Other names West Coast Sound Cultural origins Mid to late 1970s | Stylistic origins Soft rock Derivative forms Chillwave | |
Yacht rock (originally the "West Coast Sound") is a broadly-encompassing musical style and aesthetic identified with the soft rock genre. Yacht rock was one of the biggest genres of its era, existing between the late 1970s and early 1980s, Some of the music may overlap with smooth soul, smooth jazz, R&B, funk, and disco. Common stylistic traits include high-quality production, clean vocals, and a focus on big-hearted melodies.
History and definition
The key defining rules of the game seem to be: keep it smooth, even when it grooves, with more emphasis on the melody than on the beat; keep the emotions light, even when the sentiment turns sad (as is so often the case in the world of the sensitive yacht-rocksman); and always keep it catchy, no matter how modest or deeply buried in the tracklist the tune happens to be.
The term "yacht rock" did not exist while the genre was active. Initially described as "adult-oriented rock" or the "West Coast Sound", yacht rock music existed roughly between the years 1975–82 or 1976–84. "Yacht rock" was coined in 2005 with the online video series of the same name created by J.D. Ryznar. It was originally termed as a pejorative, although its stigma has lessened in later years.
Ryznar commented that the term was intended to refer to the "more elite studio artists" of the period. Some of the most popular acts included Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Steely Dan and Toto. In part, "yacht rock" relates to the stereotype of the yuppie yacht owner, enjoying 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.
According to Mara Schwartz Kuge, who worked in the LA music industry for two decades: "Soft rock was a genre of very popular pop music from the '70s and early '80s, characterized by soft, mostly acoustic guitars and slow-to-mid tempos ... most people have generalized the term to mean anything kind of soft-and-'70s-ish, including artists like Rupert Holmes. Not all yacht rock is soft, either: Toto's 'Hold the Line' and Kenny Loggins' 'Footloose' are both very yacht rock but not soft rock."