Yacht Rock & Soft Rock

How this sound was built

25 essential tracks

Listed in release order. Tap a title to play it, or play all 25 in a row.

1. 1. Biggest Part of Me — Ambrosia (1980)

   Ambrosia started out as an ambitious progressive rock band, then found their biggest success with this warm, gospel-tinged love song. David Pack's soaring vocal and the layered harmonies carried it to No. 3 in 1980. It is about as pure an example of the West Coast sound as exists.

2. 2. Ride Like the Wind — Christopher Cross (1980)

   An outlaw story told over a driving Latin-tinged groove, with Michael McDonald's unmistakable voice answering Cross on the chorus. It reached No. 2 in 1980 and introduced a singer whose debut album would soon sweep the Grammys. The flute-and-piano arrangement is session-player craft at its finest.

3. 3. Sailing — Christopher Cross (1980)

   Slow, shimmering and almost hymn-like, "Sailing" reached No. 1 in August 1980 and won the Grammys for Record and Song of the Year. Its lyric about escape on the open water sums up the genre's whole mood. Many fans still call it the definitive yacht rock song.

4. 4. Steal Away — Robbie Dupree (1980)

   Robbie Dupree's debut single hit No. 6 in 1980 with a bouncing electric piano and a light, conversational vocal. Its close resemblance to "What a Fool Believes" is a long-running joke among fans, but the song earns its place on its own easy charm.

5. 5. This Is It — Kenny Loggins (1980)

   Co-written with Michael McDonald, who also sings on it, "This Is It" reached No. 11 and won Loggins the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. It is the clearest record of the two men's partnership, and a template for the duets and co-writes that ran through the whole genre.

6. 6. Kiss on My List — Daryl Hall & John Oates (1980)

   Built on a bright piano figure and a simple, crisp beat, "Kiss on My List" spent three weeks at No. 1 in the spring of 1981. It opened the duo's great run of chart-toppers and showed how easily blue-eyed soul and soft rock could share a single.

7. 7. Hey Nineteen — Steely Dan (1980)

   From Gaucho, Steely Dan's last album before a two-decade break, "Hey Nineteen" reached No. 10 in early 1981. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen hide a wry lyric about an older man and a much younger woman inside a groove so polished it almost glows.

8. 8. Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) — Christopher Cross (1981)

   Written with Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager and Peter Allen for the Dudley Moore comedy Arthur, it spent three weeks at No. 1 and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Cross's high, gentle tenor made the moon-and-New York-City chorus instantly recognizable.

9. 9. Key Largo — Bertie Higgins (1981)

   A Florida singer's tribute to Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, "Key Largo" climbed to No. 8 in early 1982. With its island setting and old-Hollywood romance, it is almost a yacht rock parody played completely straight, and that sincerity is exactly why it lasts.

10. 10. Leather and Lace — Stevie Nicks & Don Henley (1981)

    Stevie Nicks originally wrote this duet for Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, then kept it and cut it with Don Henley for Bella Donna. It reached No. 6 in early 1982. The two voices, one husky and one airy, make a gentle song about opposites feel convincing.

11. 11. I Can't Go for That (No Can Do) — Daryl Hall & John Oates (1981)

    Started from a preset rhythm on a Roland drum machine, this slinky groove reached No. 1 on both the Hot 100 and the R&B chart. It is the moment yacht rock met early electronic soul, and it has since been sampled and covered by artists from De La Soul onward.

12. 12. Hold Me — Fleetwood Mac (1982)

    Christine McVie's lilting love song, sung with Lindsey Buckingham, spent seven weeks at No. 4 in 1982. The arrangement is classic Fleetwood Mac, all bright guitars and stacked harmonies, and its breezy mood made it a natural fit for the soft rock radio of the day.

13. 13. Hard to Say I'm Sorry — Chicago (1982)

    Producer David Foster helped reinvent Chicago as a ballad band, and this Peter Cetera showcase spent two weeks at No. 1 in 1982. Its big piano chords and pleading vocal set the pattern for a decade of soft rock ballads that followed.

