“All it takes is one song to bring back a thousand memories” – Unknown
It’s Labor Day and approximately 90 days past my original attempt at this post. It began with a trip to California to celebrate my nephew Garrett’s wedding the first week of June.
Being the ultimate travel planner (or at least in my vivid imagination) my initial goal was to make a brief stop in Las Vegas for a couple of days with an end game of catching Kenny Chesney at the Sphere. A few days of poolside sun made the itinerary; No Shoes Nation did not. (I traded the expense of concert tickets for a second summer adventure. Saratoga Springs racing season for the win. But that is a story for another day.) During the four hour flight to Sin City, I stumbled across a documentary chronically the birth of Yacht Rock music.
Being a creature of habit with a knack to embrace my seasonal luxuries, there are hard and fast rules in holiday celebration that I hold firm. You won’t catch me listening to Christmas music until the day after Thanksgiving. Then it is nonstop Bing and the boys crooning away with a sprinkle on Mariah and Amy Grant until the clock strikes 12 on December 25. Yet the jolly holly day isn’t the only seasonal playlist that I am loyal too. A few years ago, I discovered a summer station that made my 15-year-old heart melt, Yacht Rock radio.
Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Yacht Rock graces my satellite radio as a designated channel. And for the sunshine months, I enjoy some of my favorite tunes from my teenage years. What a pleasant surprise on that faithful flight on June 1, to stumbled across a documentary that chronicled the mystery of this nontraditional genre.
The Yacht Rock movement to my surprise was more than a collection of songs I enjoyed formatted into a single playlist. Did you realize that much of this music stirs from a collection of talent combined in infinite combinations? Back in the 80s it was common for musicians or vocalists to assist in the studio across a variety of artists. Don’t believe me take a moment and grace the credits of half the songs listed on the top 100 Yacht Rock tunes and count how often Michael McDonald’s name appears? Songwriter, lead vocals or studio back up. He was mentioned so often that I began to wonder if he just kept a sleeping bag in his car with a spare tooth brush. The jazzy piano sound combined with the eccentric styles of the perfectionism of Steely Dan or the band Toto as independent studio musicians define the genre that didn’t exist until decades after the music topped the charts.
Fast forward to September 1, where I find myself as a passenger on another United flight headed to Las Vegas for an excursion to the Sphere. This time to skip down the yellow brick road and to see my pals the flying monkeys. There is no better use of my time, but to finish this blog. And ponder on why a piece of music history can make me feel like, there is no place like home?
Yacht Rock was never meant to creep into our airwaves on its own format when the artists were creating the sound. Born from skits and crooners making fun of this little slice of 80’s music it became a collection of sounds that reflected similar styles and characters. No captain hats or boats required, the definition included a smooth, jazzy piano sound featuring soulful voices of Micheal McDonald or Kenny Logins. Engrossed in the 95 minute documentary, I viewed a story of music that shaped my teenage years through my early twenties and rolled me back to 1985.
What happen forty years ago? The greatest class of the 80’s graduated from High School and took their first step into their future. Looking back at my educational journey it was truly a combination of Mayberry meets Surfing USA. I proudly place myself as part of two classes of 1985, roughly two hours apart in driving distance and as diverse in lifestyle as any country girl could imagine. And I am was the lucky one to have experienced all of my classmates from both Templeton and Carpenteria.
I began my first day of kindergarten with many of the same a faces that I walked across the stage with twelve years later in the Templeton gym to receive our high school diplomas. During the sixth year of my scholastic journey, I joined the class of 85 in a the coastal town (sixth grade through my sophomore year) just south of Santa Barbara known for avocados and ornamental horticulture, Carpenteria. An environment that seemed 10 times bigger (probably closer to 5 times) and culturally on a different planet. Yet, as I watched the documentary and quietly sing every lyric, I couldn’t help but notice the synergy that created the Yacht Rock sound mirrored the mapping of my childhood journey.
Jazz music is characterized by its emphasis on improvisation, complex harmonies, and syncopated rhythms. It often features a blend of different musical styles and cultural influences, making each performance unique and expressive. These notes combined with the overwhelming thread of collaboration of artists, song writers and musicians truly is the heart and soul of Yacht Rock music. And my growing-up game board of skipping through the spaces followed a similar format.
My classmates and friendship groups featured a mix of many personalities from a diversity of backgrounds. The foundation of our togetherness was a mix of harmonies of interest, unique collaborations, proximity in our daily life and that we were all in this big can of stew together.
There is nothing like the friends you have in your school days. They are a constant that you can count on day in and day out. As we grow older and embrace friendships in our later years, one can easily yearn for the ease of having a pal in our back pocket at all times. Let’s face it, it might not always feel this way, but in high school and college, there is always someone a stone’s throw away that is going through the exact same experience. There were an abundance of opportunities to make a friend or hang out with like minded people. Hearing the songs of my past, made me pause. Is my love of this music enriched in the sound or how it takes my memories on a soulful journey back to my youthful days.
From school dances to FFA trips, from high school sports to yearbook antics, my life was full of some of the most amazing humans that have ever walked this planet. Being part of the notorious Gen X culture, we might be small in size compared to other generations, but we have the luxury of being at the dawn of countless changes in world and daily life. We were the kids that learned how to cook with a microwave for an after school snack. Our music came in many forms, albums, 8 tracks, cassette or good old fashion AM/FM radio. Back in the days that making the team meant you showed up daily for practice and there was a role for all in the school play, being part of the whole offered a sense of community.
Templeton High School class of 85’s final journey was a trip south to the Happiest Place on Earth. Grad Night at Disneyland was our toast to the past while running straight into our future. I will admit there was a part of me that knew deep down inside that as we left the bus after the long ride home, it would be the last time I would see many of my classmates. Yes, there has been weddings, significant birthdays and chance encounters over the years, but there a just a handful of my classmates that I regularly communicate with or see (both Templeton and Carpinteria). Sure the birth of social media gives us an opportunity to reconnect and “check in”. But sitting here I figured why wait for a formal event to share what everyone of you means to my life.
As the Ambrosia song states, “Got a feelin’ that forever, we are gonna stay together, for me, there’s nothin’ better, you’re the biggest part of me”, the humans that I spent twelve years of my life surrounded by will always be part of my foundation. The story of Yacht Rock showed that working together always made the whole better. My classmates are who taught me to love, to laugh at nonsense, feel the value of team work, how to win and how to loose. Without them I would not be the person I am today. So here is to all of you from the Class of 85, thank you for being part of my life (big or small)…. you will forever be a huge part of me.
a little bit about a lot of things 