Okay, yes, sure, “yacht rock” isn’t a “real genre.” As Daryl Hall put it recently, it’s R&B. Smooth R&B, in fact, maybe with some jazz elements thrown in for good measure.
But it’s also soft rock. Or maybe it’s just era-specific pop that goes down smoother than a pina colada while sitting on an actual yacht.
So, no. I suppose yacht rock isn’t a real genre. But it’s definitely a vibe. You know it when you hear it, and in this post, I will celebrate my favorite moments from a movement that, improbably but delightfully, has carved out its rightful place in the cultural lexicon.
Before I dive into my list of the best yacht rock songs ever released, a few housekeeping notes:
- I’ve decided to limit this list to one song per artist. Otherwise, there could’ve easily been at least a half-dozen Doobie Brothers songs in this group. As much as I like their work, it didn’t seem like an all that interesting a reading experience.
- The earnest corniness at yacht rock’s warm, gooey center is part of its charm. How it wears its emotions on its sleeve is a feature, not a bug, so let’s not waste time calling it “cheesy” or anything of that nature. I know. You know. It’s part of the fun.
- Relatedly, I’ve rated every song on this list on a cheesiness scale. There will be puns. You’ve been warned.
Grab your co-captain’s hat and get ready to set sail—just don’t forget to subscribe before leaving port.
In no particular order, let’s begin:
1. “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass (1972)
After I published my one-hit wonder list, I got a bunch of comments namedropping this Looking Glass hit. It’s not hard to see why so many of you love this retro slice of soft-focus rock. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a woman pining for the affection of a man who’s only love is the sea. Pretty fitting for a yacht rock song, if you ask me.
I admire the song’s literary aesthetic. The verses unfold like pages from a diary written many decades ago, while the chorus overflows with effervescent emotional energy. Looking Glass scored a No. 1 hit with “Brandy” but never recaptured that level of Hot 100 glory. The closest they got was with “Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne,” which peaked at No. 33 in the U.S.
🧀 Cheese Meter: 9/10 (Extra Sharp Cheddar)
2. “Sailing” by Christopher Cross (1979)
If I had to distill yacht rock to a single track sonically, "Sailing" might be my pick. Close your eyes, and you can feel how effortlessly it glides and shimmers, like the bow of a ship slicing through gentle waves on a warm summer evening. With those feather-light vocals and the lush arrangement, Christopher Cross composed a classic that’s a balm from the chaos of your day-to-day.
Cross scored multiple Grammy wins for “Sailing,” including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Those accolades underscore its universal appeal, offering numerous generations of listeners comfort in its melodic simplicity. That said, this track was also quietly radical, making vulnerability cool for male singer/songwriter types and bridging the gap between adult contemporary and pop royalty.
🧀 Cheese Meter: 10/10 (Velveeta on the Open Seas)
3. “What a Fool Believes” by The Doobie Brothers (1978)
If you’ve watched the yacht rock documentary (if you haven’t, I highly recommend it, even if you think you hate the very notion of the “genre”), you’ll know that Michael McDonald played a central role in crafting its much-adored aesthetic. His iconic voice epitomizes bittersweet nostalgia, and no McDonald composition pulls off that sound better than “What a Fool Believes.”
Co-written by Kenny Loggins, another legend we’ll hear from again soon in this article, “Fool” is an exceptional-sounding song. It’s clean, crisp, and perfectly pitched from start to finish, burying its deep-seated melancholy under an upbeat, polished melody. In a rare role reversal, the label execs actually got this one right—apparently, producer Ted Templeton almost “threw the tape away” after finishing this one. Can you imagine?
🧀 Cheese Meter: 8/10 (Soft Brie)
4. “Baby Come Back” by Player (1977)
A big part of the yacht rock vibe is mellow heartache. Hetero male heartache, to be exact. Long before breakup texts and pained, overdramatic voice messages, you had lyrics like those for “Baby Come Back,” written from the perspective of a man who’s feeling some kind of way after the woman he loves walked out on him, and for good reason.
But, with its skily harmonies and a chorus that’s been belted out at many a karaoke night, you’d be forgiven for thinking this Player hit was more straight-up romantic than pure romantic desperation. For all its neediness, that glossy, rich-sounding instrumentation is something to savor. You can practically hear the late-night phone calls that ring this woman’s phone off the hook.
🧀 Cheese Meter: 9/10 (Romantic Swiss)
5. “Biggest Part of Me” by Ambrosia (1980)
I remember hearing this Ambrosia hit long before I had any notion of yacht rock, and it blew me away. The silky-smooth production and gorgeous harmonies all sounded so sophisticated to my tween-aged brain. After hundreds of subsequent listens, what stands out to me is how restrained it is in its approach, yet how outsized the emotional impact is.
“Biggest Part of Me” is also an opportune moment to stop and acknowledge the Rhodes piano as an integral part of yacht rock’s intrinsic vibe. Initially conceived as a way to teach recovering soldiers how to play after World War II, the Rhodes only picked up speed commercially after Fender was sold to CBS. In 1976, the company advertised that, of the Top 100 Billboard records featuring electric piano, 82% of those used the instrument to get their sound just right.
