All language subtitles for Sometimes.When.We.Touch.S01E03.WEBRip.x264-ION10

-* MTV

-* If you like piña coladas

-I don't like that song at all.

-Trashed by the music press...

-Soft rock is just too hokey.

-It's the defanging
of rock 'n' roll.

-I couldn't handle
that stuff at all.

I'm like, "Enjoy that, grandma."

[ Horn honks ]

-...and left as roadkill
by MTV...

-Kenny G.,
ladies and gentlemen.

-Aah!

-...soft rock hit rock bottom.

-We just weren't hip.

-Careers plummeted.

-We couldn't get anything going

for love, money,
chocolate, or marbles.

There was just nobody
that was going to touch me.

-And in pop culture,
soft rock became a punch line.

-Come on. I had a rough night,
and I hate the fucking Eagles.

**

-But today,
soft rock is everywhere...

-This is the "Yacht Rock
Smooth 100."

-...from yacht rock
to sampling...

**

-You know, a lot of girls
be thinking my songs

are about them.

-* Baby, baby,
fallin' in love *

-* Baby, come back

-...to social media...

-* Makin' my dreams
come true *

-* ...play the way
you feel it *

-...to movies and TV.

-* Hello

-You like Phil Collins?

-I've got two ears
and a heart, don't I?

-It's the most fantastic
resurgence in music history.

[ Cheers and applause ]

-* And sometimes when we touch

-* The honesty's...
-* ...too much

-* And I have to close
my eyes... *

-* ...and hide

**

**

-By the early '90s, soft rock

had all the appeal
of a Ford Pinto...

-Pinto --
the little, carefree car.

-[ Neighs ]

...an embarrassing reminder
of a weaker time.

-* Do you wanna make love?

-The decade would be dominated

by a younger, hipper
president...

[ Playing "Heartbreak Hotel" ]

[ Cheers and applause ]

...a digital revolution...

-Amazon.com.

-Do you, uh, Yahoo!?

-...and super-sized everything.

-Super-size shakes and fries
for a limited time.

-At the start of the decade,
only one attitude mattered.

And it was as far away from soft
as music could get.

-It's a big word now.
It's a buzzword, you know?

-You must be talking
about grunge.

-Grunge!

**

-* Even flow

-* Black-hole sun,
won't you come... *

-* Go on, take everything

-Respect for soft rock
was at an all-time low.

-I would rather listen
to Fran Drescher for eight hours

than have to listen
to Michael McDonald.

-It's like funky dentist music.

-Really schmaltzy.

-Well, just sort of sugary,
sugary songs.

-Incredibly hokey and worthy
of ridicule in the '90s.

-But beneath the radar,

one group of artists
had never forgotten soft rock.

-What was hip-hop
doing every day,

in 1976, in New York?

We stole all the melodies
of all of the soft-rock songs.

**

For example, when we discovered
Bob James, it was like,

"We don't need a loud guitar
and a screeching voice.

We need some bells."

-* And Alice stilled her hunger
in Wonderland *

* Jack, Jill busta
in his hand *

-I didn't find out about

their use of my bells
during that time.

-Bob James provided us
the feeling,

the sound, and the vibration
that people tend to overlook.

I've never met him,
but I feel like I know him

because I sampled

and stole his music
half of my goddamn life.

**

Thank you, Bob.
There's no hip-hop without you.

**

-But the relationship
between hip-hop

and the music establishment
grew tense.

Songwriters wanted payment
and credit for their work.

But the rap world resisted,

claiming they were creating
something new.

-Sampling --
all it is, is sampled sound,

and the rappers that
have been the most creative

take their samples down
and arrange it in their own way.

-The fun of rap is to be able
to take a Hall and Oates track,

take it, twist it,
reverse the samples,

flip it,
and try to make it something.

I think suing win for sampling
is very tacky.

-But one soft rocker
was ready for a fight,

took his case to court, and won.

-If you were thinking
of buying rapper Biz Markie's

latest album,
"I Needa Haircut,"

you better get a move on.

Biz lost
a copyright-infringement suit

filed by Gilbert O'Sullivan

over O'Sullivan's song
"Alone Again (Naturally)."

-* Alone again, naturally

-* I'm alone again,
naturally *

-Biz Markie sampled
"Alone Again"

and didn't get permission.

I said, "I need to hear it."

When I heard it,
I didn't like it.

So, we said he couldn't do it.
They still put it out.

-Judge Kevin Duffy ordered
Warner Bros. records

to immediately halt sale
of the Biz Markie album

and to recall copies
that are already in stores.

-But now that's all straight.

And so Biz's brand-new album
is entitled...

-"All Samples Cleared."

**

-Being recognized for their work
and getting paid

was the first step
in soft rockers' return

to respectability.

