History Main / SoftRock

Soft rock is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin; {{Rock}} music with a gentler, quieter, and (most often, but not always) more commercial sound. Like [[HardRock its opposite counterpart]] in rock music, soft rock isn't necessarily a specific SubGenre, but tends to refer to all rock music that falls on the lower levels on the SlidingScale/MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness, ranging from FolkRock to lighter forms of [[JazzFusion Jazz rock]], to even lighter forms of {{New Wave|Music}} and AlternativeRock

Soft rock is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin; {{Rock}} music with a gentler, quieter, and (most often, but not always) more commercial sound. Like [[HardRock its opposite counterpart]] in rock music, soft rock isn't necessarily a specific sub-genre, but tends to refer to all rock music that falls on the lower levels on the SlidingScale/MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness, ranging from FolkRock to lighter forms of [[JazzFusion Jazz rock]], to even lighter forms of {{New Wave|Music}} and AlternativeRock

** 1982 - ''Music/{{Avalon}}''

** 1979 - ''Music/{{Tusk}}''

* Music/{{Bread}}: Also dabbled a bit in PowerPop

* Music/{{Bread}}

Soft rock was at its highest popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, (ironically at the same time hard rock was) with some of the most notable soft rock artists including Music/BillyJoel and Music/EltonJohn. During this time, was frequently crossed with JazzFusion, {{Disco}}, and {{Soul}}. These combinations lead to a specific sub-genre, retroactively known as "Yacht rock", after [[WebVideo/YachtRock the web video series of the same name]], which includes Soul- and {{Funk}}-influenced rock bands and musicians who put strong emphasis on the use of electric pianos and package their songs under lush and polished productions, notably Music/SteelyDan, Music/TheDoobieBrothers under Michael [=McDonald=] (who himself also has worked with Steely Dan), Christopher Cross, Music/DarylHallAndJohnOates, Music/CaptainAndTennille, Rupert Holmes, and Music/{{Toto}}, among many others. A number of other artists who haven't been described as Yacht rock by any sources, but do fit into the genre, include Music/BarryManilow, Paul Anka's later output, Music/PhilCollins and Music/{{Genesis}} in the 1980s (whose music also overlaps with New Wave). Some black RAndB and Soul artists with rock-crossover music have also been described as Yacht rock (or alternatively, Yacht ''soul''), such as Music/EarthWindAndFire, Peabo Bryson, etc., That said, not all Yacht rock songs are necessarily soft rock, as there are some rare hard rock songs with yacht rock elements, such as "Hold the Line" by Toto and Music/ManfredMann's version of "[[Music/BruceSpringsteen Blinded By The Light]]".

Soft rock is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin; {{Rock}} music with a gentler, quieter, and (most often, but not always) more commercial sound. Like [[HardRock its opposite counterpart]] in Rock music, soft rock isn't necessarily a specific sub-genre, but tends to refer to all rock music that falls on the lower levels on the SlidingScale/MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness, ranging from FolkRock to lighter forms of [[JazzFusion Jazz rock]], to even lighter forms of {{New Wave|Music}} and AlternativeRock

Also like Hard rock, soft rock came to be recognized as a distinct style by the late [[TheSixties 1960s]], but elements of it could be found as early as 1950s RockAndRoll, with two notable examples being "Everyday" by Music/BuddyHolly, and "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" by Music/PaulAnka. Whereas Hard rock was primarily influenced by BluesRock and PsychedelicRock (although plenty of blues-influenced soft rock songs exist), Soft rock was primarily influenced by Folk rock and the piano-driven varieties of rock n'roll. One notable sub-genre that also influenced Soft rock was Brill Building pop, named after the New York City building where a bunch of top music publishers had their offices. Brill Building pop included elements of traditional pop and jazz, Tin Pan Alley music, and of course, Rock n'roll and DooWop. Some of the well-known songwriters of the Brill Building genre included the aforementioned Paul Anka, Music/BobbyDarin, Music/NeilSedaka, Music/CaroleKing, and even Music/NeilDiamond (the latter two as well as Paul Anka would coincidentally later have success as 1970s Soft rock singer-songwriters).

Music/TheBeatles and Music/TheBeachBoys, who were influenced directly by Brill Building pop as well sharing the main influences of the Brill Building, laid much of the groundwork for Soft Rock in the ballad side of their catalogs, especially when it came to the use of highly melodic music and vocal harmonies. 1964 was a watershed year, with The Beatles recording "And I Love Her" and "If I Fell", and The Beach Boys doing "Don't Worry Baby", which were arguably the first true Soft Rock hits.

