross

Best Episode [ ]

Production [ ].

When asked by Will Hines on the Channel 101:NY forums about how good the production and editing values were on Yacht Rock, Ryznar replied:

"Its just the blessing of living in LA. I work for a company who lets us borrow their 24p and the office itself on the weekend. My next door neighbor is an editor. In LA, EVERYONE's next door neighbor is an editor, although I'm one of the few creators that doesnt do his own editing. Plus channel 101 is just an amazing wealth of acting talent. Yet, everyone is a writer... but everyone can act. Its weird and awesome. The studio is courtesy of Ryan Elder who emailed me after the first Yacht Rock and said "I'm a fan of Yacht Rock. I work at a recording studio wink wink." Its amazing. Someone on Yacht Rock is working on a big movie (MI:3) so we used this huge HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTER greenscreen that they had THROWN AWAY (it was 20 by 20 and scraped!) to shoot the Koko ghost stuff, which we set up in the DV room of my office, lit with the company's lights, etc, etc.

Everyone loves making movies here, and not everyone wants to be in front of the camera or behind a typewriter. Some people just like to work on projects that actually get finished. This town is awesome.

We shot two days on this one, each about 6 hour days. I'm not sure how long the editing took. Lane picks at it here and there while he works on other things. Then I come in after the rough cut and we tighten the shit out of it, usually about 2 4-6 hour sessions with him gets it done.

But really, the secret is the Panasonic dvx100a camera. They're coming out with new models now, so maybe the older, but still awesome, ones will get cheaper. I want to own one soon. Fingers crossed."

Fun Facts [ ]

• Became the second show to make it a year, after The 'Bu , (June to May) with 3 months off. Only to be canceled the next show.

See also [ ]

• Yacht Rock/Quotes

External links [ ]

• The AV Club looks back on Yacht Rock in 2013
• Channel 101 Show Page
• Official Website
• Wikipedia article
• Facebook Page
• Have You Heard About The Lonesome Losers?
• Really Smooth Music
• Knights of Monte Carlo
• A Yacht Rock party how-to.
• Interview with JD about series.
• Yacht Rock Myspace
• The true story of the song "What a Fool Believes"
• Mention at Panopticist.

References [ ]

• ↑ http://channel101.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=54719#54719
• ↑ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,178467,00.html
• ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20080531045840/http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-hall-oates-0527may27,0,6549277.story
• ↑ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/02/AR2007020200358_pf.html
• ↑ http://archive.is/20120913063143/www.spinner.com/2008/05/28/yacht-rock-docks-in-sea-of-musical-spoofs/
• ↑ http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2002726917_yachtfix09.html
• ↑ http://www.observer.com/node/52629
• ↑ http://archives.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/23/grammy.albums/index.html
• ↑ http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_popmachine/2006/02/u2_vs_kanye_rev.html
• ↑ http://www.seattleweekly.com/music/0549/051207_music_talktalk.php
• ↑ http://channel101.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=69553#69553
• ↑ http://music.ign.com/articles/710/710545p1.html
• ↑ http://www.seattleweekly.com/2007-08-22/music/hall-oats-are-living-harmonizing-proof-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as-ironic-hipster-kryptonite.php
• ↑ http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/hot-seat/26823/michael-mcdonald

• 1 Story Structure 101: Super Basic Shit
• 2 Story Structure 104: The Juicy Details
• 3 Story Structure 102: Pure, Boring Theory

Sail Away: The Oral History of ‘Yacht Rock’

By Drew Toal

This story was originally published on June 26, 2015

I n the late 1970s and early 1980s, musical artists like Kenny Loggins , Michael McDonald , Steely Dan , Toto , Hall and Oates , and dozens of others regularly popped up on each other’s records, creating a golden era of smooth-music collaboration.

And on June 26th, 2005, an internet phenomenon was born. In 12 short but memorable episodes — first via the the short-film series Channel 101 and then online — JD Ryznar, Hunter Stair, Dave Lyons, Lane Farnham and their friends redefined an era and coined a term for the sultry croonings of McDonald, Fagen, et al.: “yacht rock.”

As “Hollywood” Steve might say, these guys docked a fleet of remarkable hits. This is the story of Yacht Rock, told from stem to stern — a reimagining of a bygone soft-rock renaissance, courtesy of hipsters with fake mustaches, impeccable record collections and a love of smoothness. Long may it sail.

