Mixtape 02: Yacht Rock
There's a couple of childhood things I get strangely nostalgic with and one of them is the soft rock tunes of the 1970s that used to play through my grandparents car radio. A few years ago these cool, smooth 70s jams were rebranded as "yacht rock" and were once again popular to listen to. So popular former artists started a yacht rock tour to bring these gems to the masses who probably didn't miss them all that much. Yacht Rock is hit or miss for a lot of people because it's essentially smooth jazz mixed with 70s singer/songwriter artistry. My music textbook wouldn't even note yacht rock as a genre, but rather used some term I can't even remember. Artists like the Doobie Brothers, Hall & Oates, and Christopher Cross encompass the genre of music that really fits anything that appears to sound good while sailing on a yacht. There's even a mockumentary about it.
Which is why this mixtape exists. No, I'm not sailing on a yacht, but last summer my friends and I sat on the dock of a lake house during sunset listening watching boaters go by while listening to these smooth jams. It's a simple memory but possibly one of my favorite summer ones ever. We didn't grow up during this time period nor do we have any particular relation to the music other than messing with the radio dial in the car, but realizing how messed up Escape by Rupert Holmes is was something I'll always remember (the song really is messed up. Listen to the lyrics!).
Yacht Rock is cool. I say this in a completely unironic manner because I love yacht rock especially in summer. So I made a mixtape of my favorite songs for 4th of July weekend because it just seemed to fit the mood. You don't need a yacht to enjoy the songs but I would recommend at least wine, and if you're willing to go the extra mile, a captain's hat.