Soft rock was at its highest popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, (ironically at the same time Hard rock was) with some of the most notable soft rock artists including Music/BillyJoel and Music/EltonJohn. During this time, was frequently crossed with JazzFusion, {{Disco}}, and {{Soul}}. These combinations lead to a specific sub-genre, retroactively known as "Yacht rock", after [[WebVideo/YachtRock the web video series of the same name]], which includes Soul- and {{Funk}}-influenced rock bands and musicians who put strong emphasis on the use of electric pianos and package their songs under lush and polished productions, notably Music/SteelyDan, Music/TheDoobieBrothers under Michael [=McDonald=] (who himself also has worked with Steely Dan), Christopher Cross, Music/DarylHallAndJohnOates, Music/CaptainAndTennille, Rupert Holmes, and Music/{{Toto}}, among many others. A number of other artists who haven't been described as Yacht rock by any sources, but do fit into the genre, include Music/BarryManilow, Paul Anka's later output, Music/PhilCollins and Music/{{Genesis}} in the 1980s (whose music also overlaps with New Wave). Some black RAndB and Soul artists with Rock-crossover music have also been described as Yacht rock (or alternatively, Yacht ''soul''), such as Music/EarthWindAndFire, Peabo Bryson, etc., That said, not all Yacht rock songs are necessarily soft rock, as there are some rare Hard rock songs with yacht rock elements, such as "Hold the Line" by Toto and Music/ManfredMann's version of "[[Music/BruceSpringsteen Blinded By The Light]]".

Another sub-genre of soft rock would be SophistiPop, which has its own page. Like Yacht rock, Sophisti-pop is slickly produced and takes influences from Soul and Jazz, except that it is based on NewWaveMusic. A few notable Sophisti-pop bands have also been described as Yacht rock, such as Music/SpandauBallet and Music/{{Sade}}. Donald Fagan, of prominent Yacht rock band Steely Dan, would turn to Sophisti-pop in his solo output.

Despite the fact that they're both technically, well, Rock, Hard rock and soft rock tend to be mutually exclusive, with [[FandomRivalry some Hard rock fans]] blasting soft rock for [[RockIsAuthenticPopIsShallow being "not real rock 'n' roll" and being "pop"]]. The [[CondemnedByHistory initial fall of disco]] in the 1980s and the DiscoSucks trope as well as the frequent crossover with soft rock and disco has not helped. That said, there are people who enjoy both, and a good chunk of Hard rock bands and even some HeavyMetal ones have made soft rock songs. Typically, a PowerBallad refers to when more straightfoward rock bands and artists perform soft rock songs. Soft rock was also a way for older traditional pop crooners, such as Music/FrankSinatra and Creator/SammyDavisJr to be able to cross over into Rock music without alienating their fans. "Middle-of-the-road" and "Easy Listening" are terms and radio formats that describe some pop music that blurs the line between the softest soft rock, like those of Barry Manilow, Paul Anka, and Music/TheCarpenters, and the big band and traditional pop music performed by crooners from the 1950s to 1970s. In modern pop music, the term "Adult Contemporary" has taken its place, referring to artists blurring the line between soft rock, pop music, and Contemporary R&B, such as Music/CelineDion, Music/RichardMarx, and Music/GeorgeMichael.

Interestingly, a number of {{Country|Music}} artists have crossed over into Rock music with soft rock, such as Music/KennyRogers and vice-versa with rock bands such as Music/{{Eagles}} crossing over with country music. Country did play a big role in the development of Rock n'roll after all.

* BaroquePop: Rock or Pop music influenced by ClassicalMusic, many examples also fall into soft rock.
* ChristianRock: Lots of Contemporary Christian Music takes direct inspiration from Soft Rock, the broad commercial appeal and generally upbeat sound blending well with the Christian content in the lyrics.

* PowerBallad: A specific type of song, usually soft rock, performed by Rock bands whose style usually doesn't fall into soft rock.

* Music/RonnieMilsap: He started off doing {{Soul}}, then switched to CountryMusic, but always had a strong Soft Rock vibe.
* Creator/AnthonyNewley: The Broadway composer and actor best known for his musicals such as ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'', he started out his musical career with 1950s and early 1960s Rock n'roll, starring as an Music/{{Elvis|Presley}} {{expy}} in the film ''Idol On Parade'', and he has made several middle-of-the-road and BaroquePop-styled soft-rock songs throughout his career, mostly in the 1970s, both with standalone songs and his own recordings of songs from his musicals.

