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And the problem with getting Christopher Cross on MTV was he looked too much like a bolwer.
Now put Duran Duran on a yacht and different story! Her name is rio!!!
When Cross was on Solid Gold he played an acrylic guitar and acrylic grand piano. I was an extremely impressed 9 year old.
This brings back memories of my sister recreating all of the solid dances in her Underoos!
I miss underoos. They were the best. I think that was last time I was my authentic self - 8 years old, in Wonder Woman underoos, dancing on top of my bed to We Are Family.
My sister and I both had Wonder Woman Underoos. Damn, did they ever make you feel like dancing!
When I see casual references to Solid Gold, I know I have found my people. My cousins used to tape it and we would rewatch it so many times. We particularly loved the few times someone screwed up lip syncing and tried to hide it. (Haircut 100)
I really really wanted to be a Solid Gold Dancer. Don’t know how my mom kept a straight face when I told her.
"We'er the DANCERSSSS!!!"
-Justin Timberlake: SNL
I wonder if those people know they're pop culture legends
My sister desperately wanted that career, too. She’s a boring CFO now, so I bet she regrets giving up those dancing dreams.
I was on the high school dance team during the Solid Gold era and we hiked our leotards up above our hip bones.
I had a leotard for aerobics like that. Shiny electric blue 🤣🤣
We lived for that countdown. SOLID GOLD!
My cousin was a Solid Gold dancer. I think he might have also been a stripper. I am quite curious about it, but it doesn’t feel appropriate to bring it up at the very infrequent family reunions.
I would have to bug him about it. Solid Gold dancers were the shit.
OMG I you just helped me unlock a memory!!! I loved that show and I remember that!
Cross was my very first concert ever. I was probably around 5-6 and do not remember anything except asking my dad "is that HIM?" every single time any male roadie came on the stage to set up
That's neat. Speaking of yachts, Duran Duran Rio tour was my first concert.
Simon Le Bon was on a yacht once 👀
Simon LeBon was the name I used for magazine subscriptions and signing up for free stuff back in the late 80s and early 90s. That way when I got junk mail or other stuff in the mail I knew how they got my “name”. Plus it was fun to think that thrasher or maxim mag would have even thought the possibility of having him as a subscriber in ABQ and (when I moved) at a home off the freeway in ladera area of LA
How about Columbia House? I had an account in my dogs name 😂
You were ahead of the game in companies selling customer info. Even if you couldn’t stop the junk mail, you knew the likely source.
Sailing is on my top 10 list of favorite songs.
I won’t apologize for it, either.
I love this song so much, so dreamy, it still transports me. Had the album - green cover, flamingo on the cover iirc
You can sit by me. It's on constant rotation at my house.
All Christopher Cross songs are a vibe.
Every year my girlfriends and I rent a catamaran for a few hours on the ocean. I’m in charge of music. Sailing always makes the playlist (as a reward for all the Lizzo and Cardi B they request)
I'd crank Rio and stand on the prow like a rockstar!
Sailing and Ride are etched into my skull for eternity.... and I am totally cool with it! Our bus driver (I was 9/10) played this every single day on the way to school. I cycle them back into my rotation every couple of years.
His solo on the outro of 'Ride Like the Wind' is just incredible - YouTuber Rick Beato did a feature on it a few months back.
Obligatory
OMG it always bugged me that he only had that line...SCTV nailed it
Booooooooowling! Takes me away, to where I always heard it could be
And if he was a skinhead he’d be a Camper Van Beethoven song.
I love CvB!
And that man’s name was Al Glasscock. I am not making this up. He went on Howard Stern’s show and told Howard the story. He actually wanted to get back in touch with the guy, and asked Howard’s fans for help in finding him, which he did. True story.
Fragile but hard
The XM staion is great. Amazed at how many songs I know, and the lyrics as well. 😂. A youth spent listening to AM radio while driving around with mom & Dad in the 70’s, I guess
My parents had a place out in the country near a lake when I was a kid (pontoon boat, no yacht) and since we didn't get TV reception, we listened to AM radio. The one station we could get had, like, a handful of records from the Doobie Brothers, America, Steely Dan, Christopher Cross, Toto, etc. When I first heard the Yacht Rock concept it unlocked that memory for me. It's so nostalgic.