-Groups like De La Soul,
A Tribe Called Quest said,

"We're going to take
these '70's songs

that are kind of white songs
that most of us

didn't really
listen to that much."

-* And when you smile
for the camera... *

-"And I'm going to
make something fun out of that."

-* I know I love you better

-* I know
I love you better *

**

-You know, the beauty of hip-hop
is that we can take anything

and make it hip-hop.

And there's almost a challenge
in saying,

"Yo, can you make hip-hop
out of this white-bread record?"

Like, "Yes, I can."

-* It was a clear black night,
a clear white moon *

* Warren G. was on the streets,
tryin' to consume *

-But it wasn't until
a pair of little-known

L.A. rappers landed a track
in the Tupac film

"Above the Rim" that soft rock
was raised from the dead

and on its way
to being cool again.

-* Nate Dogg and Warren G.
had to regulate *

-* I keep forgettin'
we're not in love anymore *

-One day, I dug through some
of my parents' records,

and Michael McDonald
was a record

that they used to play a lot.

So, I was like,

"How would this sound if I
flipped it and made it hip-hop?"

-* Every time you're near

* Every time I see your smile

-I loved "Regulate."
I really loved it.

I always felt like the outsider
with hip-hop.

And all of a sudden,
I was invited to the party

because music that I knew

was now being sampled
into hip-hop.

-At the time
that "Regulate" came out,

me and Andre 3000, we was
working on our debut album,

"Southernplayalist
cadillacmuzik."

And the West Coast was already,
you know, killing it with music.

But when Warren G.
came with "Regulate,"

it was like he just slapped it
over the fence.

**

-"Regulate" actually sampled
two famed '80's softies.

-There's another sample
on there of my recording.

**

**

"-Regulate" was one
of the first songs

that I think really kind of
started the ball rolling

with the hipper generation

discovering the greatness
of soft rock.

-"Regulate" was a hip-hop
game changer.

**

-Hip-hop brought soft rock
out of the closet

and kept it there
through the '90s.

**

-Hip-hop producers were drawn
to that era of music

because it had the smooth beat,
and you could rhyme over it.

-I had no shame as far
as the sampling of records,

because I like old records.

I like giving them some life,
making them new.

**

-* Sicker than your average

* Poppa twist cabbage
off instinct *

-* Biggie, Biggie, Biggie,
can't you see *

-* Just the two of us

* We can make it if we try

-* Just me and you,
just me and you *

-* Just the two of us
-* Ha ha

-* Islands in the stream,
that is what we are *

-* Ghetto supastar,
that is what you are *

**

-While rappers were embracing
soft rock,

for the rest of the world,

giving soft rock props
took some getting used to.

-* Como mi poema,
eres tu, eres tu *

-It was the age of irony.

-Are you being sarcastic, dude?

-I don't even know anymore.

-So, for a while,
it was okay to admit

you liked a few soft-rock songs.

-* But sometimes
when we touch... *

-...as long as you made it clear
it was all just a big joke.

-* Like a rhinestone cowboy

[ Record scratching ]

-You got anymore of this
funky, fresh shit

lying around the crib?

-* Believe it or not,
George isn't at home *

* Please leave a message
at the beep *

-Soft rock
is at its core pop music

but has an element of cheese.

-* I've been to paradise,
but I've never been to me *

-But the cheese of soft rock
is kind of its glamour point.

-* The winner takes it all

-Abba is a great example.

-* So, I want to know
the name of the game *

-Huge in the '70s.

-* There was something
in the air that night *

* The stars were bright,
Fernando *

-Then they faded away.

But there was a resurgence...

[ "Dancing Queen" plays ]

...sort of on an ironic level.

-You listen to '70's music.
This is the '90s.

**

-In the mid-'90s,

"Muriel's Wedding" featured
the songs of Abba,

but their music
was so out of fashion,

the band gave the film's
director, P.J. Hogan,

the right to use its songs
for almost nothing.

**

-And then a really surprising
thing happened.

Suddenly there was an
appreciation for Abba once again

as a stage show.

-Debuting in London in 1999,

the ABBA-based musical
"Mamma Mia!"

became an unexpected sensation.

**

-It's a new generation
that knows about us.

And thank God.
I'm so grateful for this.

-Why it's happening,
I have no idea,

but the fact that it is
happening, it's great.

-If Bjorn didn't understand
the revival, the fans did.

Once again, we needed soft rock.

-Part of why there was
a resurgence

is there is a timelessness

to the emotional quality
of soft rock.

-Soft rock has the ability
to be stronger

than everything around it
anywhere in the world.

-"Mamma Mia!"
debuted on Broadway in 2001.

It was the first big show
to open after 9/11.

-9/11 really changed the world.

