Best Yacht Rock Song
“Yacht rock” as a term dates to the early 2000s, but the music it describes lives squarely in the late 1970s and early 80s. We’re talking the smooth sounds of summer, a little bit jazz, a touch of funk, a generous dollop of soulful crooning, all undercut by rock instrumentation by some of the grooviest white guys in the biz. You don’t have to be on a boat to enjoy yacht rock. It’s the perfect summer soundtrack no matter where you are. So join the Great Pop Culture Debate for one of our 2026 Summer Specials as we say ALL ABOARD and attempt to name the best Yacht Rock Song of all time.
Songs discussed: “Africa” by TOTO, “Peg” by Steely Dan, “How Long” by Ace, “Ride Like the Wind” by Christopher Cross, “This Is It” by Kenny Loggins, “Steal Away” by Robbie Dupree, “Lido Shuffle” by Boz Scaggs, “All Out of Love” by Air Supply, “What a Fool Believes” by The Doobie Brothers, “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes, “Baker Street” by Gerry Rafferty, “Saturday in the Park” by Chicago, “Can’t Fight This Feeling” by REO Speedwagon, “I Keep Forgettin’” by Michael McDonald, “You Make My Dreams (Come True)” by Hall & Oates, “Baby Come Back” by Player
Join host Eric Rezsnyak and GPCD Panelists Derek Mekita, Jonny Minogue, and Kate Racculia as they discuss and debate 16 of the smoothest jazz-rock jams from the 70s and 80s.
For the warm-up to this episode, in which we discuss additional yacht-rock gems that didn’t make the bracket, become a Patreon supporter of the podcast today.
Looking for more reasons to become a Patreon supporter? Check out our Top 10 Patreon Perks.
Want to watch the episode instead? As of Season 12, we now have full video episodes up on YouTube. Subscribe to our channel for even more original, exclusive episodes!
Round 1 Match-Ups:
Play along with us at home by printing out and filling in this episode’s bracket:
Match-Up 1: “Africa” by TOTO (1) vs. “Peg” by Steely Dan (4)
Match-Up 2: “How Long” by Ace (3) vs. “Ride Like the Wind” by Christopher Cross (2)
Match-Up 3: “This Is It” by Kenny Loggins (1) vs. “Steal Away” by Robbie Dupree (4)
Match-Up 4: “Lido Shuffle” by Boz Scaggs (3) vs. “All Out of Love” by Air Supply (2)
Match-Up 5: “What a Fool Believes” by The Doobie Brothers (1) vs. “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes (4)
Match-Up 6: “Baker Street” by Gerry Rafferty (3) vs. “Saturday in the Park” by Chicago (2)
Match-Up 7: “Can’t Fight This Feeling” by REO Speedwagon (1) vs. “I Keep Forgettin’” by Michael McDonald (4)
Match-Up 8: “You Make My Dreams (Come True)” by Hall & Oates (3) vs. “Baby Come Back” by Player (2)
Looking for a playlist that includes all of these songs, plus dozens more for your own yacht-rock shindig? We made one for you right here!
Want to play along at home?
Print out the Listener Bracket and see if your picks match up with ours!
Sign up for our weekly newsletter!
Subscribe to find out what’s new in pop culture each week right in your inbox!
Vote in more pop culture polls!
Check out our Open Polls. Your votes determine our future debates!
Then, vote in our Future Topic Polls to have a say in what episodes we tackle next.
Episode Credits
Host: Eric Rezsnyak
Panelists: Derek Mekita, Jonny Minogue, Kate Racculia
Producer: Bob Erlenback
Editor: Bob Erlenback
Theme Music: “Dance to My Tune” by Marc Torch