Last I checked, that same station is entirely Country.
Great way to look at it! I’m thinking the ‘yacht’ should be called the USS Nostalgia
I’m 52 and love that station. 100% driving with my parents back in the day.
I am all the way in on Yacht rock. Even if I will never be rich enough to own a yacht.
steely dan. so smooth.
Surely they are not simply Yacht Rock… way too much going on with Steely Dan to be relegated to this niche even if there is some overlap
They get to be in this niche as well as the jazz rock fusion niches and whatever else they'll fit into. Steely Dan will always be killer.
Maybe you could try Kayak rock.
I can totally get down with a nice bottle of vino, a cool breeze, and some Christopher Cross, Barry Manilow, or Air Supply…
It’s what we used to call “Adult Contemporary.”
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11d
Drink a toast to innocence Drink a toast to now
Fuck you, Dan Fogelberg, for making me cry every damn time I hear this song. Also, thank you for making me cry every damn time I hear this song.
You know it’s based on a real experience he had?
I mean, I assumed so but the writing is so exquisite, the details that he captures and the prosody of the lyrics make it impossible not to listen to whenever it comes on. My wife and I put it on at least once at Christmas just to have a good wholesome cry since it sounds like something that might have happened to us had we not gotten back together after 10 years apart.
God bless you for this lyric—I love this song with every fiber of my being, and I look forward to hearing it every holiday season. It’s more special when I hear it on regular radio
Hey, it's what a fool believes
How do you remember that. (In falsetto) I keep forgetting
And she said “aw, it’s you”
...down in Margaritaville
Or while caught between the moon and New York City.
Or down in Africa
I know it’s crazy, but it’s true
All I need is the air that I breathe…
And I can make love, out of nothing at all
…and to love you
Was just listening to The Hollies yesterday as a matter of fact!
For you are the magnet and I am steel…
I’m less into yoga, and more into cocaine.
At least that’s how I’ve always sung that song.
Omg. On our company intranet, there is a very hidden feature to our profile where we can write some nonsense about who we are. Mine is a rip-off of this song, based on my role. First, very few people find it. But I always know when a Gen Xer does because they call me or email me cracking up and quoting it.
Hey, that's from the song "Escape"! I love "Escape!" "Escape" is a great song.
Best opening line of all time: “I was tired of my ladeh…”
There's a band out of where I live (Atlanta) called Yacht Rock Revue that actually does a fantastic job of doing covers. They even did an entire "Stop Making Sense" show that was spot-on, even down to the stage choreography.
And in SoCal there is YÄCHTLEY CRËW. Recommended.
Yachty By Nature is an awesome So Cal Yacht Rock Band
Brilliant name 😀
A friend of mine plays in a band called Yachtzee
The New Orleans version is called Where Yacht? (because "Where y'at?" is a popular NOLA greeting).
YRR is incredibly talented and can play anything.
NorCal has Mustache Harbor. I have a skipper’s hat for when I can get to one of their shows.
Yacht Rock episode 1
This is required watching for any and all genX!!!! Smooooooooth.
The series is amazing and I may be wrong but I think was the provenance of the term.
You are correct, and I go looking for this link in every Yacht Rock thread! Not enough people know about this incredible video series.
I question op giving millennials credit for the term. I saw this video before YouTube existed. These guys have to be all genx
An absolute must watch. Too funny.
Here’s a link to the whole playlist. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeYsjZ9XP_bQHak6Dr_BEJx8UgijPnMv5
Yes, you must watch the series!!!!
This crew also has a podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-yacht-or-nyacht-podcast/id1703927191
"The highly-accurate Yachtski Scale [builds] out the playlist of certified yacht rock songs. Their analysis employs a precise scientific method that involves a deep well of musical knowledge, impeccably trained ears, sophomoric banter, and, most impressively, uses a spreadsheet algorithm to add scores & divide them by four."