🧀 Cheese Meter: 9/10 (Creamy Havarti)
6. “Lowdown” by Boz Scaggs (1976)
Is Boz Scaggs the coolest dude in the yacht rock pantheon?
If nothing else, he makes cool sound effortless on tracks like “Lowdown,” one of several standouts from his indispensable 1976 album, Silk Degrees. This groove is one of my all-time favorites, slinky, sexy, and funky AF. It’s all executed with such a light touch that it’s danceable without ever feeling too forceful. Its understated charm is part of what makes it so replayable.
As with several songs on this list, Scaggs is flanked by the crack studio musicians who, as members of Toto, would essentially invent the aesthetic many now acknowledge as yacht rock. That’s David Hungate on bass, David Paich on the Rhodes and synths, and the late great Jeff Porcaro laying it down on drums. There will never be another group of musicians as in sync with each other ever again.
🧀 Cheese Meter: 7/10 (Gouda and Funk)
7. “Kiss on My List” by Hall & Oates (1980)
Oh look, it’s Daryl Hall and John Oates. Former creative partners who remain the most successful duo in pop music history. While it may sound reductive to label their brand of soulful R&B as yacht rock, “Kiss on My List” deserves to be mentioned among the others on this list. When you deliver a pop-rock hook with this much skill and sincerity, its effect becomes undeniable.
You can hear the heart at this song’s core from Hall's opening, twinkling keyboard. The melody is as straightforward as they come, but that’s also what makes it so addictive. When Hall’s voice breaks free of the harmony and slices through this impeccably crafted aural confectionery, it hits you in the exact right spot. The more I hear it, the more I think it’s a near-perfect pop song.
🧀 Cheese Meter: 8/10 (Cheddar Fondue)
8. “Kiss You All Over” by Exile (1978)
I’m not ashamed to say “Kiss You All Over” is legitimately one of my favorite songs ever. It walks that fine line between soft rock and disco, dripping with barely-contained lust and temptation. It’s steamy, melodramatic, and features a chorus that makes you want to dim the lights and sway the night away, preferably with a good-looking someone pressed against you.
The song was written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, who created a string of hits in the 70s for artists including Sweet, Suzi Quatro, and Racey. Chapman would later produce breakouts for Blondie, Tony Basil, and Pat Benatar, to name just a few. This track may qualify as one of his most over-the-top bits of business, but also one of his most unforgettable.
🧀 Cheese Meter: 10/10 (Sultry Havarti)
9. “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes (1979)
Nothing screams yacht rock party like a reference to the joke I made in the intro. That, my friends, is called foreshadowing.
Kidding aside, this Rupert Holmes hit is as irresistible as it is ridiculous. It doesn’t lay on the island-tinged schlock as thick as a song like “Kokomo” (thankfully, I might add). Holmes utters every syllable with a wink and a nudge, crafting an underrated vocal performance that achieves peak soft rock absurdist nirvana.
His impressive resume as a creative force doesn’t end with “Escape,” either. Holmes won a Tony for his musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a stage show based on an unfinished Charles Dickens novel that featured alternate endings for each suspect. He’s also an accomplished novelist and television writer.
🧀 Cheese Meter: 10/10 (Tropical Brie)
10. “Peg” by Steely Dan (1977)
Donald Fagen is on record as disliking the term “yacht rock” immensely, yet you won’t mind many artists more synonymous with its vibe than Steely Dan. Because I’m limiting myself to one selection per artist, I feel obliged to pick “Peg,” a strange, sumptuous cut from the band’s jazziest, most sophisticated album, Aja. If you’re unfamiliar with Steely Dan’s brilliance, do yourself a favor and put this LP on your listening list. You won’t regret it.
The track’s backstory also reflects Fagen and Walter Becker’s infamous perfectionism. Jay Graydon supposedly worked on the guitar solo for six hours before the pair were satisfied enough to move on. He was the eighth guitarist brought in for the job. “Peg” also sees Michael McDonald providing multi-layered backing harmonies to boot. Just an embarrassment of riches all around.
🧀 Cheese Meter: 6/10 (Artisanal Brie)
11. “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight” by England Dan & John Ford Coley (1976)
This soft-rock staple leans into that male emotional vulnerability I mentioned earlier in this post. England Dan & John Ford Coley position that “I want you back” (maybe) sentiment as a casual kind of yearning that’s both non-committal and belying a deep sense of loneliness and insecurity. “I’m not talking about moving in,” the duo sings, “and I don’t want to change your life.”
Musically, all your yacht rock textures are front and center. Gentle acoustic guitar strumming, radiant harmonies, and just enough keyboard flourishes to keep this ballad as light and airy as possible. Above all else, this cut is a terrific showcase for that specific type of heartbreak that yacht rock consistently communicated so, so well.