* Music/TheDoobieBrothers: Specifically with Michael [=McDonald=] as the FaceOfTheBand.

** 1977 - ''Music/{{Aja}}''

* Music/{{Genesis|Band}}: Their output with Phil Collins as the FaceOfTheBand.[[note]] That said, Phil Collins' solo output is far more strictly categorized as soft rock as opposed to Genesis. [[/note]]

* * Music/{{Gowan}}

* England Dan and John Ford Coley: England Dan was Music/DanSeals, who later made a successful switch to CountryMusic
* Donald Fagen: One half of Music/SteelyDan

Soft rock was at its highest popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, (ironically at the same time Hard rock was) with some of the most notable soft rock artists including Music/BillyJoel and Music/EltonJohn. During this time, was frequently crossed with JazzFusion, {{Disco}}, and {{Soul}}. These combinations lead to a specific sub-genre, retroactively known as "Yacht rock", which includes Soul- and {{Funk}}-influenced rock bands and musicians who put strong emphasis on the use of electric pianos and package their songs under lush and polished productions, notably Music/SteelyDan, Music/TheDoobieBrothers under Michael [=McDonald=] (who himself also has worked with Steely Dan), Christopher Cross, Music/DarylHallAndJohnOates, Music/CaptainAndTennille, Rupert Holmes, and Music/{{Toto}}, among many others. A number of other artists who haven't been described as Yacht rock by any sources, but do fit into the genre, include Music/BarryManilow, Paul Anka's later output, Music/PhilCollins and Music/{{Genesis}} in the 1980s (whose music also overlaps with New Wave). Some black RAndB and Soul artists with Rock-crossover music have also been described as Yacht rock (or alternatively, Yacht ''soul''), such as Music/EarthWindAndFire, Peabo Bryson, etc., That said, not all Yacht rock songs are necessarily soft rock, as there are some rare Hard rock songs with yacht rock elements, such as "Hold the Line" by Toto and Music/ManfredMann's version of "[[Music/BruceSpringsteen Blinded By The Light]]".

Soft rock was at its highest popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, (ironically at the same time Hard rock was) with some of the most notable soft rock artists including Music/BillyJoel and Music/EltonJohn. During this time, was frequently crossed with JazzFusion, {{Disco}}, and {{Soul}}. These combinations lead to a specific sub-genre, retroactively known as "Yacht rock", which includes Soul and {{Funk}} influenced rock bands and musicians who put strong emphasis on the use of electric pianos, notably Music/SteelyDan, Music/TheDoobieBrothers under Michael [=McDonald=] (who himself also has worked with Steely Dan), Music/ChristopherCross, Music/DarylHallAndJohnOates, Music/CaptainAndTennille, Music/RupertHolmes, and Music/{{Toto}}, among many others. A number of other artists who haven't been described as Yacht rock by any sources, but do fit into the genre, include Music/BarryManilow, Paul Anka's later output, Music/PhilCollins and Music/{{Genesis}} in the 1980s (whose music also overlaps with New Wave). Some black RAndB and Soul artists with Rock-crossover music have also been described as Yacht rock (or alternatively, Yacht ''soul''), such as Music/EarthWindAndFire, Music/PeaboBryson, etc., That said, not all Yacht rock songs are necessarily soft rock, as there are some rare Hard rock songs with yacht rock elements, such as "Hold the Line" by Toto and Music/ManfredMann's version of "[[Music/BruceSpringsteen Blinded By The Light]]".

Another sub-genre of soft rock would be SophistiPop, which has its own page. SophistiPop is basically softer NewWaveMusic, and a few notable Sophisti-pop bands have also been described as Yacht rock, such as Music/SpandauBallet and Music/{{Sade}}.

* Music/TheAssociation

* Music/LeonardCohen
** 1967 - ''Music/SongsOfLeonardCohen''
** 1969 - ''Music/SongsFromARoom''
** 1971 - ''Music/SongsOfLoveAndHate''
** 1974 - ''Music/NewSkinForTheOldCeremony''
** 1977 - ''Music/DeathOfALadiesMan''
** 1992 - ''Music/TheFuture''

* Music/ChristopherCross

* Music/EnglandDanAndJohnFordColey: England Dan was Music/DanSeals, who later made a successful switch to CountryMusic
* Music/DonaldFagen

