Soft rock

Late 1960s – early 1970s

Hard rock had been established as a mainstream genre by 1968. From the end of the 1960s, it became common to divide mainstream rock music into soft and hard rock,^[4] with both emerging as major radio formats in the US.^[5] Late 1960s soft rock artists included the Bee Gees,^[6] whose song "I Started a Joke" was a number one single in several countries; Neil Diamond with the 1969 hit "Sweet Caroline", the Hollies with their U.S. and UK Top 10 hit "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", and Elton John with his popular song "Skyline Pigeon". By the early 1970s, softer songs by the Carpenters, Anne Murray, John Denver, Barry Manilow, and even Barbra Streisand began to be played more often on "Top 40" radio and others were added to the mix on many adult contemporary stations. Also, some of these stations even played softer songs by Elvis Presley, Linda Ronstadt, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Billy Joel, and other rock-based artists.

Major artists of that time included Barbra Streisand, Carole King, Cat Stevens, James Taylor^[7] and Bread.^[8][9]

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.^[10]

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.^[11] By 1977, some radio stations, notably New York's WTFM and NBC-owned WYNY, had switched to an all-soft rock format.^[12]

In the mid- to late 1970s, prominent soft rock acts included Billy Joel, Elton John, Chicago, Toto, Boz Scaggs, the Alessi Brothers, Michael McDonald, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Paul Davis, Air Supply, Seals and Crofts, Captain & Tennille, The Hollies, America, and Fleetwood Mac. By the 1980s, tastes had changed and radio formats reflected this change, including musical artists such as Journey.^[13]

A prominent counterpart of soft rock in the late 1970s and early 1980s came to be known as yacht rock.^[14] 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.^[15] 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.^[16]

1980s

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.^[17] Although dance-oriented, electronic pop and ballad-oriented rock dominated the 1980s, soft rock songs still enjoyed mild success thanks to Sheena Easton, Amy Grant,^[18] Lionel Richie, Christopher Cross, Dan Hill, Leo Sayer, Billy Ocean,^[19] Julio Iglesias and Bertie Higgins. No song spent more than six weeks at #1 on this chart during the 1980s, with nine songs accomplishing that feat. Two of these were by Lionel Richie, "You Are" in 1983 and "Hello" in 1984, which also reached #1 on the Hot 100.

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"^[20] topped the Canadian singles chart and Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.^[21][22] Extreme's 1991 single "More Than Words"^[23] was internationally successful, topping the national singles charts in at least five countries, including Canada and the United States.^[24][25][26] Eric Clapton's 1992 single "Tears in Heaven"^[27] was also successful, topping the national singles charts in Canada,^[28] Ireland,^[29] New Zealand,^[30] and six other countries.^{[31][32][33][34]} Richard Marx's 1994 single "Now and Forever"^[35] topped the Canadian adult contemporary chart^[36] and peaked in the top ten of the national singles charts in that country,^[37] Norway,^[38] and the United States.^[39] New bands and artists emerged such as the Danish group Michael Learns to Rock, who saw massive popularity in Asia, with many singles becoming commercially successful in the continent.^[40]