This 1978 Doobie Brothers Hit Is Considered The Best Yacht Rock Song Of All Time

In December 1978, the Doobie Brothers released their eighth studio album, "Minute by Minute," a soft-rock/pop-rock opus that sent them to the top of the charts and also defined one of the '70s most iconic genres: yacht rock. The song was propelled by the band's lead single, "What a Fool Believes," which went No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1979 and later became the quintessential yacht rock song. However, the term for the genre was only coined in 2005 thanks to a YouTube comedy series dubbed "Yacht Rock" which explored songs from the late '70s and early 1980s that were heavily produced in California studios and blended elements of soft rock with R&B and jazz. 

The birth of what would later be called yacht rock ushered in a litany of well-received, easy-to-relax-to commercial hits: "Sailing" by Christopher Cross, "Biggest Part of Me" by Ambrosia, and "I Can't Tell You Why" by the Eagles, to name a few. These songs went on to spearhead an era and a genre associated with taking it easy, smooth sailing, and forgetting your worries, but none of these songs defined yacht rock as definitively as "What a Fool Believes."

"What a Fool Believes" was written by Michael McDonald, the lead vocalist and keyboard player for the Doobie Brothers, and Kenny Loggins, the hit-maker extraordinaire who penned chart-topping songs like "Danny's Song," "Footloose," and "Danger Zone." They wrote the song together at McDonald's house. "During the session, we got nostalgic about the records we grew up listening to, songs like the Four Seasons' 'Sherry' and 'Walk Like a Man.' They were a big part of our memory bank, and 'What a Fool Believes' filled that space," McDonald said in an interview with The Guardian.

The song was written in a night, but the recording process wasn't so easy. The band reportedly struggled to get a take of the song they liked and had to experiment with new ideas, even asking their producer, Ted Templeman, to double-up on playing drums. "By that point, there were boxes of takes for this one song piled as high as the ceiling," McDonald said. "[Templeman] got off the drums, walked into the control room and started cutting the tapes into individual sections right there. Back then, you were really going for broke when you physically cut the tape. But that's what we used to make the record."

Their tenacity paid off because the song was a smash hit. It also got the band their first Grammys, earning the award for song of the year and record of the year in 1980. 

Since its release, the song has only grown in renown. In 2024, Rolling Stone listed it as No. 344 on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, and Ultimate Classic Rock magazine listed it as No. 1 on their list of Top Yacht Rock Songs. On Rate Your Music, a popular music sharing website, the song has a rating of 4.51 out of five, based on fan ratings, and is ranked as the 14th best song of 1979.

A fan review on the site said, "As it keyshifts from Michael McDonald's soulful solo verses to the full band joining like a gospel choir on the title line, my heart never fails to swell." Although yacht rock already has a bizarre history, in 2005, the previously mentioned YouTube mockumentary series, "Yacht Rock," released an episode with a satirized recounting of the origin of the song. In 2008, McDonald told Time Out New York, "It's kind of like when you get a letter from a stalker who's never met you. They somehow hit on something, and you have to admit they're pretty intuitive."

After a career spanning 50 years, "What a Fool Believes" has cemented the Doobie Brothers as Yacht Rock staples. Their album, "Minute by Minute" was certified triple-platinum by the RIAA, and the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2020. In 2024, "What a Fool Believes" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. With a litany of awards and years of recognition, only a fool would believe this isn't one of the greatest yacht rock songs of all time.