This is where the name came from. They are fantastic episodes, originally airing on Channel 101. https://channel101.org/
THANK YOU! This is what I remember… it was invented by Gen Xr’s parodying the soft rock genre
My husband and I call yacht rock “back seat music “ because we spent a lot of time as kids listening to our moms easy listening in the back seats of our cars (without seat belts) looking out the window.
This is exactly what I think of!! <3 I’d also enjoy while sitting on the middle console lol
I will fight anyone dissing Steely Dan. Top grade musicianship and production.
Aja featuring a legendary drummer and one of the all-time great saxophonists simultaneously soloing ... yeah, that is top tier stuff!
Don't forget Chuck Rainey on bass.
So good - and the story of him sneaking in some slap & pop by facing away from the booth
I'd add Boz Skags as well.
If Yacht Rock consists of bands like Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs and Toto, I'm 100% invested.
Whew: Steely, Boz, and Toto.....three iconic greats!
and the doobie bros
Easily one of the best bands of all time
1000% Easily.
I will back you up on that! Donald Fagen is one talented dude.
I will die with you on this hill.
You have my bow.
And my axe 🤘
Steely Dan is one of those 70’s groups that is highly underrated!
Maybe twenty years ago, but we’re in the middle of a Danaissance.
REmember when it was called "adult contemporary"?
Or "Easy Listening"
Soft Rock or Lite Rock
"Yacht Rock" is like the sound of summer in a glass of chilled white wine.
blowing through the jasmine in my mind...
or perhaps... the curervo gold?
Our town's yearly independence celebration is the last Saturday before July 4, so this weekend I'm going to a show with an act called "Monsters of Yacht."
We'll see how it goes 🤣
The name came from a comedy web series called Yacht Rock, on the website Channel 101 in 2005. I think you can still access them on YouTube. It was basically sketch comedy where they acted as the various singers and did bits about their lives, song origins, etc. Super funny!
You are 100% right, they invented "Yacht Rock"
Here's a playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBEB75B6A1F9C1D01&si=guMIaANoTXgLHfgH
These guys literally coined this term.
Channel 101 also had a Rick and Morty connection:
https://rickandmorty.fandom.com/wiki/House_of_Cosbys
Man I loved Channel 101 (well the shows, not the toxic message boards they ran, lol)
Yep. The series gets at least an annual rewatch in our house and many, many lines have become part of the family lexicon. The episodes can be found here: https://youtu.be/YNTARSM-Fjc?si=wVsTIRodm3FW8C9R and a great Rolling Stone interview with the creators and originators of the term is here: https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/sail-away-oral-history-of-yacht-rock-49343/ .
What are you gonna do Sara? Smile!?
Hall and I will not stand idly by while you California vaginas sailors stab the American airwaves in the balls with your shit music
I listen to the Yacht Rock station on Sirius.
I’m surprised you hadn’t heard the term.
I find “dadrock” more derisive.
My hair salon calls Seattle sound music from the 90s "dadrock"
Yep! Grunge/Nirvana is classic rock for divorced dads now...
As a dad, I am fine with it.
Exactly. It’s been a thing for about 20 years now.
It has helped people remember some great music that was being overlooked.
Such a long way to goooo
Michael McDonald said he was high the first time he saw this SCTV sketch with Rick Moranis. He loved it too.
The origin of yacht rock came from the Yacht Rock parody documentary in 2005. You can still watch episodes on YouTube. It's pretty funny.
Reads post title
Christopher Cross automatically starts playing in my head.
Oh, man. Let me introduce you to the amateur comedy series from 2007 that is “Yacht Rock” and also perfectly captures this whole thing.
This is not the first episode of the series, but it’s my favorite: Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, and Toto enlist the help of Vincent Price to subdue a highly aggressive poonhound that is Thriller-era Michael Jackson.
I always think of it as the kind of music that was in the "Sessions Presents..." commercials, and sometimes that's exactly what I want to listen to!
Me too.
The music now known as "yacht rock" was formerly known as "soft rock".
And you know what, I've always been a fan of Air Supply!