**

The prevailing sentiment was,
"We're all in this together."

-The ABBA songs brought comfort
and unity to theatergoers.

-Has been, you know, obviously
a very tough time for everyone,

but I think everyone's really
looking forward to "Mamma Mia!"

and the audience tonight
certainly went crazy.

**

[ Cheers and applause ]

-Two days later,
the Concert for New York City

enlisted musicians
to celebrate the heroes of 9/11.

-At the time, I was a struggling
singer/songwriter.

Wanted to be heard.

I don't know if I'm
a soft-rock artist,

but they're
my living influences.

And everybody who was anybody
was playing that concert.

I just watched The Who
blow the roof

off Madison Square Garden.

[ Cheers and applause ]

So, when I sat down at my piano,
my hands were shaking.

When I started to play...

* I can't stand to fly

* I'm not that naive

-"Superman"
moved audiences so much

it came to be called
the "9/11 anthem."

[ Cheers and applause ]

-When I walked off that stage,
music had changed for me

why music matters.

[ Cheers and applause ]

It's about how music
can transcend.

Soft-rock songs can do that.

And for many people,
"Superman" did.

And I'll always
be grateful for that.

-Hip-hop, Broadway, and 9/11

might have felt
like unlikely catalysts.

But an even more bizarre twist
awaited.

Soft rock's ship
was about to come in.

-Favorite yacht-rock song.

-I have so many, and I listened
to a few last night, actually.

-For Andy Cohen, John Mayer,

and music fans ready to party
like it was 1979,

the new century brought
a smooth wave of softness.

-There was yacht rock
when I was a kid,

but I don't think
we called it that back then.

-What is yacht rock?

-Yacht rock is the answer
for men

who don't want to identify
as soft-rock fans.

-Live like you have a boat,
even if you don't.

-Functional alcoholism,
I guess, on a yacht.

Just make sure whoever
is driving the yacht

is driving responsibly.

[ Horn blows ]

-I understand that yacht rock
is a derivative of soft rock.

-To me, soft rock and yacht rock
are the same thing.

-Yacht rock is a subgenre
of soft rock.

-I think there's a division
there between soft rock

and yacht rock
in the production,

the style,
the plushness of the records.

-* Sweet love showin' us
a heavenly light *

* Never seen
such a beautiful sight *

-It seems like such a weird,
amorphous term to me

at this point.

I have no idea
where it came from.

-It came from us
and our friends.

**

-Ladies, I want you to meet
Hall and Oates.

-Your music scene is
for pussies!

-The term "yacht rock"
did not exist

prior to us naming our show
that.

-Self-financed and shot
in its creators' homes

using friends as actors,

"Yacht Rock" was made in 2005
for an L.A. video competition

called "Channel 101."

The 5-minute DIY video
soon became a viral sensation

on a new online platform
called "YouTube."

-Oh, hi.
I'm "Hollywood" Steve.

Hi. I'm "Hollywood" Steve Huey.

-Hi.
I'm David B. Lyons.

I played Koko Goldstein.

And let me know if you need me
to pop off my shirt.

-Don't you dare lose the smooth.

-So, the idea of yacht rock

comes into vogue
in the mid-2000s,

and it's connected
to this web series.

that's comical because it's
portraying soft-rock musicians

as almost like superheroes
or macho guys.

-* ...have to make
some changes *

-So it's refuting
the stereotype.

You have, like, Daryl Hall
punching out Michael McDonald

or something.

-Let's do this!

Hall and Oates!

-They're amazing parodies.

-Jimmy Messina,
how's she blowing?

-Fuck you, Loggins!
[ Coughing ]

-Michael McDonald
being this, like,

overly earnest guy who just
loves soft rock so much.

-Ted, if I ever catch you
producing anything

but smooth music,
I'll quit singing forever.

-No worries there, my friend.

-The generation before us didn't
think of writing a soft-rock hit

as a hero's quest that
you could tell a story about.

-You like being in
the Doobie Brothers, right?

Then write us a hit song
like you promised!

-It's ridiculous,

but underneath
this ridiculousness

is a genuine enjoyment
of this music.

-The idea of writing
the "Yacht Rock" web series

was that we used
to have $1 vinyl records.

They were soft-rock
and yacht-rock records.

There was no demand for them
then.

-We'd start flipping through
them, and we would notice

that the same names kept
appearing on all the records.

-Michael McDonald
and Kenny Loggins

are the songwriting partnership

that really makes yacht rock
into a genre.

-You're a sentimental fool,
Kenny.

-And we based it off of the song
"What a Fool Believes."

-That's what a fool believes,
Kenny!

That's what --
that's what a fool believes.

-Which is the perfect yacht-rock
song.

-Co-written by Kenny Loggins
and Michael McDonald.

