Is Steely Dan Really Yacht Rock? The Debate Rages On

When it comes to Steely Dan and yacht rock, two things we know for certain: Steely Dan's singer and keyboardist Donald Fagen vehemently rejects the idea, whereas guitarist Walter Becker found it amusing. More on that later. 

Yacht rock wasn't even a notion back in the '70s and '80s, when Steely Dan released seven albums. The term was coined in 2005 by a group of friends who created a YouTube mockumentary series called "Yacht Rock," which humorously fictionalized the origin of a particular sound in music from the late '70s and '80s. The friends focused on polished blends of soft rock, R&B, and jazz, produced in California studios by the likes of Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald (with and without the Doobie Brothers), Ambrosia, Toto, and, yes, Steely Dan.

The idea is that these artists' music easily fits into the parameters set by the people who made up what constitutes yacht rock, but some argue that Steely Dan is more complex in its intellect, lyricism, and musicality.

Former music producer Rick Beato said that after watching the 2024 documentary "Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary," he took issue with the film's "complete oversimplification of the diverse music" (via Rick Beato/YouTube). If you haven't seen the film, it lays it on thick that Steely Dan is part of the yacht rock cohort. When the director of the film called Donald Fagen for an interview, Fagen told him, "Go f*** yourself." That lack of chill certainly implies that he isn't interested in being on your boat ride playlist.

Eric Pettine at All About Jazz seemed to agree with Beato, arguing in 2024 that Steely Dan's "sophisticated" lyrics and intricate arrangements set them apart from other so-called yacht rock. Redditor Willy Tanner concurs, saying, "... Steely Dan is honestly just far too diverse to be pinned down by any singular catch phrase ... Yacht Rock is basically what you get when someone tried to imitate Steely Dan while lacking the sophistication both from a songwriting structure and lyrical structure."

He may have a point there. Steely Dan released its first album in 1972, whereas the Doobie Brothers' "What a Fool Believes" — the pinnacle of yacht rock — came out in 1978, the same year as Ambrosia's yachtastic "How Much I Feel." In 1980, arguably the best year for Yacht Rock, Christopher Cross released his debut album, including the song "Sailing," and if you compare the creamy, tranquil sound of that song to Dan's early hits like "Do It Again," "Reeling in the Years," and "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," Steely Dan's songcraft is more dynamic.

Steely Dan's Walter Becker, who died in 2017, took the whole yacht rock thing in stride. In 2008, Time Out asked him about his thoughts on his band being designated yacht rockers. Becker, like many who argue that Steely Dan's music makes the cut, pointed out that they did share the same session musicians with the other acts who are considered part of the genre, "In some of the same studios with some of the same sonic goals in mind: a very smooth or shall we say polished product ... I think it's pretty funny. I think it's great."

That may be the attitude to take. Steely Dan fans on Reddit have come to accept that some of the duo's music fits Merriam-Webster's definition: "rock music from the 1970s/1980s that is usually mellow, polished, and jazz-influenced." However, there are caveats. 

One Redditor wrote: "... You can have yacht songs, but also not be a yacht band. Does Dan have yachty songs? 100%. Would I describe Dan as a yacht rock band? Probably not, as they are much more than that." Another calls it "yacht-rock adjacent," while yet another says, "They are yacht rock the way Pink Floyd is prog rock or Grateful Dead is jam rock or Clash is punk. The answer is yes, but they also transcended the genre they are associated with." Perhaps that ambiguity is precisely where Steely Dan belongs.