Line #75 Main/SoftRock


1	[floatboxright:
2	Primary Stylistic Influences:
3	+ Pop rock, FolkRock, {{Country\|Music}} rock, DooWop (specifically Brill Building pop), Piano-based varieties of RockAndRoll)
4	]
5	[floatboxright:
6	Secondary Stylistic Influences:
7	+ {{Soul}}, {{Jazz}} (both older jazz and JazzFusion), RAndB, Middle-of-the-road and Easy listening music, BaroquePop
8	]
9
10	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 MediaNotes/MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness, ranging from FolkRock to lighter forms of [[JazzFusion Jazz rock]], to even lighter forms of {{New Wave\|Music}} and AlternativeRock
11
12	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).
13
14	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.
15
16	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\|Band}} 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]]".
17
18	Another sub-genre of soft rock would be SophistiPop, a mostly UK-based movement 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 and attracted more uniform praise from critics, who generally maligned yacht rock until the mid-2010s. 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.
19
20	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.
21
22	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.
23
24	Related Tropes and styles:
25
26	* AwardBaitSong: A kind of pop song usually performed in films, most notably animated films such as Creator/{{Disney}} and Creator/DonBluth films, performed in a soft rock style. "Somewhere Out There" from ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'' and "A Whole New World" from ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' are well-known examples.
27	* BaroquePop: Rock or pop music influenced by ClassicalMusic, many examples also fall into soft rock.
28	* 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.
29	* CityPop: A Japanese genre of pop music that took inspiration from soft rock, funk, disco, soul, and polynesian music, and is often described as [[TransatlanticEquivalent the Japanese counterpart]] of both yacht rock and Sophisti-pop.
30	* PowerBallad: A specific type of song, usually soft rock, performed by rock bands whose style usually doesn't fall into soft rock.
31	* SophistiPop: A sub-genre of NewWaveMusic that takes strong cues from JazzFusion and jazz and soul-influenced varieties of soft rock.
32	* SurprisinglyGentleSong: When a HardRock or HeavyMetal or otherwise very hardcore band performs a soft rock song.
33
34	!!Musicians and Bands in this genre
35	[[index]]
36	* Music/TenCC
37	* Music/AirSupply
38	* Music/{{America}}
39	* Music/PaulAnka: Having started out as a 1950s RockAndRoll TeenIdol, his later music from the 1970s onward fit into this category.
40	* Music/TheAssociation
41	* MUsic/TheBeachBoys (especially in TheSeventies and TheEighties)
42	* Music/TheBeeGees
43	* Music/BenAndBen
44	* Music/JamesBlunt
45	* Music/MichaelBolton
46	* Music/{{Bread\|Band}}: Also dabbled a bit in PowerPop.
47	* Music/JacksonBrowne
48	* Music/JimmyBuffett
49	* Music/CaptainAndTennille
50	** 1975 - ''Music/LoveWillKeepUsTogether''
51	* Music/{{Carpenters}}
52	* Music/{{Chicago\|Band}}: Also started out as a JazzFusion band and later transitioned to ArenaRock.
53	* Music/EricClapton
54	* Music/PhilCollins
55	** 1981 - ''Music/FaceValue''
56	** 1982 - ''Music/HelloIMustBeGoing''
57	** 1985 - ''Music/NoJacketRequired''
58	** 1989 - ''Music/ButSeriously''
59	* [[Music/CrosbyStillsNashAndYoung Crosby, Stills & Nash]]: Particularly in ''CSN'' and ''Daylight Again''.
60	* Music/ChristopherCross
61	* Music/JohnDenver
62	* Music/FrancoDeVita
63	* Music/NeilDiamond
64	** 1969 - ''Music/BrotherLovesTravelingSalvationShow''
65	* Music/TheDoobieBrothers: Specifically with Michael [=McDonald=] as the frontman.
66	* Music/{{Eagles}}
67	** 1976 - ''Music/HotelCalifornia''
68	* Music/EnglandDanAndJohnFordColey: England Dan was Music/DanSeals, who later made a successful switch to CountryMusic.
69	* Music/DonaldFagen: One half of Music/SteelyDan
70	** 1982 - ''Music/TheNightfly''
71	* Music/FiveForFighting
72	* Music/FleetwoodMac
73	** 1975 - ''Music/FleetwoodMacWhiteAlbum''
74	** 1977 - ''Music/{{Rumours}}''
75	** 1979 - ''Music/{{Tusk\|1979}}''
76	** 1982 - ''Music/{{Mirage}}''
77	** 1987 - ''Music/TangoInTheNight''
78	* Music/{{Genesis\|Band}}: In the Phil Collins era, they tend to hover between this and art/progressive rock.
