Soft rock

{{Short description|Music genre derived from popular and rock music}}

{{Other uses|Soft Rock (disambiguation){{!}}Soft Rock}}

{{Update|part=History|reason=Stops abruptly at 1990s while the list for soft rock artists goes into the present day|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox music genre

| name = Soft rock

| other_names = *Light rock

mellow rock

| stylistic_origins = {{hlist|Pop rock{{Cite web |last=Anon |date=n.d. |title=Soft Rock |url=http://www.allmusic.com/subgenre/soft-rock-ma0000011841 |website=AllMusic}}|sunshine pop{{sfn|Stanley|2013|p=179}}|Brill Building{{Cite web |last=Viglione |first=Joe |title=Breaking Up Is Hard to Do |url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/breaking-up-is-hard-to-do-mt0046298616 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024161325/https://www.allmusic.com/song/breaking-up-is-hard-to-do-mt0046298616 |archive-date=October 24, 2016 |website=AllMusic}}}}

| cultural_origins = Mid- to late 1960s, United Kingdom and Southern California

| derivatives = {{hlist|Adult contemporary music|hypnagogic pop}}

| subgenres =

| other_topics = {{hlist|Folk rock|hard rock|yacht rock|sophisti-pop|blue-eyed soul}}

}}

Soft rock (also known as light rock or mellow rock) is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in the United States and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. Soft rock was prevalent on the radio throughout the 1970s and eventually metamorphosed into a form of the synthesized music of adult contemporary in the 1980s. The genre was pioneered by such artists as Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, James Taylor and Hall & Oates.

History

=Mid- to late 1960s=

Softer sounds in rock music could be heard in mid-1960s songs, such as "A Summer Song" by Chad & Jeremy (1964) and "Here, There and Everywhere"{{Cite web |title=Alan W. Pollack's Notes on "Here, There, And Everywhere" |url=http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/htae.shtml |website=Icce.rug.nl}} by the Beatles and "I Love My Dog"{{Cite news |last=Samadder |first=Rhik |date=January 31, 2017 |title=Dogs-Reggae-Soft-Rock-10-Top-Dog-Tracks |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/31/dogs-reggae-soft-rock-10-top-dog-tracks}} by Cat Stevens, both from 1966.

By 1968, hard rock had been established as a mainstream genre. From the end of the 1960s, it became common to divide mainstream rock music into soft and hard rock,R. B. Browne and P. Browne, eds, The Guide to United States Popular Culture (Popular Press, 2001), {{ISBN|0-87972-821-3}}, p. 687. with both emerging as major radio formats in the US.M. C. Keith, The Radio Station: Broadcast, Satellite and Internet (Focal Press, 8th edn., 2009), {{ISBN|0-240-81186-0}}, p. 14. The Bee Gees were considered soft rock in the late 1960s.{{Cite web |date=March 5, 2011 |title=Andy Gibb, In the Shadow of the Bee Gees |url=http://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/article/andy-gibb-in-the-shadow-of-the-bee-gees |website=Legacy.com}}

=Early 1970s=

Major artists of that time included Bread,{{Cite web |last=Soft Rock |title=Soft Rock : Significant Albums, Artists and Songs, Most Viewed |url=http://www.allmusic.com/subgenre/soft-rock-ma0000011841 |access-date=January 9, 2013 |website=AllMusic}}{{Cite web |date=April 12, 2012 |title=Soft Rock – Profile of the Mellow, Romantic Soft Rock of the '70s and Early '80s |url=http://80music.about.com/od/genresmovements/p/softrockprofile.htm |access-date=January 9, 2013 |publisher=80music.about.com |archive-date=January 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116133043/http://80music.about.com/od/genresmovements/p/softrockprofile.htm |url-status=dead }} Carly Simon, Carole King, Cat Stevens and James Taylor.J. M. Curtis, Rock Eras: Interpretations of Music and Society, 1954–1984 (Popular Press, 1987), p. 236.

The Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts became more similar again toward the end of the 1960s and into the early and mid- 1970s when the texture of much of the music played on top 40 radio once more began to soften. The adult contemporary format began evolving into the sound that later defined it, with rock-oriented acts as Chicago, the Eagles and Elton John becoming associated with the format. The Carpenters' hit version of "(They Long to Be) Close to You" was released in the summer of 1970, followed by Bread's "Make It with You", both early examples of a softer sound that was coming to dominate the charts.Simpson, 2011 Early 70s Radio, chap. 2 "Pillow Talk: MOR, Soft Rock, and the 'Feminization' of Hit Radio".

