A smooth-sailing 1978 staple has officially been crowned the ultimate yacht rock song, beating out decades of breezy competition to claim the top spot.
Gerry Rafferty was on a career high with the release of his successful LP City to City. The album famously topped the long reign of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in July 1978, according to Rhino Records.
Rafferty had a huge success the LP’s first single, “Baker Street,” released in June of 1978. The song just missed the top spot of the Billboard Top 100, coming in at No. 2.
In October of that same year, the singer and songwriter released “Right Down the Line.” It landed at No. 12 and remained on the charts for an astonishing 15 weeks.
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Paste Magazine named Rafferty’s easy classic to the top spot of its list of the Greatest Yacht Rock Songs of All Time. The outlet called the song “terminally cool,” and called it the “end-all-be-all of yacht rock superstardom.”
Their assessment continues: “In some ways, it transcends even that. Does it sound good on a boat? Probably. Does it sound good with the top down and the city lights hovering over you? You bet your a** it does.”
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“Right Down the Line” was written by Rafferty for his wife, Carla stated his official Facebook page. The tune has since surpassed “Baker Street” to become the musician’s most streamed song, with over 300M listens.
Surprisingly, the Scottish superstar never played any shows in the United States, despite the huge success of his music. Rafferty’s daughter Martha told The Daily Record in 2011, “He was planning a tour of America but was scared by the momentum he was generating and the kind of people his success attracted.”
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He said in a BBC documentary that he was reluctant to become famous because it would alter one of his greatest personal freedoms, to be an “observer in life.” Rafferty stated, “Once you enter into the world of celebrity you can no longer be the observer in life and I’ve always valued that highly. Once entered you then become the observed.”
“Right Down the Line” was introduced to new listeners after it was featured in the first two episodes of Season 2 of HBO’s Euphoria. It helped spark a renewed surge in streams and brought the laid-back classic to a whole new generation.
Gerry Rafferty died in January 2011. He was 63.
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