-* Sentimental fool
don't see *

* Tryin' hard to re-create
what had yet to be created *

-Shut the fuck up!

-It's been an interesting
paradox for me to be caught up

in the yacht-rock genre

that just sort of sprung
out of nowhere.

Mike and I hadn't really thought
about inventing

some kind of new rock 'n' roll,

but I think it's been
sort of framed that way.

-In the interview in 2007,

John Oates actually said
he believed yacht rock

helped introduce Hall and Oates
to a new audience.

-But really, guys,

why did you call it
"yacht rock"?

-From 1976 to 1984, the radio
airwaves were dominated

by really smooth music.

-You have this whole new
generation of studio musicians

that gave it this
kind of uniformity of sound

across different artists.

There's not a note
that's out of place.

Everything is
kind of meticulously produced.

It's so clean,
you can eat off it.

-If you're going to build
a yacht,

you're going to make it nice.

You're going to polish
that teak.

Everything's going
to be perfect.

-I think that yacht rock
became such a phenomenon

because everybody knew

we were supposed
to make fun of this music.

But then when you listen
to it -- Wait. What's happening?

I'm kind of enjoying this.

-* Steal away into the night

-* You can do magic

-* Thank you
for being a friend *

-And the more they listen to it,
the more they realize...

-"Hey, that song frickin' rips."

-"This is actually good music."

-This is the "Yacht Rock
Smooth 100."

-We started
a yacht-rock channel.

There is a whole generation
of people that grew up

listening to those records.

They got married
to those records.

They fell in love
to those records.

We listened to our audience.
They asked for it. They got it.

And it's doing extremely well.

Yacht rock is here to stay.

-Here's the thing
about trademarks.

You can only trademark something

if there is
an expectation of income.

And we had no expectation
of income off of a web series

containing a bunch
of copyrighted material.

So, we didn't trademark it,

and now it belongs
to the people.

-"Yacht" for $800.

-Who is Steely Dan?
-Yes.

-Fuck you!

-In the end, the music trumped
the humor...

-It's mellow but not smooth...
kind of shitty.

-Jimmy Buffett.

-...and created a monster.

-* It's gonna take a lot
to drag me away from you *

-There's a lot of cover bands
now

that are playing
at big venues...

-* Write to me and escape

-...and getting people
to put on a captain's hat

and really making
soft rock cool again.

-Sold-out shows
all across the country,

the Yacht Rock Revue.

-We started out
playing these songs,

and then all of a sudden

we find ourselves
sharing the stage with the guys

that wrote and sang these songs.

-The lead singer of a band
called Yacht Rock Revue said,

"Would you like to come down
and do two or three songs?"

The yacht what?

-* Baby, come back

* Any kind of fool could see

-I was amazed by what I saw.

There's, like,

thousands of people
with captain's hats on.

And the choruses,
they would come in...

-* She's go-o-ne

-* She's go-o-o-ne

-They're all, like, swinging
their beers and drunk

and having a great time.

They had Gary Wright.

They have
Little River Band, Ambrosia.

And I looked at this,
and I thought,

"This is like a movement."

-It's more than a movement.

Yacht rock is a lifestyle,
and it's for sale.

-I drink a lot of wine,
so I said, "Why don't we see

if we can get
Yacht Rock Wine and own it?"

**

Yacht Rock Wines'
Baby Come Back Bubbly.

I can't even count
the money I've made.

I'm kidding of course.
I've done okay.

-Yacht rock has kind of become
a badge of honor.

-I've grown a fondness for it.

It's just kind of weird
how music of the '70s

has kind of come back around.

**

-We're delighted to have with us
one of the music world's

most talented musician,
composers, singers,

and producers.

Put your hands together,
please, gang,

for Mr. Michael McDonald.

[ Applause ]

-* I can't hold on

* And I can't return

-By the time he was 17,

Michael McDonald
was backing up Chuck Berry.

-We'd get a record
in the afternoon,

and we'd work up the song.

And Chuck would come down
and play it in a different key.

And we'd be scrambling on stage
to just keep up with him.

-After backing up bands
like Steely Dan,

his appointment with soft-rock
destiny came with a call

from former bandmate
Jeff Baxter.

-I called Michael McDonald
and said,

"There's a plane ticket
waiting for you.

Pack up your piano.

You're now
in the Doobie Brothers."

[ Cheers and applause ]

-I found myself
in a situation.

I walked up in front of
for the first time

maybe 10,000 people
or something.

And I was singing lead.

[ Playing "Jesus is Just Alright
with Me" ]

-What first caught my ear
was that voice.

First time he opened his mouth,
I went...

[ Gasps ]

-* I don't care
what they may say *

* Jesus is just alright,
oh, yeah *

-This totally black voice coming
out of this little white guy.