Sirius XM has a yacht rock radio channel. They call it 70s/80s smooth sailing soft rock. This isn’t a new term.
Station 311. I’m camped on it.
Local radio station has 'yacht rock weekends' now and then. Typically over holiday weekends. Not a bad thing to tune into.
One of the 'all music' channels with my cable company has a yacht rock channel. Decent enough for hyper focusing on a project or two.
It may have started as an ironic jab, but enough time has passed that it is its own thing.
The XM staion is great. Amazed at how many songs I know, and the lyrics as well. 😂. A youth spent listening to AM radio while driving around with mom & Dad in the 70’s, I guess
Thanks for the idea, just checked Pandora and there's a "Yacht Rock Radio" station. First song? Sailing - Christopher Cross.
This fat, not rich Xer with no yacht cranks that shit in the garage while I'm working (beer drinking) on a project.
I am surprised boats n hoes hasn't made an appearance here.
LOL, I am an unapologetic yacht rock fan. I just find the term funny. It's more Gen X than Boomers, though, so once again we are forgotten/mislabeled.
Love Yacht Rock! 🤷🏻♀️
I recently stumbled across that term courtesy of satellite radio. I had never heard of it otherwise, and my inner history nerd is a little disappointed by the lack of sea shanties and stuff like The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
When I was a teenager working at a Popeyes in the early '90s, the radio station there played lots of Air Supply, Christopher Cross, Phil Collins, etc. I guess that's considered "yacht rock" now. Back then it was just called "light rock".
My daughter and all of her 25(ish) year old friends unironically love Yacht Rock.
I’ll fight anyone for Christopher Cross.
Brandy, such a fine girl. What a good wife you would be.
I'm not seeing Michael McDonald's name in these comments enough here people. The man IS Yacht Rock personified.
Is that Yacht Rock, man? Well, turn it up, man!
If there's one thing in my life that's missing
It's the time that I spend alone
Sailing on the cool and bright clear water
Siriusxm has a channel called yacht rock and the dj sounds like thurston howell the 3rd
Fuck em. Some of the best music of all time.
Pretty sure the guys that coined the term are GenX not Millennials.
"Well, it's not far down to paradise, At least it's not for me. And if the wind is right you can sail away, And find tranquility"
I unironically love that song.
We play a bit of yacht rock in the beginning of summer when we open our pool for the summer.
Everyone loves it, then we get a little tired of Michael Macdonald and we move on.
But it’s super fun summer hanging out music.
I hated the music when it came out but like it unironically now.
Billy Ocean, yacht rock or smooth RnB? If you have a saxophone solo I am down to listen.
It’s music that doesn’t rock the boat.
Yacht Rock originated as a local cable and web series on early Youtube
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yacht_Rock_(web_series)
You may recognize some of the players as they have gone on to have big careers
Here it is...it is hilarious
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeYsjZ9XP_bQHak6Dr_BEJx8UgijPnMv5&si=JyQ-VGDKcgSF9zKn
There's a great episode of Hit Parade where (Gen-X) host Chris Molanphy does a deep dive on yacht rock and what distinguishes it as a retroactively discovered genre. Highly recommended.
Ironic that Gen-Xers would get mad at ironic enjoyment of anything, given that irony is part of our lifeblood. But also, whatever the origin, defining the term has (ironically?) led to a reappreciation of music that was often dismissed even before the sound had a name. Lotta people unironically love yacht rock now.
Apparently the music that is now “Yacht Rock” is the same music my dad listened to whenever I was in the car with him (70’s to mid 80’s). These songs bring up lots of sentimental memories of riding around with dad doing weekend errands, or those occasional long road trips that we would go on with no particular destination.
What memories do you have when you hear Juice Newton or Eddie Rabbit?
I didn't know that Yacht Rock was a thing until I met my wife. She's into Yacht Rock but I call it 70's Easy Listening (and my 70's Easy Listening playlist is the same music). I think it covers 70s and early 80s Easy Listening. SiriusXM has a Yacht Rock channel.