🧀 Cheese Meter: 9/10 (Sharp Provolone)
12. “Georgy Porgy” by Toto (1979)
Generally speaking, Toto’s music has aged like fine wine. The performances are almost always excellent, the production and mixing set a high bar as its baseline, and the ultra-smooth grooves are sublime. There are certainly bigger hits I could’ve put in this slot, like “Africa” or “Rosanna,” but I’ve gone with Toto’s most yacht rock-y achievement, 1978’s “Georgy Porgy.”
It wasn’t their biggest hit (it peaked at No. 48 on the Hot 100), but it best encapsulates why Toto’s members were so crucial to this cultural movement. The vocals, led by guitarist Steve Lukather, take on this hazy, almost hypnotic quality, all while that incredible bassline chugs along with the kind of cool confidence that would define the band’s sonic archetype in the years since. It’s a deeper cut, but it also merits a place on any oldies playlist worth its salt.
🧀 Cheese Meter: 8/10 (Mild Manchego)
13. “Reminiscing” by Little River Band (1978)
This song practically melts in your ears.
“Reminiscing” taps into the nostalgia-core subsection of the yacht rock canon, overflowing with yearning for simpler times and quieter nights, ones that weren’t filled with doomscrolling-induced anxiety. When you press play on this track, the gentle, romantic harmonies are enough to take your resting heart rate into a totally relaxed zone.
Little River Band hit the big time in 1978 with their fourth studio album, Sleeper Catcher. That LP yielded several hit singles, including “Reminiscing,” which peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100. Incredibly, it was also the first Australian-recorded album to be certified Platinum by the RIAA, cementing their rightful place in the soft-rock history books.
🧀 Cheese Meter: 10/10 (Velvety Gruyère)
14. “Steal Away” by Robbie Dupree (1980)
The yacht rock canon also boasts its fair share of smooth-talking seduction anthems, and Robbie Dupree’s “Steal Away” may be the leader of that pack. His falsetto glides over the piano-driven groove effortlessly, never overplaying its hand at any point. It may be an inherently schmaltzy song, but again, this is yacht rock we’re talking about. That’s part of what makes it so catchy.
Dupree is another early-80s rock alum who’s quietly been releasing new material and touring regularly since he last notched a hit on the Hot 100 in 1981. He even wrote some original music for World Wrestling Entertainment later that decade, with his “Girls in Cars” becoming the walk-on music for the Strike Force tag team for a spell.
🧀 Cheese Meter: 9/10 (Rich Ricotta)
15. “Baker Street” by Gerry Rafferty (1978)
That saxophone solo.
You know it. You probably love it. It’s iconic, inescapable, and instantly evocative a breezy, laid-back vibe, best enjoyed—I don’t know—maybe on a yacht. Anyway, “Baker Street” is practically a mood unto itself. I’m not just talking about the sun-kissed energy, either. There’s more than a little mystery and melancholy present in the performances to balance those scales.
It may not be what the self-proclaimed purists deem yacht rock, but it merits a place on this list because of the airtight atmosphere it conjures up. It’s the kind of song that can turn any late-night chill session or drive into a darkly contemplative experience. If you’re looking for more music to soundtrack that next trip behind the wheel, I’ve got you covered.
🧀 Cheese Meter: 7/10 (Savory Manchego)
16. “Heart to Heart” by Kenny Loggins (1982)
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had a special affection for Kenny Loggins’ discography. From his more folk-oriented gems to his arena-sized pop anthems, he’s done a fantastic job evolving his sound across multiple distinct eras. That said, my favorite Loggins era might be the three years or so right before Footloose, when he was pumping out one yacht rock classic after another.
Of those records, “Heart to Heart” is arguably his finest moment. His vocals are the sonic equivalent of a warm hug, delivering deceptively mature and nuanced lyrics. It’s not about a reckless, one-sided romance but about staying connected to someone through tough times. David Foster and (again) Michael McDonald get props for the production and backup vocal assist, respectively.
🧀 Cheese Meter: 9/10 (Smooth Gouda)
17. “Human Nature” by Michael Jackson (1982)
I saved the most controversial pick for last this time.
Michael Jackson’s name isn’t typically associated with yacht rock, but put “Human Nature” on a Doobie Brothers or Toto record, and we’d be talking about it as an all-timer in this corner of pop-rock. It’s basically a Toto song, anyway. Lukather, Paich, and Jeff Porcaro are all playing on this cut, as well as Jeff’s brother Steve, another Toto alum, who also serves as co-writer.
The synths alone place this track’s aesthetic squarely in the yacht rock wheelhouse, getting impressive mileage out of positively dreamy-sounding chord changes. Jackson’s falsetto is also cut from the same cloth as a lot of the falsettos on this list, imbuing every word with an emotional vulnerability that none of his peers could equal, much less imitate. Full of desire and restraint, “Human Nature” is one of the prettiest songs of that decade.
🧀 Cheese Meter: 8/10 (Creamy Brie)
What yacht rock classic is your favorite? Namecheck it in the comments!