Yacht Rock Is Influencing Modern Music More Than You Think

In 2024, Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary was released in homage to a genre of late ’70s, early ’80s easy listening pop music. The term “Yacht Rock” was actually coined as part of a web series joking that the light rock of that era was perfect for people aboard their fancy sea vessels.

While what constitutes YR has been much debated because of its broad inclusion of everything from Michael Jackson to Gordon Lightfoot — Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen is not terribly enamored with the categorization despite, for many, being its epicenter — the bottom line is that it represents a kindler, gentler, soft-focus era of music’s past. But, if you listen carefully, you can hear its influence all over modern music.

In a music world driven by loudness and pop controversy, there seems to be a yearning for something that is both softer on the ear and infinitely singable. If YR was anything, it was earworm-worthy, filled with the kind of hooks now craved by shower and karaoke singers around the world.

The documentary sought to highlight that time in music, but it missed the fact that there are artists out there paying tribute all the time. On-the-nose representations like Young Gun Silver Fox and State Cows seem to be trying to single handedly keep the cool party vibes alive. And depending on the breadth of your definition of YR, the Bruno Mars/Anderson Paak collaboration, Silk Sonic, is clearly a pleasant rendering of that time in music (assuming you are ok with a little soul music when you set sail).

But, more subtly the sound has permeated popular music across a pretty wide spectrum. Pillow soft drums and gentle harmonies blended with hooks that, while not quite approaching the accessibility of the Bee Gees or Doobie Brothers, are definitely on the catchier side.

Southern folky acts like Goose are as much an homage to classic pop as they are to the Allman Brothers and the Eagles, the latter an artist that is frequently included in YR playlists. In fact, there is plenty of that folksy country-leaning style around modern music today taking their cues from the southern-tinged light rock of the ’70s. Just a cursory listen to Kacey Musgraves or HAIM or Maggie Rogers should set off the radar of anyone who still feels the pull of Jim Croce or Seals and Crofts.

And even if you are among those who think YR should be centered more around the pop of the early ’80s (think Toto, Boz Skaggs and Texas’ own Christopher Cross), that’s out there as well. Tell us you don’t hear the strains of the late ’70s in Sabrina Carpenter’s “Juno,” right down to the casual sexually tinged lyrics that practically scream “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight” or “Kiss You All Over,” albeit less overt like everything else in the world today.

Charlie Puth, Teddy Swims, even the Jonas Brothers wear the YR influences on their sleeves on occasion. John Mayer is practically a walking ad for the style, but he grew up listening to it, so we have to discount his impact slightly.

Most of the winks to YR in modern music are just that. The technology that exists today along with the way songs are crafted for modern listeners has radically altered everything about popular music. But, the similarities are there if you pay attention. In the end, YR may have had a bigger impact on modern music than anyone could have anticipated when all the early new wavers, punks and metal heads were snickering about Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald. Little did we know.

If you’re curious about today’s artists harking back to Yacht Rock’s past, check out this cool Yacht Rock Nouveau playlist on Spotify which includes a number of the artists listed above and even some pretty unique covers of YR-era songs by modern artists.