The soft rock album Tapestry by Carole King, released in February 1971, became one of the best-selling albums of all time. The lead double-sided single from the album, "It's Too Late"/"I Feel the Earth Move", spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 beginning in mid-June 1971.Bronson, Fred, (2003). The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits (5th ed.) New York: Billboard Books. p. 294. {{ISBN|9780823076772}}

Los Angeles station KNX-FM, under program director Steve Marshall, introduced a "mellow rock" format in 1971.{{Cite web |title=KNX FM 93.1 |url=http://www.socalradiohistory.com/knxfm.html |access-date=September 5, 2020 |website=Socalradiohistory.com}}

Albert Hammond scored a major hit single with "It Never Rains in Southern California" in 1972, which went top 10 in at least six countries including Canada and the U.S. at numbers 2 and 5, respectively.

In the spring of 1972, Neil Young scored his only number-one single with "Heart of Gold", from the album Harvest. Topping the charts in both the U.S. and Canada, this soft rock ballad featured backing vocals from Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor, heard near the end of the song.{{Cite web |last=Fortenot |first=Robert |title=Sound Familiar? 10 Famous Cameos That May Surprise You |url=http://oldies.about.com/od/oldieshistory/tp/Sound-Familiar-10-Famous-Cameos-That-May-Surprise-You.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526050043/http://oldies.about.com/od/oldieshistory/tp/Sound-Familiar-10-Famous-Cameos-That-May-Surprise-You.htm |archive-date=May 26, 2015 |access-date=May 31, 2020 |website=about.com}} #8 Neil Young's "Heart of Gold". "Musicians of the Los Angeles scene -- this time in the mellow '70s, when soft rock was king and El Lay was its epicenter."

In 1973, Paul McCartney and Wings had a U.S. number one with "My Love", which also reached No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary charts of both the U.S. and Canada.

=Mid- to late 1970s=

Soft rock reached its commercial peak in the mid- to late 1970s with acts such as Toto, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Air Supply, Seals and Crofts, America and the reformed Fleetwood Mac, whose Rumours (1977) was the best-selling album of the decade.P. Buckley, The Rough Guide to Rock (Rough Guides, 3rd edn., 2003), p. 378.

Denver station KIMN-FM introduced a "mellow rock" album format in 1975. Program director Scott Kenyon told Billboard magazine, Michael Murphey's "Wildfire" is a perfect example; it feels like Colorado, you can tell it came from this part of the country. There's a sound of the Rockies... the best description is mellow rock. Take that kind of music and make it into a Colorado sounding station."{{Cite web |last=Pelton-Roby, Ruth |date=September 13, 1975 |title="Colorado's Diverse Radio Scene" |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1975/Billboard%25201975-09-13.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjB87LLov_mAhVaGDQIHWX1CtEQFjABegQIBxAB&usg=AOvVaw1ixqdOZoOIOxeaJPIgnDRF |website=Americanradiohistory.com |publisher=Billboard |page=C-22}}

By 1977, some radio stations, notably New York's WTFM and NBC-owned WYNY, had switched to an all-soft rock format.C. H. Sterling, M. C. Keith, Sounds of Change: a History of FM broadcasting in America (UNC Press, 2008), pp. 136–7. Chicago's WBBM-FM adopted a soft rock/album rock hybrid format in 1977 and was known as "Soft Rock 96" presenting the "Mellow sound of Chicago". Five years later, they would flip to a "Hot Hits" top 40 format.{{Cite web |title=B96 History Summarized - CLASSICB96 Wiki |url=https://wiki.classicb96.com/B96_History_Summarized |website=Wiki.classicb96.com |access-date=January 14, 2020 |archive-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401093609/https://wiki.classicb96.com/B96_History_Summarized |url-status=dead }}

By the 1980s, tastes had changed and radio formats reflected this change, including musical artists such as Journey.{{Cite news |date=November 12, 2010 |title=Journey: The band who did not stop believing |work=Bbc.co.uk |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11733277 |access-date=December 6, 2010}}