And I'm like, "Yeah, alright."

**

-The Doobie Brothers were big,
but they got even bigger

when Michael McDonald became
more of their front person.

-After 1977's
"Livin' on the Fault Line,"

the Doobies followed
McDonald's soulful lead.

But as a perfectionist,
it was hard

for him to enjoy the accolades.

-I think a lot of the pressure
I felt about being in the band

was kind of self-imposed.

For creative people, sometimes
they're their own worst enemy.

-Michael McDonald had elevated
the Doobies' popularity

but still felt the pressure
to write his own hits.

Then, an unlikely collaborator
showed up at his door,

and together they would
change soft rock forever.

-I had heard
Mike McDonald's music

from the Doobie Brothers'
"Livin' on a Fault Line" album,

and I knew immediately that I
wanted to write with this guy,

And I was invited over
to his house.

-And all I could think of was,

"What am I going to play
this guy?"

because, you know,
he's such a great writer.

-And his front door was ajar,

and I heard him playing
the piano, and he had that...

[ Humming
"What a Fool Believes" ]

**

-It was "What a Fool Believes."

-I was playing it for my sister,

and he heard me
playing through the door.

-Knocked on the door,
shake hands, and I said,

"What was that thing
you were just playing?"

-I didn't necessarily have
a sense that it was a great song

when I wrote it,
but it was about the best idea

I had going at the time,
at least finished.

-And so we jumped
over the piano,

and he showed me what he had.

-* He came from somewhere
back in her long ago *

* The sentimental fool
don't see *

* Tryin' hard to re-create
what had yet to be created *

And from there it was just
a great relationship.

* He never made her think...

-I like to say that we were
writing together

before we met.

-* As he rises to her apology,
anybody... *

-"What a Fool Believes" is not
your typical verse,

"B" section, chorus.

When you hear a song like that,
you go, and you record it.

-* What a fool believes...

-But "Minute by Minute"
took many months

and many band
disagreements to produce.

At first, not everyone
dug the results.

-I remember playing at home
for a friend of mine.

I said,
"Well, what do you think?"

And he goes,
"It's a piece of shit."

He goes, "It sucks."

And I remember thinking,
"I think he's right."

-As usual,
the critics were wrong.

-The Doobie Brothers' "Minute
by Minute" album was so huge

that it made
the Michael McDonald sound

the sound of the moment.

-Song of the Year is...
"What a Fool Believes."

[ Cheers and applause ]

-But the Doobies broke up
after just one more album,

leaving McDonald free

to collaborate
with stars like Loggins...

-* This is it

-* Make no mistake
where you are *

-* Yah mo B there
-...James Ingram...

-* Bup-bi-no

-* On my own
-...and Patti LaBelle.

-* You walked out
and there went my life *

-As soft rock's popularity
fizzled,

McDonald's credibility tanked
almost as fast as it had risen.

-* I keep forgetting...

-* Yah mo B there

* Whup and no

-* Changin' the bedroom sheets

-* Changing
the bedroom sheets *

-* Changing them

**

-But with successful
Doobies' reunion tours

and a boost from yacht rock,

McDonald emerged as the newly
beloved face of soft rock.

**

-Michael McDonald played
with Thundercat at Coachella,

and the minute
he sang the chorus,

the place erupted like it
was the Beatles

at the Hollywood Bowl.

People lost their minds.

-* I keep forgettin', yeah

* Every time you're near

* Every time I see you smile

During the '80s,
we were like lepers.

So, no one's more amazed
than myself

that we're still out there
playing music.

It's what we love to do.

-* I keep forgetting

-And the fact that we get
to do it is really remarkable.

-Thank you guys so much.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Michael McDonald!

-* And we'll share
tomorrow together *

-* And we'll share tomorrow
together *

-With rappers, Broadway,
and viral visionaries

sailing away on soft rock,
TV finally got on board.

Singing shows like
"American Idol" debuted

with a heavy dose
of mellow classics

and no apologies.

-* Forever

-You don't look like a pop star,
but you got a great voice.

-Yeah, weird. It's wild.

-So now what?

-What do you mean, "Now what?"

More soft rock, obviously.

-The most soft-rocking season
of "American Idol" was season 2,

which is one of
the most popular seasons.

The top two were Clay Aiken
and Ruben Studdard,

who I do think quite graciously
embraced artists

from the soft-rock world.

-* I could not love you
any better *

* I love you just the way
you are *

[ Cheers and applause ]

-And in season 9
of "American Idol,"

Kris Allen won,

then ushering in
what "The New York Times"

declared
the triumph of soft rock.

-Instead of using them
as punch lines,

"Idol" and similar shows treated
guests like Neil Sedaka...