I love Yacht Rock, and my millennial brother does too. I listen to it every day lol. I even went to a free yacht rock band concert. People can badmouth it all they want, but there is some serious talent there.
Nobody listened to this music on a damn yacht. We all listened to it on Lite AM Radio in the backseat of our mom’s car.
If you're in the right (Wrong) mood, songs like Just When I Needed You Most or All Out of Love can reduce you to a quivering mass of goo.
I find it funny and ironic when anyone takes a millennial seriously.
They called Steely Dan yacht rock.
Sounds more like millennials completely failing to appreciate brilliant music.
If you want Yacht Rock all the time, I suggest this
There’s a whole channel dedicated to yacht rock on Sirius. They make it a prime channel in the summer. I tune in sometimes, until Michael McDonald comes on, then I’m back to hair nation..
It originated with an hilarious YouTube series that you should watch so you won’t be pissed anymore: https://youtu.be/jMTI8vg7A5U?si=doyVyrgwv3C3eadB
I find that I rather enjoy the Yacht Rock playlists I find. Whatever.
It used to be a SiriusXM station until recently. Loved it, perfect for tailgating and other outdoor events.
I’m seeing these guys later this Summer. They even got the umlauts.
Yacht Rock brought to you by Michael McDonald
Year of the cat is a great song.
I'll take you on a trip beside the ocean
and drop the top at Chesapeake Bay
I had lunch with a friend and his kids earlier, and I asked his 19YO cousin if she was a fan of Nirvana’s In Utero album, or if she just really liked the cool artwork on her tshirt.
Our musical tastes don’t matter, people. The kids just want the artwork (but yes, I encouraged her to listen to the album).
Apple Music has a nicely curated “Yacht Rock” playlist. Sirius XM has a channel dedicated to the genre. I pop in once in a while, not my cup of tea but brings back fond memories as a youngster listening in dad’s car. 😎👌🏼🚙 🎶
Lido, whoa, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh "One more job oughta get it"
Accurate description. They forgot the cocaine though.
I love the yacht rock station on SiriusXM
Why would you be pissed about it? I have reached the age where I can't get enough Yacht Rock. It is impossible to be stressed while doing stressful work listening to that.
I LOOOOOOOOOVE Yacht Rock.
'77 GenX
When think of Yacht Rock I only think of Hall and Oats
Basically, LiteFM.
53M. Solidly GenX and Solidly a Fan of Yacht Rock. Love all the songs I remember.
Had to look up some “Yacht Rock” songs on YouTube.
Dude! That music was some good shit! Just listening to those songs…I felt like I was in elementary school all over again!
I'm not pissed about it. I love this genre of music and now that it has been given a name it makes it easy to find streaming channels
Sailing, take me away to where I'm going...
I went to a Yacht Rock show with a bunch of friends and enjoyed the hell out of it. We were all singing along to stuff we never go out of our way to listen to. I half-assedly tried to put together a similar band of women. We were gonna call ourselves Motorboat but my follow-through game is weak. I spent more time designing our T shirt than finding band mates.
hospital theory reach chop pen outgoing head dull quarrelsome spark
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Love me some yaught rock. There’s a cover band that plays near me often called “yaughty by nature”, good times!
Hubby and I L O V E Yacht Rock. It’s Gen X’s version of easy listening/elevator music and it’s mint.
I was one of the early adopters (52) and started getting into Yacht Rock around 2008. I've always been a music fan, and don't really listen to lyrics which some may find "cheesy" (vocals are more of an instrument to my ears). The 70s was the decade where great musicians finally had the chance to work in studios with large multi-track recording desks and tape machines. The music of that era is very rich and smooth.
It also pre-dates most synthesizers (at least those that were easily movable, affordable, and programmable), so any "key" sounds came from actual pianos or the Fender/Rhodes electric piano. Example: Ambrosia - Your're The Only Woman.
There’s an interview with Christopher Cross talking about “Sailing”, where he says he wasn’t a sailor, he didn’t spend any time on the water, he just wrote it after a cousin took him out on a boat. “If he had taken me bowling instead the song might have been ‘Bowling’”