Soft rock

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Soft rock, also referred to as light rock or easy rock, is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock and roll to compose a softer, supposedly more ear-pleasing sound for listening, often at work or when driving. Soft rock is usually sung with higher-pitched vocals, and the lyrics tend to be non-confrontational, focusing in very general language on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of pianos, synthesizers and sometimes saxophones.

History

Soft rock as a genre distinction has come to refer specifically to a style of rock that emerged in the early 1970s, both as a reaction against the increasingly heavy music (hard rock and heavy metal) that dominated rock at the time, and also as a reflection of the changing priorities of the Baby Boom in the early 1970s. What set 1970s soft rock apart from its 1960s counterpart, which for lack of a better word is usually just called "pop", is that in the 1960s pop existed for those who simply didn't like rock; the 1960s' pop artists usually were vocalists who were stylistic throwbacks to the pre-rock era. Soft rock developed organically to suit the needs of those who did have rock listening experience; as such, it can be considered a bona fide rock genre. Soft rock became hugely popular later in that decade. By 1977, some radio stations, like New York's WTFM and WYNY, had switched to an all-soft-rock format. [1] Around that same time, Chicago, which had previously been a jazz-rock band, switched to soft rock and reached their biggest commercial successes. British blues band Fleetwood Mac achieved its greatest success after adopting this genre. Their success was further solidified after they had the highest selling soft rock album ever, Rumours. Even Led Zeppelin, considered by some to be standard bearers of hard rock, flirted with the genre at the time in songs like 1979's "All My Love". By the 1980s, tastes had changed and radio formats reflected this change; the genre evolved into what came to be known as "adult contemporary", a pop categorization that bore less overt rock influence than its forebear.

Artists and songs

• Air Supply - "Lost In Love", "All Out of Love", "Even The Nights Are Better", "Here I Am", "Just As I Am"
• Alabama - "Love in the First Degree", "The Closer You Get"
• Morris Albert - "Feelings"
• Herb Alpert - "Rise", "Route 101"
• The Feeling- A British soft rock band
• Ambrosia - "How Much I Feel", "Biggest Part Of Me"
• America - "A Horse With No Name", "Ventura Highway", "You Can Do Magic", "The Border", "Sister Golden Hair"
• Atlanta Rhythm Section - "So Into You," "Imaginary Lover," "Spooky"
• Bellamy Brothers - "Let Your Love Flow"
• Stephen Bishop - "On And On", "It Might Be You"
• Bread - "If", "Baby I'm-A Want You", "Lost Without Your Love"
• Captain & Tennille - "Love Will Keep Us Together", "The Way I Want To Touch You", "Do That To Me One More Time"
• Eric Carmen - "All By Myself"
• The Carpenters - "We've Only Just Begun", "(They Long to Be) Close to You", "Top Of The World", "Only Yesterday", "Goodbye To Love"
• Harry Chapin - "Cat's In The Cradle"
• Chicago - "Colour My World", "If You Leave Me Now", "Baby What A Big Surprise", "Hard To Say I'm Sorry", "You're The Inspiration"
• Phil Collins - "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)", "One More Night"
• Rita Coolidge - "Higher and Higher", "We're All Alone"
• Christopher Cross - "Ride Like The Wind", "Sailing", "Think Of Laura", "Arthur's Theme"
• Paul Davis - "I Go Crazy", "Cool Night", "'65 Love Affair"
• The Eagles - "Best of My Love", "Take It to the Limit", "I Can't Tell You Why"
• Walter Egan - "Magnet and Steel"
• England Dan & John Ford Coley - "I'd Really Like To See You Tonight", "Love Is The Answer", "Nights Are Forever Without You"
• Exile - "Kiss You All Over"
• Firefall - "You Are The Woman", "Just Remember I Love You"
• Fleetwood Mac - "Say You Love Me", "Dreams", "Sara" , "Hold Me"
• Dan Fogelberg - "Leader of the Band", "Longer", "Run For The Roses"
• Heart - "Dreamboat Annie", "Dog and Butterfly", "These Dreams"
• Don Henley - "The End of the Innocence"
• Rupert Holmes - "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)", "Him"
• Bruce Hornsby - "The Way It Is"
• Elton John - "Daniel", "Your Song", "Tiny Dancer", "Candle In The Wind", "Little Jeannie"
• Michael Johnson - "Bluer Than Blue", "This Night Won't Last Forever"
• Rickie Lee Jones - "Chuck E.'s In Love"
• Carole King - "It's Too Late"
• Nicolette Larson - "Lotta Love"
• Little River Band - "Happy Anniversary", "Reminiscing", "Lady", "Cool Change", "The Other Guy"
• Kenny Loggins - "Whenever I Call You Friend", "This Is It", "Heart To Heart", "Forever"
• Barry Manilow - "Mandy", "I Write The Songs", "Looks Like We Made It", "The Old Songs"
• Benny Mardones - "Into the Night"
• Juice Newton - "Queen Of Hearts", "The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)", "Break It To Me Gently", "A Little Love"
• Olivia Newton-John - "Let Me Be There", "I Honestly Love You", "Have You Never Been Mellow", "Please Mr. Please", "Magic"
• Orleans - "Still The One", "Dance With Me", "Love Takes Time"
• Gilbert O'Sullivan - "Alone Again (Naturally)", "Clair"
• Player - "Baby Come Back", "This Time I'm In It For Love"
• Pablo Cruise - "Love Will Find A Way", "Cool Love"
• Gerry Rafferty - "Baker Street", "Right Down The Line", "Days Gone Down"
• Chris Rea - "Fool (If You Think It's Over)"
• Cliff Richard - "We Don't Talk Anymore", "A Little In Love", "Suddenly"
• Boz Scaggs - "Lowdown", "Lido Shuffle", "Jojo", "Look What You've Done To Me"
• Seals and Crofts - "Summer Breeze", "Diamond Girl"
• Sheriff - "When I'm With You"
• Carly Simon - "You're So Vain", "Nobody Does It Better", "You Belong To Me"
• Paul Simon - "Kodachrome", "Slip Slidin' Away", "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover"
• Starbuck - "Moonlight Feels Right"
• Starland Vocal Band - "Afternoon Delight"
• Cat Stevens - "Wild World"
• Al Stewart - "Year Of The Cat", "Time Passages"
• 10cc - "I'm Not In Love", "The Things We Do For Love"
• Toto - "Georgie Porgy", "99", "Rosanna", "Africa", "I'll Be Over You"
• Randy VanWarmer - "Just When I Needed You Most"
• Jennifer Warnes - "Right Time Of The Night"
• Dionne Warwick - "I'll Never Love This Way Again", "Déjà Vu", "Heartbreaker", "That's What Friends Are For"
• Bob Welch - "Sentimental Lady"
• Wings - "My Love", "Silly Love Songs", "With A Little Luck", "Take It Away"
• Gary Wright - "Dream Weaver", "Love Is Alive"
• John Paul Young - "Love Is In The Air"

See also

• Adult Contemporary
• Corporate rock
• Yacht rock
• Power ballad