The Michigan Connection JD Ryznar (Director, “Michael McDonald”): I moved from Ann Arbor to L.A., and ended up making friends with all these other guys from Michigan, like “Hollywood” Steve Huey, Hunter Stair, and David Lyons. Pretty much every weekend I’d have “Chinese Thanksgiving” at my apartment — we’d eat BBQ chicken and burgers, drink beer and listen to records of what I called “yacht rock.” You know, like Michael McDonald is singing background vocals and like there’s guys on boats on the covers; it feels like you’re on a yacht listening to it. And the guys were like, oh, we know this music.

Dave Lyons (“Koko”): You know how, in the Seventies, these big bands started playing arena rock? We liked the idea of these smooth bands playing “Marina Rock.” I thought it was a better name.

“Hollywood” Steve Huey (“Hollywood Steve”): What I mostly remember is JD playing Journey records all the time. He was so into Journey that he had photocopied a photo of Steve Perry and pasted it onto his liquid soap dispenser. He wrote “Steve Perry Soap: Clean as all fuck” on it.

Editor’s picks

Every awful thing trump has promised to do in a second term, the 250 greatest guitarists of all time, the 500 greatest albums of all time, the 50 worst decisions in movie history.

Lane Farnham (editor, “Jimmy Messina”): JD and I had talked about Journey for a year before we did Yacht Rock. In the third episode, that whole “you need to fly like a pilot” bit? Those are direct lines from Steve Perry in this crazy documentary we found. He’s coked to the gills, in the Eighties, just blabbering about who knows what. We got a kick out of that stuff. 

Sail Away: The Oral History of ‘Yacht Rock’ , Page 1 of 12

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This Is the Definitive Definition of Yacht Rock

By Timothy Malcolm July 12, 2019

Michael McDonald. One might say the smoothest mother in music history.

Image: Randy Miramontez / Shutterstock.com

About 10 years ago , somebody showed me a YouTube video of Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins writing a song that’s smoother and more polished than anything else on the airwaves.

That video—lovingly spoofing the writing of the Doobie Brothers' 1978 hit “What a Fool Believes”— was the first episode of a series called Yacht Rock . Premiering in 2005 on the Los Angeles-based television incubator Channel 101, Yacht Rock struck a chord with a generation of music nerds who attempt to compartmentalize and categorize the songs they heard as children. The term “yacht rock” itself grew out of the video series, permeating our culture today as much as the music had back in the late 1970s and early '80s.

But here’s the thing about terms that permeate our culture today: They get compromised and bastardized to fit other people’s cozy narratives, typically based on their own nostalgia. Google “yacht rock” and you’ll find articles from across the media spectrum attempting to define the term , failing hard because these writers just don’t get it. There’s even a new BBC series about yacht rock , and while it went into great detail providing context on the emergence of the musical style, it still turned out to be one person’s definition that included songs that were—as some of us might say— nyacht rock.

I’m here to set the record straight—or smooth. Yacht rock is music, primarily created between 1976 and ‘84, that can be characterized as smooth and melodic, and typically combines elements of jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock. You’ll hear very little acoustic guitar (get that “Horse With No Name” out of there) but a lot of Fender Rhodes electric piano. Lyrics don’t get in the way of the song’s usually high musicality (some of the finest Los Angeles session players, including members of the band Toto, play on many yacht rock tunes.) The lyrics may, however, speak about fools. The songs are as light and bubbly as champagne on the high seas, yet oddly complex and intellectual.

And just to hammer this home: Fleetwood Mac is not yacht rock. Daryl Hall & John Oates are 98 percent not yacht rock. Those folkie songs from America, Pure Prairie League, and Crosby, Stills & Nash? Nope. Rupert Holmes's "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)"? Too wordy and not musically interesting—not yacht rock. How about "Summer Breeze" by Seals & Crofts? A little too folky, but close.

I’m not affected by personal nostalgia (I was born in 1984, just as the yacht rock era was ending); instead, I’m an objective music lover who just so happens to have been researching yacht rock for the past several years. I know the men who coined the term “yacht rock” ( they have a great podcast and actually rate whether or not a song is yacht rock ), and they can back me up on this. 