14. 14. I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near) — Michael McDonald (1982)

    Michael McDonald's first solo single reached No. 4, riding one of the most elastic bass grooves in the genre. That groove got a second life in 1994 when Warren G and Nate Dogg built "Regulate" around it, introducing McDonald to a whole new generation.

15. 15. I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World) — Donald Fagen (1982)

    The opening track of The Nightfly, one of the early fully digital pop albums, imagines the bright future promised in the late 1950s. It reached No. 26, but its crisp production and sly optimism have made it a favourite of audiophiles and yacht rock fans alike.

16. 16. Rosanna — Toto (1982)

    Jeff Porcaro's half-time shuffle drum pattern is studied by drummers to this day. "Rosanna" spent five weeks at No. 2 and won the Grammy for Record of the Year. It is the clearest showcase of the session players who built the entire yacht rock sound.

17. 17. Heart to Heart — Kenny Loggins (1982)

    Written with David Foster and Michael McDonald, "Heart to Heart" is a smooth, jazzy ballad that reached No. 15. It is one of the purest yacht rock records Loggins made before he became the voice of 80s movie soundtracks with "Footloose" and "Danger Zone".

18. 18. You Can Do Magic — America (1982)

    America's comeback hit was written by Russ Ballard, and it gave the 70s folk-rock trio a No. 8 single in 1982. The chiming guitars and easy harmonies show how older soft rock acts adapted to the cleaner, brighter production style of the early 80s.

19. 19. Valerie — Steve Winwood (1982)

    The original 1982 single stalled at No. 70, but a 1987 remix by Tom Lord-Alge climbed to No. 9. Winwood's soulful vocal over bright synths shows yacht rock drifting toward mid-80s pop. The song found yet another audience when Eric Prydz sampled it for "Call on Me".

20. 20. Human Nature — Michael Jackson (1983)

    Written by Toto's Steve Porcaro with lyricist John Bettis, and played by Toto members, "Human Nature" is Thriller's most yacht-rock moment. It reached No. 7 in 1983. Its gentle synth figure and dreamy vocal prove the West Coast sound could sit at the heart of the biggest album ever.

21. 21. Say It Isn't So — Daryl Hall & John Oates (1983)

    One of two new songs on the Rock 'n Soul Part 1 greatest-hits album, "Say It Isn't So" spent four weeks at No. 2 over the 1983 holidays. Its choppy, synth-driven groove captures Hall & Oates at the exact point where soft rock turned into sleek 80s pop.

22. 22. Yah Mo B There — James Ingram & Michael McDonald (1983)

    Produced by Quincy Jones, this duet paired James Ingram's gospel power with Michael McDonald's smoky baritone. It reached No. 19 and won the 1985 Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, proof of how close yacht rock always stood to soul.

23. 23. Sweet Freedom — Michael McDonald (1986)

    Written by Rod Temperton for the Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines film Running Scared, "Sweet Freedom" reached No. 7 in 1986. It shows the yacht rock voice adapting to glossy, synth-heavy mid-80s production while keeping the warmth that made McDonald the genre's defining singer.

24. 24. Glory of Love — Peter Cetera (1986)

    Peter Cetera's first big solo hit after leaving Chicago was the theme from The Karate Kid Part II. It spent two weeks at No. 1 in 1986 and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. It is soft rock balladry at its most sweeping and sentimental.

25. 25. The Doctor — The Doobie Brothers (1989)

    The reunited Doobie Brothers returned with Tom Johnston on lead vocals and a chugging rock groove that reached No. 9 in 1989. It is less smooth than their McDonald-era hits, but it closes the decade by bringing one of yacht rock's founding bands back to the Top 10.

Where to go next

• 80s soft rock: the essential songs
• The best 80s ballads
• The 80s hits mix
• 80s pop songs
• 80s R&B and funk
• The best 80s songs
• 80s rock and roll
• How we choose the songs

Frequently Asked Questions