-You sing like Andre Agassi
plays tennis.

-Oh, wow!

-...Barry Manilow,
and Lionel Richie

like the legends they were.

-Lionel Richie is like my guy.

Lionel Richie.
Mmm!

**

-But no show brought soft rock

more unapologetic
mainstream press

than the one centered
around an Ohio high school

with a strangely extroverted
student body.

-* At the Copa, Copacabana

* The hottest spot north
of Havana *

-Here, we're talking 2022,

and Barry Manilow is getting
critical love letters.

-I love Barry Manilow.

I believe he's underappreciated,
has amazing hair,

and has done a hell of a lot
of good for this world

through his light-rock talent.

**

-The emerging Internet culture
was quick to embrace soft rock.

Daryl Hall's YouTube sensation
"Daryl's House" was so popular,

stars from all genres lined up
to perform

with the man finally recognized
as a songwriting genius.

-* It isn't so

-* Don't have to say

-* It isn't so

-It wasn't just
pop artists paying tribute.

**

Soft-rock samples have morphed
from '90's rap curiosity

to 2000's hip-hop mainstay.

-It got a lot
to do with melody --

melody and the groove.

You know what I'm saying?

What we do, we just don't take
just a whole piece of the song.

We do what we call
"creative sampling,"

chop it up, and flip the melody.

And once you get that melody
in place with the drums,

the opportunities
to the song are limitless.

-Kanye says, "You like
piña coladas,

getting caught in the rain."

-* You like piña coladas,
getting caught in the rain,

or rockin' flannels all summer
like Kurt Cobain? *

-I crop up in a lot
of rap records,

and some of my drum beats
are the basis

of a lot of rap records.

-For something to be good enough

to still resonate
with you years later,

but to be good enough to
actually take a piece of it

and be able to make
something else from it,

that takes a really
special creation.

**

You know, a lot of girls
be thinking

my songs are about them.

-* Baby, baby,
fallin' in love *

-Big Sean sampled
"How Much I Feel"

and was kind enough
to give me 50% credit.

-* How much I feel

-* I feel for your lovin'

-* Lit for your love, baby

* Lit for your love

-That really touched me
because you realize,

"Boy, you've
reached another generation."

-* Oh, oh, oh,
after the love is gone *

-Earth, Wind & Fire, we did
a show called "Verzuz."

And a lot of the younger people,
they only knew us from sampling.

They never heard the full song.

Sampling actually introduced us
to another audience.

**

-Sampled and covered
by dozens of artists...

-* Want it with me?

* That's unheard of

* Now it's gonna reign down
murder *

-* Fast living, good weed,
bad women *

* Rollin' up joints
with hash in 'em *

-...Toto's "Africa"
has been reborn

as the 21st-century
soft-rock anthem.

-"Africa" has really taken on
a new life in the digital age.

Last time I checked,
the original video

had something like
768 million views on YouTube.

It's been covered
by Cee-Lo, Weezer.

It's been sampled by Ja Rule,
Wiz Khalifa, Xzibit,

Nas, Jason Derulo, JoJo -- at
least 41 covered versions of it.

-* It's gonna take a lot
to drag me away from you *

-* There's nothing that
a hundred men or more... *

-* Could ever do

* I bless the rains...
-* Down in Africa

**

-"Africa" wasn't
the stereotypical representation

about Africa.

They didn't put a white guy
in it

and put a bunch of jungle people
around him and stuff like that.

It was a representation
of Africa

that was beautiful,
calm, peaceful, and poetic.

-* I'm all out of love
from my old insurance *

* Switched to Esurance

* They're saving me so much

-Today, soft rock is featured
in everything

from breezy commercials
to TV sitcoms.

-I was so close to Daryl Hall
and John Oates.

-* Whoa-oh, here she comes

-What the hell, man?

-You like Phil Collins?

-I've got two ears
and a heart, don't I?

-Free from haters
and so-bad-it's-good irony,

soft rock finally
just feels right.

-Can you sing "Say You, Say Me"
but make it about beer?

-Sure, I guess.

* Hey, you, beer me

* Beer me for always

**

-* It's only right

that you should play
the way you feel it *

-Hey, everyone.

Anthony Fantano here, the
Internet's busiest music nerd.

My audience is mostly just

like mid-to-younger millennials
and zoomers.

Their awareness of soft rock,

they're coming into it
without that baggage.

So, it's not like
preconditioning them

to be repulsed by it in any way,

and they're just kind of taking
it for what it is.

-Oh-hoo!
Come to Daddy.

-Eventually,
even aggressive video games

found a place for the smooth
sounds of soft rock.

-I'd heard some sort of negative
stuff about Grand Theft Auto

being super-violent.

Then I asked my kids,
and they said,

"Dad, it's pop culture.
It's the essence of pop culture.

