Musicians have long decried the use of genre designations to partition artists into discreet groupings because how reductive such categorization can be. This issue has come to the fore once again with the recent release of Yacht Rock: A DOCKmentary.
The term “yacht rock” has been used to describe bands like Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers, Toto, and other groups alternatively labeled as “soft rock,” but as Rick Beato articulately explains in his takedown of the film, the category is kind of bullsh*t.
“I find the term ‘Yacht Rock’ completely offensive,” Beato says. “As a matter of fact, I’ve interviewed many of the people that are in the movie, and they’ve told some of the same stories when I’ve interviewed them. However, I’ve never once mentioned the term ‘Yacht Rock’ on [my] channel because I find it not only offensive and derogatory but also a complete oversimplification of the diverse music that’s discussed in the movie.”
Originally coined by two of the people who made the documentary, JD Ryner and Steve Huey, for a series of satirical videos, “yacht rock” is defined by its fusion of R&B, jazz, disco, and smooth soul, but the term is more pejorative than descriptive. This became clear when the makers of the documentary tried to interview Steely Dan’s Donald Fagan, who responded, “Oh, yacht rock? Well, I tell you what—why don’t you go f*** yourself,” and then hung up.
Beato says, “What the documentary does is cherry-pick very specific songs to fit its narrative, trying to make it all make sense. In reality, many of these artists—Steely Dan, Toto, Kenny Loggins, and Ambrosia—are radically different from each other. The film lumps together nuanced styles like jazz-influenced rock, gospel-influenced folk, funk-influenced R&B, and more into a single dismissive banner. That’s complete BS.”
He goes on to describe how the documentary conspicuously omits seminal songs like “Aja” that defy the filmmakers’ objective with their obvious jazz fusion elements, as well as the country influence of songs like “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”, which is actually Steely Dan’s most streamed song on Spotify.
In the end, Beato concludes, “The documentary not only misrepresents the music but also dismisses the artistry behind it. The term ‘Yacht Rock’ does a disservice to these brilliant musicians and their contributions to music history.”
Watch Rick Beato’s full critique of Yacht Rock: A DOCKmentary below. The film is available to stream via HBO Max.
Rick Beato – “Yacht Rock” Is Bullsh*t