BONUS PLAYLIST (August 2024): Soft Rock Singalong!
Do you even yacht rock
I didn’t know how much soft rock singalongs impacted my life until I saw Chicago on a double bill with Earth, Wind & Fire.
I’m a super fan of the latter group. I consider them one of (if not the) greatest bands of their generation. At the time, I thought Chicago a nice throw-in (don’t hurt me, please).
Incredibly, I knew all the words to all those Chicago love songs, despite not having heard them in many years. “You’re the Inspiration,” “If You Leave Me Now,” “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” it didn’t matter. Once they started to sing, so did I.
At a certain point, I turned to my now-wife and said, “All that adult contemporary radio absorption as a kid sure paid off, eh?”
That memory feeds into this month’s playlist, which is all about those soft rock singalong earworms you know and (grudgingly?) love. Guilty pleasure or not, these tracks are perfect for a relaxing afternoon or evening, enjoying the last gasps of summer before everyone returns to work or school.
Speaking of guilty pleasures, I’ve covered those in this newsletter before, too.
10 Guilty Pleasure Albums You Should Know Are Secretly Amazing
The term “guilty pleasure” first appeared in the New York Times in 1860, when it was used to describe a brothel. Since then, it’s reared its ugly head again and again in pop culture, describing various artistic endeavors that, if you have any sense, you’re not supposed to like.
Scroll down for your usual Apple Music and Spotify links (and an embed for the latter). If you use another streaming service as your daily driver, copy the playlist to your account using Soundiiz or Tune My Music.
Check back regularly for more playlisting fun. As always, thanks for reading, listening, sharing, and subscribing
What’s your favorite song in this genre? Sound off in the comments!
I've always been a fan of "soft" rock, as it was referred to at the time. So many great songs on this list! My own favorites here are:
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - Nicks/Petty
You Belong to Me - Carly Simon
Hold Me - Fleetwood Mac
Head Over Heels - Tears For Fears
I Can't Tell You Why - Eagles
I didn't know Alanis Morissette music is now considered to be yacht rock! Sounds like the term has stretched until the end of the 20th Century!
A few weeks ago, I started compiling my own ultimate yacht rock playlist and now I’m going to work on finishing that so I can include it in a new ultimate yacht rock piece you’ve inspired me to write! Between your piece here and Bryan and Dan’s comments, I know what I have to do. The assignment is clear. I’m psyched about this! Thanks, Matt!