Last night, I finally sat down to watch HBO’s “Yacht Rock” documentary, and the experience left me pondering a serious question: is it a coincidence that “Yacht Rock” sounds so much like “brain rot”? This film seems to revel in everything that went musically astray in the early 1980s, almost glorifying what many consider to be a low point in popular music.
The documentary’s central thesis, hinging on Steely Dan as the linchpin of this genre, feels fundamentally flawed. To suggest that Steely Dan, with their intricate jazz harmonies, enigmatic and intelligent lyrics penned by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, somehow birthed this “Yacht Rock” phenomenon is a stretch. Steely Dan’s genius was undeniable, and their decision to step back in 1981, sensing a shift in the musical landscape, was astute. What followed was, unfortunately, a diluted and often bland imitation of their sophisticated sound, which the Hbo Yacht Rock Documentary seems to celebrate.
It’s not to say that the entire genre is devoid of merit. Toto, for instance, produced some genuinely great tracks like “Hold the Line.” And Michael McDonald’s contributions to The Doobie Brothers certainly have their moments. However, the issue arises when these initial sparks of creativity were endlessly copied, each iteration becoming progressively weaker and more saccharine. The documentary even highlights “What a Fool Believes” as a pinnacle of Yacht Rock, which is arguably true in terms of popularity, but it conveniently ignores the avalanche of inferior imitations that truly defined the genre’s negative aspects.
A particularly glaring omission in the hbo yacht rock documentary is the story behind Michael McDonald’s hit, “I Keep Forgetting.” The song, while catchy, is undeniably derivative of Chuck Jackson’s 1961 classic of the same name, penned by the legendary songwriting duo Lieber and Stoller. McDonald was, in fact, compelled to credit and compensate Lieber and Stoller for this similarity, a crucial detail completely absent from the HBO film. This oversight is not only disturbing but also indicative of a broader lack of critical depth within the documentary itself.
Then there’s Christopher Cross, who in 1981, became an unlikely Grammy darling with his quintessential Yacht Rock anthem, “Sailing.” While Cross may be a perfectly pleasant individual, his music embodies the very definition of musical cringe for many. 1981 was a year brimming with groundbreaking music – Prince, Talking Heads, Blondie, The Police, Elvis Costello, the burgeoning rap scene, and punk pioneers like the Ramones were all pushing boundaries. “Yacht Rock,” in stark contrast, represented a retreat into blandness, something to be actively avoided by anyone with discerning musical taste. The idea that “Sailing” was deemed a superior song to “New York, New York” in 1981, or that Cross’s album somehow outshone Pink Floyd’s “The Wall,” is frankly, absurd and highlights the skewed perspective presented by the hbo yacht rock documentary.
So, consider this my passionate rant against a documentary that, in my view, completely misses the mark. The “Yacht Rock” film joins HBO’s earlier Stax documentary in a growing list of surprisingly tone-deaf music documentaries from a network usually renowned for its insightful non-fiction programming. It’s a puzzling misstep that leaves one questioning HBO’s curatorial judgment in this particular musical niche.