* Music/FiveForFighting

* Music/{{Gowan}}

* Music/DonHenley
* Music/ChrisIsaak

* Music/LittleRiverBand
* Music/{{Lobo}}

* Music/GilbertOSullivan
* Music/PabloCruise
* Music/TheAlanParsonsProject
** 1977 - ''Music/IRobot''

* Music/{{Sade}}
* Music/LeoSayer
* Music/BozScaggs: Started out doing {{Blues}}, but had his biggest success with this
* Music/SealsAndCrofts

* Music/ThreeDogNight

** 1986 - ''InvisibleTouch''

* [[Music/CrosbyStillsNashAndYoung Crosby, Stills and Nash]]: Particularly in ''CSN'' and ''Daylight Again''

Also like Hard rock, soft rock came to be recognized as a distinct style by the late [[TheSixties 1960s]], but elements of it could be found as early as 1950s RockAndRoll, with two notable examples being "Everyday" by Music/BuddyHolly, and "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" by Music/PaulAnka. Whereas Hard rock was primarily influenced by BluesRock and PsychedelicRock (although plenty of blues-influenced soft rock songs exist), Soft rock was primarily influenced by Folk rock and the piano-driven varieties of rock n'roll. One notable sub-genre that also influenced Soft rock was Brill Building pop, named after the building of the same name in New York City. Brill Building pop included elements of traditional pop and jazz, Tin Pan Alley music, and of course, Rock n'roll and DooWop. Some of the well-known songwriters of the Brill Building genre included the aforementioned Paul Anka, Music/BobbyDarin, Music/NeilSedaka, Music/CaroleKing, and even Music/NeilDiamond (the latter two as well as Paul Anka would coincidentally later have success as 1970s Soft rock singer-songwriters).

* Music/RonnieMilsap

* Music/BozScaggs

* Music/EltonJohn

Soft rock was at its highest popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, (ironically at the same time Hard rock was) with some of the most notable soft rock artists including Music/BillyJoel and Music/EltonJohn. During this time, was frequently crossed with JazzFusion, Disco, and {{Soul}}. These combinations lead to a specific sub-genre, retroactively known as "Yacht rock", which includes Soul and {{Funk}} influenced rock bands and musicians who put strong emphasis on the use of electric pianos, notably Music/SteelyDan, Music/TheDoobieBrothers under Michael [=McDonald=] (who himself also has worked with Steely Dan), Music/ChristopherCross, Music/DarylHallAndJohnOates, Music/CaptainAndTennille, Music/RupertHolmes, and Music/{{Toto}}, among many others. A number of other artists who haven't been described as Yacht rock by any sources, but do fit into the genre, include Music/BarryManilow, Paul Anka's later output, Music/PhilCollins and Music/{{Genesis}} in the 1980s (whose music also overlaps with New Wave). Some black RAndB and Soul artists with Rock-crossover music have also been described as Yacht rock (or alternatively, Yacht ''soul''), such as Music/EarthWindAndFire, Music/PeaboBryson, etc., That said, not all Yacht rock songs are necessarily soft rock, as there are some rare Hard rock songs with yacht rock elements, such as "Hold the Line" by Toto and Music/ManfredMann's version of "[[Music/BruceSpringsteen Blinded By The Light]]".

Despite the fact that they're both technically, well, Rock, Hard rock and soft rock tend to be mutually exclusive, [[FandomRivalry with some Hard rock fans]] [[RockIsAuthenticPopIsShallow blasting soft rock for being "not real Rock n'roll" and being "pop"]]. The [[CondemnedByHistory initial fall of Disco]] in the 1980s and the DiscoSucks trope as well as the frequent crossover with soft rock and Disco has not helped. That said, there are people who enjoy both, and a good chunk of Hard rock bands and even some HeavyMetal ones have made soft rock songs. Typically, a PowerBallad refers to when more straighfoward rock bands and artists perform soft rock songs. Soft rock was also a way for older traditional pop crooners, such as Music/FrankSinatra and Creator/SammyDavisJr to be able to cross over into Rock music without alienating their fans. "Middle-of-the-road" and "Easy Listening" are terms and radio formats that describe some pop music that blurs the line between the softest soft rock, like those of Barry Manilow, Paul Anka, and Music/TheCarpenters, and the big band and traditional pop music performed by crooners from the 1950s to 1970s. In modern pop music, the term "Adult Contemporary" has taken its place, referring to artists blurring the line between soft rock, pop music, and Contemporary R&B, such as Music/CelineDion, Music/RichardMarx, and Music/GeorgeMichael.