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Summer and yacht rock go together like Michael McDonald and a full beard. Just in time for peak yacht rock season, SiriusXM listeners have crowned McDonald’s 1986 hit “Sweet Freedom” the No. 2 greatest yacht rock song of the 1980s.
Now four decades later, the smooth, soulful anthem from the blue-eyed soul icon remains one of the defining songs of the genre—and one of the singer’s biggest solo hits.
“Although it arrived later in the decade, ‘Sweet Freedom’ represents the yacht-rock spirit at its peak,” SiriusXM shared. “McDonald’s soulful delivery and the song’s glossy production make it an enduring favorite.”
Sure, McDonald’s hit track was released outside what is generally considered yacht rock’s classic late-'70s to early '80s era, but sometimes a song just has that smooth, breezy aesthetic and demands to be included. “Sweet Freedom” is one of those songs.
Brilliantly bridging the gap between classic smooth soul and the increasingly polished electronic productions that were on the rise in the mid-’80s, “Sweet Freedom” came to McDonald via English songwriter Rod Temperton, whose resume includes Michael Jacksonclassics like “Thriller” and “Rock With You.”
McDonald, who left The Doobie Brothers in 1982 to pursue a solo career, saw immediate success with his debut solo album,If That’s What It Takes, which featured the single “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near),” a Top 5 hit in 1982.
But according to American Songwriter, he struggled to stay at the top. It wasn’t until Temperton hit him up that he found the comeback song he needed.
When Temperton was recruited to write and curate the soundtrack for Running Scared, a buddy-cop comedy starring Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines set in Key West and Chicago, he knew exactly who he wanted for the tropical-sounding lead single.
The Grammy-nominated "Sweet Freedom" became McDonald’s third-highest-charting solo single, peaking at No. 7 that August and enjoying 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. His 1986 duet with Patti LaBelle, “On My Own,” which hit No. 1 for three weeks, and his 1982 classic “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near),” which peaked at No. 4, are the only tracks to perform better.
In the film, "Sweet Freedom" soundtracks what has become one of the greatest movie montages of the 1980s, with the two funnymen zooming around Florida on mopeds, roller-skating, and hitting on women in skimpy swimwear.
Meanwhile, on the small screen, the music video featured Crystal and Hines flexing their comedic chops behind McDonald as he delivered the lyrics supported by drum machines, electronic grooves, and brass accents.
For a yacht rock anthem that technically missed the boat party, “Sweet Freedom” has aged remarkably well. And clearly, it’s still one of those songs fans turn up the dial on when the weather warms up and the windows roll down.
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