The DU Lounge

The term yacht rock did not exist contemporaneously with the music the term describes, which was produced from 1975 to 1984. It refers to "adult-oriented rock" or the "West Coast Sound", which became identified with yacht rock in 2005, when the term was coined in J. D. Ryznar et al.'s online video series of the same name.

Yacht Rock web series co-creators Ryznar, Steve Huey, Hunter Stair, and David Lyons have attempted to apply precision to what is defined as yacht rock, and have been critical of overly expansive definitions of the term. In 2016, they invented the term "nyacht rock" to refer to songs that have sometimes been classified as yacht rock but that they felt did not fit the definition. On their podcasts Beyond Yacht Rock and Yacht or Nyacht?, they have categorized various songs as being either within or outside of the genre. (https://www.yachtornyacht.com/)

Factors that the four list as relevant to yacht rock include:

-High production value
-Use of "elite" Los Angeles–based studio musicians and producers associated with yacht rock
-Jazz and R&B influences
-Use of electric piano
-Complex and wry lyrics about heartbroken, foolish men, particularly involving the word "fool"
-An upbeat rhythm called the "Doobie Bounce"

Ryznar and company have argued that many artists sometimes associated with yacht rock, particularly the folk-driven soft rock of Gordon Lightfoot and the Eagles, fall outside the scope of the term as originally conceived. They have also disputed the use of the term as an umbrella for any song whose lyrics include nautical references, opting for the term "marina rock" for bands close to the scene but lacking a few elements, such as Rupert Holmes and Hall & Oates. The term's inventors consider Michael McDonald the most influential yacht rock artist.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yacht_rock