You've got to do it."

I did some intros as the DJ
on that video game...

Loggins here playing
the soundtrack to your life.

Don't be afraid
to sing along now.

You know you love it, and I love
that you know it.

...that introduced my own songs.

I'm all right, baby.
Nobody worry about me.

The kids
probably didn't give a damn

about what I was playing
on the radio.

-* Hello, it's me

-Soft-rock classics in movies...

-* A-afternoon delight

-...have brought
in new audiences

eager to explore the bands
behind the songs.

-* What I want, you got,
and it might be hard to handle *

-I smoked pot
with Johnny Hopkins.

-You don't know anyone
named Johnny Hopkins.

-I got a call
from the publicist,

and he said, "There's a movie
called 'Step Brothers,'

and Will Ferrell
is wearing your T-shirt

the first 10 minutes
of the movie."

-Hey.
-Hey.

-It was crazy how many people
wanted to know

about Pablo Cruise
after that movie.

It just rekindled
the whole excitement

for Pablo Cruise
through the shirt.

-We've been in a couple
of Ryan Reynolds' movies --

"Van Wilder"...

-* I'm all out of love

* I'm so lost without you

-Dope song.

-...and "Deadpool 2."

-* I'm all out of love

* What am I without you?

-He must have a soft spot for us
or something.

-* If you like piña coladas

-The trick in show business
is just don't die.

Just don't die.
Eventually, you'll be beloved.

[ Playing "Benny and the Jets" ]

-Don't worry.
Soft rock isn't going to die.

In fact, a whole new generation
is already breathing life

into the genre,
making it all seem fresh again.

-* Benny and the Jets

**

-[ Laughs ]

Hi. I'm Ray Parker Jr.,
writer and performer.

-Soft-rock artists are still the
target of the occasional joke.

..."Ghostbusters."

-[ Laughs ]

I saw the Jordan Peele thing.
That was really funny.

-* Jumanji,

there's a lion in my house *

-But they also exert a major
influence on current stars.

-* I'mma leave the door open

-* Never break the chain

-* Thunder only happens
when it's raining *

-* ...is my song and...

-And for today's artists,
no one provides

a direct connection
to soft rock like Elton John.

-* And you can tell everybody

-* You can tell everybody

* Go ahead and tell everybody

-* Hold me closer...

-Hello, Sir Elton John --

we are like number one
in 40 countries.

Holy shit!

-* Cold, cold heart

-You released a song
with none other

than Sir Elton John.
-Yes.

Every time I say it,

I think it's the craziest thing
in the world.

-Elton, I'm available, too.
[ Laughter ]

-* Tell me,
did you sail across the sun? *

-The "Drops of Jupiter" string
arrangement was inspired

by Elton John songs.

-* Did you fall
from a shooting star? *

-* Hold me closer, tiny dancer

-Paul Buckmaster did
all those Elton songs.

-* Count the headlights
on the highway *

-And Paul put the strings
strings on "Drops of Jupiter."

-The culture is embracing
soft rock for what it is.

It's soft. It's fuzzy.

It has been given a bad rap,

but it's fun to see
that it's being loved again.

-There are so many elements
of soft rock

in what the Weeknd does.

-* In your eyes...

-He did a remix of
"In Your Eyes" with Kenny G.

**

It's so soft rock.

**

And the Weeknd's
follow-up album,

it's called "Dawn FM."

-* The last few months,
I've been working on me, baby *

-And it has Jim Carrey talking
in this soothing FM-radio voice.

-Here's 3 minutes of easy
listening to some slow tracks

on 103.5, Dawn FM.

**

-Welcome to "Sob Rock."

-John Mayer's new album,
"Sob Rock" --

I loved it the second
I heard the name

because I was like, "Oh, John."

He's paying tribute to this
genre of music

that will always be
near and dear to our hearts.

-* Might be now,
and it might be never *

* It's just another
shot in the dark *

-Especially with the whole look
and feel of it,

he's kind of reintroducing

a new generation
to the soft-rock genre.

-* I'm 15 for a moment

You know, soft rock has that
connotation of not cool.

Everybody wants to be
Jimmy Page or Robert Plant.

I do.

Not some guy sitting
at a piano singing a song.

* We only got a hundred years
to live *

There is vulnerability
in those songs,

but a real man knows how to cry.

And you write what you feel.

And if you're honest,
people hear that.

And there's some integrity
in that.

-"A Girl, a Bottle, a Boat"

was an attempt to do
a modern-day soft-rock record.

-* Play that song

* The one that makes me go
all night long *

And "AM Gold"
was also a throwback album.

* You are AM gold

To me, soft rock doesn't mean
lacking in tempo.

It just means
it sounds authentic,

and you're not trying too hard.

