With summer on its way, the air’s getting perfect outside for a long drive with the windows down. We live in the American West—what better way to spend the summer than a road trip?
Of course, you’ll need some tunes to blast on the open road. There are plenty of great songs out there great for a road trip, but nothing quite says “cruising” like some chill yacht rock. The blend of soft rock and jazz developed in the 70s and 80s takes the interstate vibe to the next level.
Here are my five favorite yacht rock albums. Scan the Spotify code below to see my curated playlist for your next long drive.
The Doobie Brothers (1978) – “Minute By Minute”
The Doobie Brothers boast the greatest voice in yacht rock, Michael McDonald. McDonald has a sweet-sounding falsetto that sets the vibe as soon as you hear it. He was already a talented background vocalist when Steely Dan discovered him and helped him become an industry icon.
Obviously, “What a Fool Believes” is the best-known track from this album, and for good reason. It has a fantastic synth track and a calm drum beat. It’s impossible not to break a smile and start tapping your foot to this addictive beat.
But the album also hides more gems with the same signature quality the Doobies stayed true to. The title track, another hit, features a fast switch to McDonald’s calming baritone voice. The synth interlude might feel a tad corny in a 70s way, but that’s all part of this wonderful listening experience.
“Dependin’ on You” is such a fun song with a great horn line, switching out McDonald for Patrick Simmons, another outstanding vocalist.
And the instrumental track “Steamer Line Breakdown” will get your right foot pushing down on the gas.
Christopher Cross – Self-Titled
Who is more quintessential to soft rock than Chris Cross? His voice is so soft, but not in a “put you to sleep” kind of way. This kind of voice can carry an album. John Denver is a great example.
“Ride Like the Wind” is a perfect road tripping song that feels designed for an 80 mph cruise on I-70.
“I Really Don’t Know Anymore” has a flawless horn line and a bouncy bass line—and there’s Michael McDonald on the track! And a guitar solo! It just keeps getting better as you listen through.
“Say You’ll Be Mine” feels like a Fleetwood Mac song out of the gate, featuring the great backing vocalist Nicolette Larson, and the chorus with its classic yacht rock harmonization will set up perfectly for a compact little guitar solo. That’s yacht rock for ya.
Of course, I can’t forget “Sailing,” which might as well have spawned the yacht rock name. What a perfectly mellow track for an easygoing weekend.
Steely Dan (1972) – “Gaucho”
Steely Dan had a common theme on “Gaucho” of soft, staccato drum beats and faster-paced melodies. As usual, it’s also full of their bizarre vignette-like storytelling lyrics.
The title track has some of the smoothest, most hummable saxophone I’ve ever heard—props to the legend, Tom Scott. “Glamour Profession,” a song about athletes doing drugs, will make your foot tap.
Larry Carlton and Mark Knopfler absolutely light it up on their guitar solos on “Babylon Sisters” and “Time Out of Mind,” encapsulating how Steely Dan was drawing premier talent on their tracks back in the day.
I’m an avid Steely Dan listener (top 500 worldwide!), but I don’t think this is their absolute best album. It’s a masterpiece, no doubt, but that’s a high bar. “The Royal Scam” is their best all around, and “Aja” is the industry standard for sound quality and musical excellence. But no other Dan albums quite match the open road like “Gaucho.”
America – “Homecoming”
This isn’t my favorite album in the genre. It might not even be my favorite America album—I would give that to “Holiday.” But it does feature the single greatest yacht rock song of all time: “Ventura Highway.”
No song feels as perfect for this playlist as “Ventura Highway.” The guitar riff, which I imagine the whole song was written around, is uplifting and hopeful and nostalgic in an indescribable way. This song got me hooked on the band and it’s an unmatched road trip anthem.
Not to tear down the rest of the album, though; it’s just a little quieter and slower-paced than the rest. America relies on acoustic guitars much more than the other albums here. If that’s your vibe, you’ll love “Homecoming.” But for me, on the road, I like a little more sound and beat.
Darryl Hall & John Oates – “Private Eyes”
While a lot of fans rate their best album as “H2O” or “Voices,” I think the pinnacle of Hall & Oates is “Private Eyes.” It might be originality bias—it was the first album I listened to for years as a kid, but this project is chock-full of hits.
The title track and “I Can’t Go for That” speak for themselves, they’re classic grooves and huge hits. But many don’t remember “Head Above Water,” “Friday Let Me Down,” or “Unguarded Minute.” These have unforgettable choruses, great harmonies, and Darryl Hall is another legend in the Christopher Cross category: a soft, even voice, and Hall has the bonus of tremendous vocal range.
My one critique of Hall & Oates is their difficulty ending songs. Granted, they had catchy melodies, but they fell for the common trend at the time of replaying those melodies as the song fades out.
The Truth About Yacht Rock.
“Yacht rock” originated as a derogatory term for guilty pleasure music. It insulted the genre for whitewashing R&B and being soulless, bland music. Donald Fagen, especially mad that his jazzy Steely Dan projects were looped in with the term, despised the yacht rock label and publicly spoke against it. I’m here to reclaim the title as a certified yacht rock aficionado. ‘Yacht rock’ is sophisticated work that’s the model of high production quality. It featured the best of the best session musicians, from singers to instrumentalists, and it showed, too—many of the genre’s songs featured intricate solos that flexed serious musical muscle. It’s not just for rich white dudes. Whether you find yourself chilling on a yacht this summer, or enjoying a long drive in your beater car across the Utah desert, yacht rock will match the moment.
Scan the Spotify code below to see my summer yacht rock playlist.
