Before video killed the radio star, smooth rock ruled the airwaves.
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00:00You don't know me, but I'm your brother It rocks, but it doesn't rock too hard.
00:17The singers all seem to be saying, hey, it's going to be okay.
00:21It's perfect sitting down dancing music.
00:24Also known as Yacht Rock.
00:28L.A. in the 1970s.
00:30It was an amazing time.
00:31There's these really talented session guys who can play anything.
00:35Steely Dan.
00:36The Doobie Brothers.
00:37Toto.
00:38Kenny Loggins.
00:39Christopher Cross.
00:40Michael fucking McDonald.
00:41I'll be there for you.
00:44You have these sensational white musicians who have been acculturated on black music
00:49styles.
00:50You write what you hear, what you feel.
00:53A lot of the black stations picked up my first album.
00:56They made it a hit.
00:57It caused a buzz that we weren't used to getting.
01:01Just seemed to really connect with the audience.
01:04These artists provided the soundtrack of our lives, and then suddenly all that changed.
01:11The video killed the Radio Star thing.
01:12It was just absolutely true in my case.
01:14Top 40 careers have a natural end.
01:16They always do and always will.
01:18I expected to be totally forgotten by the end of the 80s.
01:22That's what a fool believes, Kenny.
01:24That's what a fool believes.
01:29The term Yacht Rock emerged from comedy show.
01:32All of a sudden this new genre we made up started to get embraced by the world.
01:37Yacht Rock.
01:38Yacht Rock.
01:39Where's my fucking yacht?
01:41I played on all those records.
01:44I always thought it was kind of flattering to be made fun of.
01:48I began to see that it was a kind of ass-backwards way to honor us.
01:53Obviously it made an impression on somebody.