I really wanted to source my own image for the opening of this post, but since I don't own a yacht, and all the pictures I have are of small fishing boats, I had to utilize Pixabay. Last week I wrote a post about some of my favorite punk covers of classic songs. In that post, I mentioned that while I like all kinds of music, I really enjoy listening to "Yacht Rock".
I guess I thought that term was a lot more popular than it is, because a lot of people commented that they have never heard it before. Honestly, it's only in the past five years or so that I have really heard it start to be used. I am guessing that and the fact that it is perhaps mainly a US thing could have something to do with it.
Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Yacht Rock:
"Yacht rock (originally known as the West Coast sound[4][5] or adult-oriented rock[6]) is a broad music style and aesthetic[7] commonly associated with soft rock,[8] one of the most commercially successful genres from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. Drawing on sources such as smooth soul, smooth jazz,[1] R&B, and disco,[7] common stylistic traits include high-quality production, clean vocals, and a focus on light, catchy melodies.[6] Its name, coined in 2005 by the makers of the online video series Yacht Rock, was derived from its association with the popular Southern Californian leisure activity of sailing."
I have little doubt that 
Sirius XM satellite radio has a station right now called "Yacht Rock". It's channel 14 if you subscribe to the service. They usually bring it around in the summer time. If you want to listen to it year round, you can usually find most of the same artists on their channel "The Bridge".
Typical artists that fall into the Yacht Rock label include Hall and Oates, Steely Dan, Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, Al Stewart, Starbuck, Kenny Loggins, Toto, Loggins and Messina, Ambrosia, 10 CC, Little River Band, and countless others.
Here are my selections for #threetunetuesday sponsored by 
I've gotta be honest with you, while I have listened to Christopher Cross probably about a million times in my life, I had no clue what he looked like until I shared this video with you. I've always been a fan of his voice and I like the smooth songs that he plays. This is the perfect example of a Yacht Rock song and probably one of the reasons why that term was coined in the first place.
It's definitely mellow, and it isn't going to get you raging on the dance floor, but it's just some good music in my opinion.
As much as Christopher Cross is synonymous with Yacht Rock, I also don't think it would exist without Mr. Michael McDonald. His career with the Doobie Brothers and solo is quite legendary. The fact is, many of the songs that are commonly associated with Yacht Rock were either sung by McDonald, or he at least does some backing vocals on them.
If you listen really closely, you will hear that distinct Michael McDonald sound on songs from Christopher Cross and Kenny Loggins. It's like peas and carrots. Okay, maybe more like peanut butter and jelly. Not the crunchy kind though, the smooth kind, this is Yacht Rock after all!
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't include a song from Steely Dan. Partly because they fit the Yacht Rock genre so easily, but also because they are one of my favorite bands of all time. My Old School is probably my favorite Steely Dan song of all time. It just has some really good lines in it and it has a pretty awesome groove. It also tells a story which is something not all songs do.
It was actually pretty hard to pick just one Steely Dan song. There are just so many that are classics. I think even
Actually, I don't think I have ever seen Donald Fagen from Steely Dan before watching this video either. I just realized how much he kind of looks like Andy Samberg and it makes me wonder if Andy has ever impersonated him for a skit.
I could pick a million songs to share with you for this Yacht Rock theme, but I am going to leave it at that for this week. I hope that clears things up for you if you were confused about what this type of music is.
Next week, I am going to share some new artists with you who have picked up the old school Yacht Rock sound. If you like this style of music, you are going to want to check it out!
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All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or 