That's kind of what

I've always thought of
as that soft-rock sound.

-Ladies and gentlemen, Tennis!

-A new generation
of soft rockers

is following the trail
the originals blazed...

-* Every little feeling
that I've never known *

-...and is taking the genre
to new places.

-People are longing
for this nostalgic world

that they were
kind of never a part of.

* I can't help it

* All the times
were never better *

My project, Ginger Root,

I often describe
as aggressive elevator soul.

-* You said I know
what the seasons bring *

It's harkening back
to the '70's, '80's soft rock...

* Loretta

...but offering a modern twist.

**

-* Heaven knows
why it never goes

how you want it to *

I have this quite
ridiculous T-shirt

which I sell at my shows
that says,

"And on the seventh day,
God created soft rock."

I use the term "soft rock"
for my music

because it's on the gentler,
more sensitive side.

* Don't know where to start

And it also feels playful
to say soft rock.

-When I was growing up
in my household,

my parents only listened
to soft rock primarily.

* Drive
but it don't feel right *

My dad really liked James Taylor
and Stevie Winwood.

My mom was obsessed with
Carole King, the Carpenters.

* Not the same song
you remember *

And I wanted to make music
that my parents like

because soft rock,
it's how we always connected.

**

[ Cheers and applause ]

-* And when you need me,
darling, can't you hear me... *

-Bringing generations
together...

-* I'm all out of love

-...the OGs of soft rock
are still packing venues...

-We've created this legion
of fans.

-They love us, you know.

"When are you coming back
to this place and that place?"

because they keep
an eye on us daily.

-Barry Manilow is getting ready
for his big return

to the Vegas stage.

-...and selling out shows...

-* Oh, listen to the music

-* What you gonna do
when she says goodbye? *

-...and recording new music.

-During COVID,
I wrote my new album

"On the Other Side of Here,"

and I continue
to record new songs.

Also, writing
with a lot of artists

that are making
their debut albums.

So, I'm pretty busy.

-For 50 years, our careers
have been so blessed

doing what we always wanted
to do ever since we were kids,

and we still love
making new music together.

-I recorded
a brand-new solo album.

I think it's the best thing
I've ever written

and recorded in my life.

-You never get out
of this business.

It's a lot like being
in the mob.

You know, we take a blood oath.

-They're playwriting...

-"The Nutty Professor" by
Tony Award winner Rupert Holmes.

-I'll keep doing this until
they catch on to me and say,

"That's enough of that, please."

-...and they're performing.

At age 80, Toni Tennille
is returning to the stage

as Dolly in the Yavapai College
Theater's production

of "Hello, Dolly."

-I love that character.

I just had a feeling
I could do something special.

-Many at long last
are getting their accolades.

-The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
is the Holy Grail,

as far as I'm concerned.

-Today, Hollywood honors
Ray Parker Jr.

When I was a kid, I'd walk up
and down Hollywood Boulevard,

never dreaming that one day
they're going to put my name

on one of those stars.

That's just one of the biggest
honors ever.

**

-A true core vibration
of who we are as people

is in all of these
soft-rock songs.

-* Baby, come back

-Soft-rock songs are great
songs by great songwriters.

-Can't many do it like that.
Wow!

-Reaching new audiences
through social media...

-There's a reason those songs
are still here 50 years later.

**

They tend to stand
the test of time.

**

-Soft rock ages well.

You can play America, Chicago,
Fleetwood Mac.

It doesn't feel dated.

The messages remain
very real and vibrant.

**

They're sort of this
permanent part of the culture.

**

-Okay, let's take it
from the top again

one more time, please.

-* Love is in the air

-This sucks! Change it!

-* Everywhere I look around

-In the end,
despite all the mockery...

-* Love is in the air

-...the legacy of soft rock
is in the music.

-KNX-FM with a cut from Cat
Stevens' new album, "Numbers."

-...but also in the connection
it gives us to our past,

ourselves, and to each other
every time we touch.

-* Love is in the air

-Soft-rock music
is soothing and comforting.

-* Love is in the air

-It's always had that effect
on our society.

-The music and the melody
evokes emotion.

It makes you feel a certain
type of way.

-Every time you hear it, you go,
"God, you got me again."

-* Love is in the air

-Soft rock speaks
to your humanity.

-* Love is in the air

-Whether it's Shakespeare
or soft rock,

at the end of the day, the thing
we all yearn for is love.

-* But it's something
that I must believe in *

-Like it or not,
we're all we got.

We're all different,
but we need each other.

-It's the stories, man.
It's the stories.

Soft rock is the perfect vehicle

for connections
between human beings.

Until something else
comes along, that's it.

-* Love is in the air

* Love is in the air

* Oh-oh, yeah