79	** 1980 - ''Music/{{Duke}}''
80	** 1981 - ''Music/{{Abacab}}''
81	** 1983 - ''Music/{{Genesis\|Album}}''
82	** 1986 - ''Music/InvisibleTouch''
83	** 1991 - ''Music/WeCantDance''
84	* Music/{{Gowan}}
85	* Music/DarylHallAndJohnOates
86	* Music/DonHenley
87	* Music/ChrisIsaak
88	* Music/JeffersonStarship
89	* Music/BillyJoel
90	** 1977 - ''Music/{{The Stranger\|Album}}''
91	** 1978 - ''Music/FiftySecondStreet''
92	* Music/EltonJohn (overlaps with GlamRock)
93	** 1972 - ''Music/HonkyChateau''
94	** 1973 - ''Music/DontShootMeImOnlyThePianoPlayer''
95	** 1973 - ''Music/GoodbyeYellowBrickRoad''
96	** 1974 - ''Music/{{Caribou}}''
97	** 1975 - ''Music/CaptainFantasticAndTheBrownDirtCowboy''
98	** 1983 - ''Music/TooLowForZero''
99	** 1985 - ''Music/IceOnFire''
100	** 1988 - ''Music/RegStrikesBack''
101	** 1989 - ''Music/SleepingWithThePast''
102	** 1992 - ''Music/TheOneAlbum''
103	** 1994 - ''Music/TheLionKing1994''
104	** 1995 - ''Music/MadeInEngland''
105	* Music/CaroleKing
106	** 1971 - ''Music/{{Tapestry}}''
107	* Music/LittleRiverBand
108	* Music/{{Lobo}}
109	* Music/KennyLoggins
110	* Music/BarryManilow
111	* Music/RichardMarx
112	* Music/SarahMcLachlan
113	* Music/MikeAndTheMechanics
114	** 1985 - ''[[Music/MikeAndTheMechanicsAlbum Mike + the Mechanics]]''
115	* Music/RonnieMilsap: He started off doing {{Soul}}, then switched to CountryMusic, but always had a strong soft rock vibe.
116	* 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.
117	* Music/OliviaNewtonJohn
118	* Music/StevieNicks
119	** 1981 - ''Music/{{Bella Donna\|Album}}''
120	* Music/HarryNilsson
121	** 1971 - ''Music/NilssonSchmilsson''
122	* Music/GilbertOSullivan
123	* Music/PabloCruise
124	* Music/TheAlanParsonsProject: Crosses between this and ProgressiveRock.
125	* Music/GerryRafferty
126	* Music/REOSpeedwagon
127	* Music/LionelRichie
128	* Music/KennyRogers
129	* Music/RoxyMusic: Initially a GlamRock outfit, the band shifted to a softer sound after a two-year hiatus in the late '70s, ultimately becoming the TropeMaker for SophistiPop.
130	** 1982 - ''Music/{{Avalon\|RoxyMusic}}''
131	* Music/{{Sade}}
132	* Music/LeoSayer
133	* Music/BozScaggs: Started out doing {{Blues}}, but had his biggest success with this.
134	* Music/SealsAndCrofts
135	* Music/SimonAndGarfunkel
136	** 1970 - ''Music/BridgeOverTroubledWater''
137	* Music/CarlySimon
138	* Music/PaulSimon
139	** 1986 - ''Music/{{Graceland}}''
140	*** "Music/YouCanCallMeAl"
141	* Music/SpandauBallet
142	* Music/{{Starship}}
143	* Music/SteelyDan
144	** 1973 - ''Music/CountdownToEcstasy''
145	** 1977 - ''Music/{{Aja\|Album}}''
146	* Music/CatStevens
147	* Music/AlStewart
148	* Music/RodStewart
149	** 1988 - ''Music/OutOfOrderAlbum''
150	** 1991 - ''Music/VagabondHeart''
151	* Music/{{Sting}}
152	** 1985 - ''Music/TheDreamOfTheBlueTurtles''
153	* Music/{{Supertramp}}
154	** 1979 - ''Music/BreakfastInAmerica''
155	* Music/JamesTaylor
156	* Music/ThreeDogNight
157	* Music/{{Toto}}
158	* Music/BonnieTyler
159	* Music/SteveWinwood
160	* Music/{{Zucchero}}
161	[[/index]]

Context Main / SoftRock