So whether you’re docked for the summer or about to set sail on an adventure, allow me to steer you in the right direction. I've crafted for you the definitive yacht rock playlist—below are a few highlights:

“What a Fool Believes,” The Doobie Brothers

I won’t get any nerdier, I’ll just say that this is the song that epitomizes yacht rock. It’s effortlessly melodic, bouncy, and bright, features a prominent Fender Rhodes electric piano, and includes an ultra-smooth vocal from Michael McDonald.

“Heart to Heart,” Kenny Loggins

Loggins never quite knew whether to be a jazzy folkie or a rocker, but in between those two phases were a couple yachty gems, including this cool breeze on a warm summer day, from the 1982 album High Adventure . Just listen to Loggins’s vocal—it’s butter.

“FM,” Steely Dan

Steely Dan brought a New York edge and a habit of wanting the best players on their records to Los Angeles. In time their sound morphed into the whitest smooth jazz on the planet, aka yacht rock. “FM,” from 1978, has both that snarky exterior and smooth center, but look up the band’s classic albums Aja and Gaucho for a number of yachty delights.

“Human Nature,” Michael Jackson

Once you get to know yacht rock, you can begin traveling into yacht soul—smooth songs from top studio players that lean just a little harder on the R&B. This classic song from the 1982 album Thriller was written and performed by Toto. Jackson provides the gorgeously breezy vocal.

“Rosanna,” Toto

Speaking of Toto, these guys were and still are awesome musicians. The 1982 hit “Rosanna” proves this in spades—the drum shuffle is iconic, the twists are remarkable, and the sound is smoother than a well-sanded skiff.

“Nothin’ You Can Do About It,” Airplay

Who is Airplay? A one-album band created by mega-producer David Foster and session guitarist Jay Graydon. These guys wrote Earth, Wind & Fire’s “After the Love Has Gone,” then this absolute stunner from 1980, a bouncy, giddy, and gentle pop classic.

“I Really Don’t Know Anymore,” Christopher Cross

Emerging out of nowhere with a Grammy-winning album in 1979, Cross is the perfect yacht rock figure, a normal-looking white dude who just so happens to sing like the wind on a summer’s evening. This song, from that debut album, is essential yacht rock with a noticeable background singer—of course, Michael McDonald.

If you want to catch McDonald and sing along to some of his yacht rock classics, he’s performing Friday night at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands. Chaka Khan—who also has a few yacht rock tunes in her catalog—will open. Tickets start at $39.50; prepare accordingly with this  summer yacht rock playlist on Spotify . You’re welcome.

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What a Fool Believes Edition

How Yacht Rock, a genre invented in the ’00s, gave a name to the smooth West Coast music of the ’70s and ’80s.

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Episode Notes

This episode was released in August 2020 exclusively for Slate Plus listeners. As of August 2021, it’s available for non-subscribers.

In the late ’70s and early ’80s, a scene and a sound cropped up on the West Coast: polished, perfectionist studio musicians who generated sleek, jazzy, R&B-flavored music. About a quarter-century later, this sound was given a name: Yacht Rock. The inventors of the genre name weren’t thinking about boats … well, unless the song was Christopher Cross’s “Sailing.” Yacht Rock was meant to signify deluxe, yuppified, “smooth” music suitable for playing on luxury nautical craft.

Whatever you call it, this music really did command the charts at the turn of the ’80s: from Steely Dan to George Benson, Michael McDonald to Kenny Loggins, Toto to … Michael Jackson?! Believe it: Even Thriller is partially a Yacht Rock album. This month, Hit Parade breaks down what Yacht Rock was and how it took over the charts four decades ago—from the perfectionism of “Peg,” to the bounce of “What a Fool Believes,” to the epic smoothness of “Africa.”

Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch.

About the Show

Chris Molanphy, a pop-chart analyst and author of Slate’s “Why Is This Song No. 1?” series, tells tales from a half-century of chart history. Through storytelling, trivia, and song snippets, Chris dissects how that song you love—or hate—dominated the airwaves, made its way to the top of the charts, and shaped your memories forever.

Chris Molanphy is a feature writer and critic who writes widely about music and the pop charts.

• @cmolanphy on Twitter