A prominent counterpart of soft rock in the late 1970s and early 1980s came to be known as yacht rock;{{Cite news |last=Berlind |first=William |date=August 27, 2006 |title=Yacht Rock Docks in New York |work=The New York Observer |url=http://www.observer.com/node/52629 |url-status=dead |access-date=July 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518083009/http://www.observer.com/node/52629 |archive-date=May 18, 2011}} its name coined in 2005 by the makers of the online video series Yacht Rock. Originating from California's session musicians, yacht rock only partially overlapped with soft rock; it could include soft to mid-level (but rarely ever purely hard) rock.{{Cite news |last=Matos |first=Michaelangelo |date=December 7, 2005 |title=Talk Talk: J.D. Ryznar |work=Seattle Weekly |url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/music/0549/051207_music_talktalk.php |url-status=dead |access-date=October 9, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060414071243/http://www.seattleweekly.com/music/0549/051207_music_talktalk.php |archive-date=April 14, 2006}} Much of the "West Coast sound" of yacht rock bore similarity to some of the East Coast soft rockers of the era such as Rupert Holmes and Hall & Oates, leading to the conflation.{{Cite news |last=Lecaro |first=Lina |date=November 19, 2016 |title=This Monthly Club Is a Non-Ironic Celebration of Rock's Softer Side |work=LA Weekly |url=http://www.laweekly.com/music/this-monthly-club-is-a-non-ironic-celebration-of-rocks-softer-side-7624074}}

=1980s=

File:Chicago logo.svg band logo. Their 1984 single "You're the Inspiration" from their fourteenth studio album Chicago 17 (1984) became synonymous with the soft rock radio format.]]

In the early 1980s, the radio format evolved into what came to be known as "adult contemporary" or "adult album alternative", a format that has less overt rock bias than its forebear radio categorization.C. H. Sterling, M. C. Keith, Sounds of Change: a History of FM Broadcasting in America (UNC Press, 2008), p. 187. In Los Angeles, KOST 103.5 FM, under program director Jhani Kaye, debuted its soft adult contemporary format in November 1982.{{Cite news |last=Carney |first=Steve |date=November 14, 2007 |title=It's been a smooth ride for KOST radio |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-nov-14-et-kost14-story.html |access-date=May 26, 2020}}

=1990s=

Soft rock persisted in the 1990s, with artists from previous decades continuing to release new music, such as Genesis, whose 1992 soft rock single "Hold on My Heart"{{Cite web |last=Wener |first=Ben |date=October 13, 2007 |title=Genesis Braves the Rain at the Bowl |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2007/10/13/genesis-braves-the-rain-at-the-bowl/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142528/https://www.ocregister.com/2007/10/13/genesis-braves-the-rain-at-the-bowl/ |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |access-date=August 7, 2018 |website=The Orange County Register |publisher=Digital First Media}} topped the Canadian singles chart and Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.{{Cite magazine |date=June 20, 1992 |title=RPM 100: Hit Tracks & Where to Find Them |url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.2165&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.2165.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.2165 |url-status=live |magazine=RPM |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151124144025/http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.2165&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.2165.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.2165 |archive-date=November 24, 2015 |access-date=August 7, 2018}}{{Cite magazine |title=Genesis Chart History – Adult Contemporary |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/genesis/chart-history/asi/ |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group |access-date=August 7, 2018}} Extreme's 1991 single "More Than Words"{{Cite web |date=May 31, 2007 |title=VH1's 40 Most Softsational Soft-Rock Songs |url=https://www.stereogum.com/5507/40_most_softsational_softrock_songs/franchises/list/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402015448/https://www.stereogum.com/5507/40_most_softsational_softrock_songs/franchises/list/ |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |access-date=August 8, 2018 |website=Stereogum |publisher=Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group}} was internationally successful, topping the national singles charts in at least five countries, including Canada and the United States.{{Cite web |title=Extreme – More Than Words |url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/song/8f4/Extreme-More-Than-Words |access-date=August 8, 2018 |website=Utratop |publisher=Hung Medien}}{{Cite magazine |date=June 8, 1991 |title=RPM 100: Hit Tracks & Where to Find Them |url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.1540&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.1540.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.1540 |url-status=live |magazine=RPM |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402040342/http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.1540&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.1540.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.1540 |archive-date=April 2, 2018 |access-date=August 7, 2018}}{{Cite magazine |title=Extreme Chart History – Hot 100 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/Extreme/chart-history/hot-100 |url-status=dead |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808012855/https://www.billboard.com/music/Extreme/chart-history/hot-100 |archive-date=August 8, 2018 |access-date=August 8, 2018}} Mr. Big's 1992 single "To Be with You" was a number one hit in at least twelve countries. Eric Clapton's 1992 single "Tears in Heaven"{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Chris |title=The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Rock History: From Arenas to the Underground, 1974–1980 |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=2006 |isbn=0-313-32937-0 |page=102}} was also successful, topping the national singles charts in Canada,{{Cite magazine |date=April 11, 1992 |title=RPM 100: Hit Tracks & Where to Find Them |url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.2096&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.2096.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.2096 |url-status=live |magazine=RPM |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901222144/http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.2096&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.2096.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.2096 |archive-date=September 1, 2018 |access-date=September 1, 2018}} Ireland,{{Cite web |title=Search the Charts [Search Result for 'Tears in Heaven'] |url=http://irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=1&placement%5Btitle%5D=Tears+in+Heaven |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304204535/http://irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=1&placement%5Btitle%5D=Tears+in+Heaven |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=November 12, 2015 |website=The Irish Charts}} New Zealand,{{Cite web |title=Eric Clapton – Tears in Heaven (Song) |url=https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Eric+Clapton&titel=Tears+in+Heaven&cat=s |access-date=November 12, 2015 |website=charts.org.nz |publisher=Hung Medien}} and six other countries.{{Cite news |last=Gonçalves |first=Madalena |date=May 25, 1992 |title=Novas paradas de singles 25 de Maio de 1992 |language=pt |trans-title=New May 25, 1992 Single Charts |work=Folha de S.Paulo |publisher=Luiz Frias |quote=This week's sales topper is 'Tears in Heaven' by Eric Clapton. With Platinum sales in only one week, the single went up to the top slot, where it will probably stay for the next couple of weeks.}}{{Cite news |date=March 27, 1992 |title=Vinsældalisti íslands |language=is |trans-title=Iceland's popularity list |work=DV |location=Reykjavík, Iceland |url=http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?issId=193979&pageId=2596605&lang=en&q=Clapton |url-status=live |access-date=November 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817143928/http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?issId=193979&pageId=2596605&lang=en&q=Clapton |archive-date=August 17, 2016}}{{Cite web |title=Tears in Heaven: Eric Clapton |url=http://lp3.polskieradio.pl/utwor/artykul4440,97_tears_in_heaven.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024025348/http://lp3.polskieradio.pl/utwor/artykul4440,97_tears_in_heaven.aspx |archive-date=October 24, 2014 |access-date=November 12, 2015 |website=Lista Przebojów Trójki |publisher=Polskie Radio |language=pl}}{{Cite web |title=Eric Clapton: Tears in Heaven |url=http://top40-charts.com/song.php?sid=21612 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626114647/http://top40-charts.com/song.php?sid=21612 |archive-date=June 26, 2013 |access-date=November 12, 2015 |website=Top40-Charts.com}}

