I really enjoy those Yacht Rock videos, but I very much disagree with their notion of smooth. I don’t think Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, or Steely Dan sound smooth at all. The singing is just too thin and nasal for true smoothness. I don’t mean that as a racial dog whistle, I think that Hall & Oates and Michael McDonald can be pretty smooth at times.
So, what in your mind, are the smoothest songs of all time? I’d like to expand the definition to include stuff beyond the obvious 70s and early 80s choices, though now that I like at my list most of the songs are 70s or early 80s.
On twitter, many people felt that Girl From Ipanema is the smoothest song of all time, and I certainly agree that Stan Getz performs the smoothest sax solo of all time in that song. I’m going to leave smooth songs in the jazz genre out of my list though because I don’t think the best jazz sounds all that smooth, in general.
Here are my smoothest songs of all time (in order):
1. Too Hot — Kool and the Gang
2. Breezin’ — George Benson
3. I Can’t Help It — Michael Jackson
4. Do For Love — Bobby Caldwell
5. Smooth Operator — Sade
6. Footsteps in the Dark — Isley Brothers
7. You Belong To Me — Carly Simon with Michael McDonald
8. I Can’t Go For That — Hall & Oates
9. Regulate — Warren G.
10. Tie: Low Down — Boz Scaggs and Way of the World — EWF
What are yours?
Update: I couldn’t decide which Lou Rawls to go with. You’ll Never Find is the one that got the most radio play but I think that Lady Love and Groovy People are actually smoother.