“Captain Stubing! Permission to come aboard.” As I come aboard, I turn to see Isaac the Bartender, mixing drinks. “Whadda ya have?” he asks me. “A Painkiller,” I answer.
Just as he was handing me my drink, I feel a tap on my right arm. Then, a tug.
Groggily, I wake up to see that I am not on The Love Boat, but in my La-Z-Boy recliner, with my wife waking me up long enough to say, “I’m going to school now. Love you!”
“Love you too,” I reply.
So, I have Yacht Rock on my mind. Wow, and this is only Day 3! Next, I will be dreaming about taking my non-existent yacht up and down the non-navigable Fall Creek. I guess there could be worse dreams, such as my recurring dream about a Jimmy Buffett biopic starring Matthew McConaughey. Let’s talk brass tacks here. I am NOT a Buffett fan, have only seen him once and did not care for him. So, why on earth am I having that stupid dream?
As a matter of fact, I do have one useful dream, or at least a series of scenes from an unmade movie. It’s got something to do with some guys on a high school track team. I could bore you with some of the scenes that have played out in my dreams, but you didn’t come here for that. No, you came here for the quality writing (NOT!) about rock music, specifically Day Three of the countdown of My Top 100 Yacht Rock Songs of All-Time.
Today, it’s numbers forty-one through sixty. So, buckle your seat belt and hang on tight, because the countdown begins now.
60. Sanford-Townsend Band – “Smoke from a Distant Fire” (1977).
59. Santana – “Winning” (1981).
58. Glenn Frey – “The One I Love” (1982)
57. Nilsson – “Everybody’s Talkin'” (1968)
56. Doobie Brothers – “Another Park, Another Saturday” (1974)
55. Dobie Gray – “Drift Away” (1973)
54. Bob Welch – “Sentimental Lady” (1977)
53. Steve Miller Band – “Fly like an Eagle” (1976)
52. Crosby, Stills & Nash – “Wasted on the Way” (1982)
51. Olivia Newton-John – “Magic” (1980)
50. Michael McDonald – “I Keep Forgettin'” (1982)
49. England Dan & John Ford Coley – “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight” (1976)
48. Blues Image – “Ride Captain Ride” (1970)
47. Looking Glass – “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” (1972)
46. Bellamy Brothers – “Let Your Love Flow” (1976)
45. Orleans – “Still the One” (1976)
44. 10cc – “I’m Not in Love” (1974)
43. Steve Winwood – “While You See a Chance” (1981)
42. Linda Ronstadt – “Hurts So Bad” (1980)
41. The Babys – “Everytime I Think of You” (1979)
And, now that we have tackled the first 60 songs in this list, we have my Top 40 Yacht Rock Songs of All Time left to go. And, as the Prophet Casey Kasem would say, “the numbers get smaller, but the hits get bigger.” And, that’s the format for this countdown.
So, I will be seeing you again tomorrow. Long live Yacht Rock!
If My Records Could Talk 