Richard Marx's 1994 single "Now and Forever"{{Cite web |last=Park |first=Jin-hai |date=June 26, 2016 |title=Richard Marx Mesmerizes Seoul with Velvety Romantic Songs |url=http://m.koreatimes.co.kr/phone/news/view.jsp?req_newsidx=207916 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808042806/http://m.koreatimes.co.kr/phone/news/view.jsp?req_newsidx=207916 |archive-date=August 8, 2018 |access-date=August 8, 2018 |website=The Korea Times}} topped the Canadian adult contemporary chart{{Cite magazine |date=March 7, 1994 |title=RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks |url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.2403&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.2403.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.2403 |url-status=live |magazine=RPM |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808044504/http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.2403&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.2403.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.2403 |archive-date=August 8, 2018 |access-date=August 8, 2018}} and peaked in the top ten of the national singles charts in that country,{{Cite magazine |date=March 7, 1994 |title=RPM 100: Hit Tracks & Where to Find Them |url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.2407&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.2407.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.2407 |url-status=live |magazine=RPM |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115230423/http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.2407&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.2407.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.2407 |archive-date=January 15, 2016 |access-date=January 15, 2016}} Norway,{{Cite web |title=Richard Marx – Now and Forever |url=https://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Richard+Marx&titel=Now+and+Forever&cat=s |access-date=August 8, 2018 |website=VG-Lista |publisher=Hung Medien}} and the United States.{{Cite magazine |title=Richard Marx Chart History – Hot 100 |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/richard-marx/chart-history/hsi/ |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group |access-date=August 8, 2018}} New bands and artists emerged such as the Danish band Michael Learns to Rock, who saw massive popularity in Asia, with many singles becoming commercially successful in the continent starting with their 1991 hit "The Actor",{{Cite web |last=David Tusing |date=April 9, 2013 |title=Michael Learns To Rock's epic Dubai return |url=https://gulfnews.com/life-style/music/michael-learns-to-rock-s-epic-dubai-return-1.1168354 |website=Gulfnews.com}} and Australian band Southern Sons, who enjoyed success on the ARIA Charts with three top 10 singles.{{Cite news |last=Leeson |first=Josh |date=December 22, 2017 |title=Golden return of Price |work=Newcastle Herald |url=https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/5124229/golden-return-of-price/}}

References

Bibliography

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