Certain songs instantly transport you back to a specific time and place. For me, one of those songs is Michael McDonald's "What a Fool Believes." The moment those opening notes hit, I'm right back in grade school, hearing my dad's stereo fill the house with what we now lovingly call yacht rock.
Back then, we didn't have a name for it. It was simply the music our parents played. The smooth melodies, polished production, and incredible musicianship were everywhere. While my friends were listening to whatever was topping the pop charts, I was soaking up the sounds of Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Steely Dan, Christopher Cross, and the Doobie Brothers.
Released in 1979 by The Doobie Brothers, "What a Fool Believes" became one of the band's biggest hits and helped define an entire era of soft rock. Written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins, the song is deceptively upbeat for a tune that's actually about heartbreak, regret, and self-delusion. McDonald's soulful voice gives every line an emotional weight that still resonates decades later.
Of course, Michael McDonald would go on to become one of the most recognizable voices in music. You can identify him within seconds on a record. That distinctive blue-eyed soul sound made him a star not only with The Doobie Brothers but also as a solo artist and collaborator on countless hits throughout the 1980s.
One thing younger fans may not know is that Michael even made a memorable appearance on the sitcom Mad About You. In a hilarious recurring gag, he was revealed to be the lead singer of the fictional band that performed the show's theme song, "The Final Frontier." It was a fun bit that showed he had a great sense of humor about his fame and instantly made me like him even more.
Today, yacht rock has experienced a massive resurgence. What was once considered "dad music" is now celebrated by multiple generations who appreciate its craftsmanship and timeless appeal. And honestly, I get it. These songs were built to last.
Whenever I hear "What a Fool Believes," I think about those childhood afternoons when my dad would put on a record and let the music play. I didn't realize it then, but those songs were becoming part of the soundtrack of my life. Decades later, they still sound just as good.
Maybe that's the real magic of yacht rock. It isn't just music; it's memories. And few songs capture that feeling better than "What a Fool Believes."
There are certain songs that instantly transport you back to a specific time and place. For me, one of those songs is The Doobie Brothers' "What a Fool Believes." The moment those opening notes hit, I'm right back in grade school, hearing my dad's stereo fill the house with what we now lovingly call yacht rock.
Back then, we didn't have a name for it. It was simply the music our parents played. The smooth melodies, polished production, and incredible musicianship were everywhere. While my friends were listening to whatever was topping the pop charts, I was soaking up the sounds of Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Steely Dan, Christopher Cross, and the Doobie Brothers.
Released in 1979 by The Doobie Brothers, "What a Fool Believes" became one of the band's biggest hits and helped define an entire era of soft rock. Written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins, the song is deceptively upbeat for a tune that's actually about heartbreak, regret, and self-delusion. McDonald's soulful voice gives every line an emotional weight that still resonates decades later.
Of course, Michael McDonald would go on to become one of the most recognizable voices in music. You can identify him within seconds on a record. That distinctive blue-eyed soul sound made him a star not only with The Doobie Brothers but also as a solo artist and collaborator on countless hits throughout the 1980s.
One thing younger fans may not know is that Michael even made a memorable appearance on the sitcom Mad About You. In a hilarious recurring gag, he was revealed to be the lead singer of the fictional band that performed the show's theme song, "The Final Frontier." It was a fun bit that showed he had a great sense of humor about his fame and instantly made me like him even more.
Today, yacht rock has experienced a massive resurgence. What was once considered "dad music" is now celebrated by multiple generations who appreciate its craftsmanship and timeless appeal. And honestly, I get it. These songs were built to last.
Whenever I hear "What a Fool Believes," I think about those childhood afternoons when my dad would put on a record and let the music play. I didn't realize it then, but those songs were becoming part of the soundtrack of my life. Decades later, they still sound just as good.
Maybe that's the real magic of yacht rock. It isn't just music, it's memories. And few songs capture that feeling better than "What a Fool Believes."
We are flashing back to some of the best of the best content here at DailyBOOM.
ICYMI
When I was growing up in the late seventies The Doobie Brothers were truly a staple in my house. My dad was WAY into classic rock and for two hours each night (like it or not), I was given the kind of musical education that will truly last for my entire lifetime. The older I get, the more I realize just how much I love songs like "Long Train Running" or "China Grove" and it's not just because the bands' four Grammy's and 48 million records sold tell me that I should. I genuinely appreciate the intricacies of their work.
Based on their fanbase that numbers in the millions, it's clear that I'm not alone. The band wrapped up a summer tour with Santana only to announce that their first-ever Las Vegas residency will begin in early 2020. As if that isn't exciting enough the true shining moment of 2019 for The Doobie Brothers likely comes in the form of their first-ever nomination into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
I recently caught up with founding member/multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Patrick Simmons, to chat about all the exciting news and some new music to come from The Doobies. Check it out below!
(Photo: Tyler Habrecht)
Patrick Simmons on The Doobie Brothers finally being nominated for The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:
"It feels great and everyone, including myself, is really pleased about it. You don't really think about it all the time because it's something that's out of your control, but when something like this comes along we really appreciate it. It's just a nomination so it doesn't mean that we're there yet, but at least we're on the path and that's pretty special. It's kind of a big deal (laughing), I think.
If we were to make it in then the guys who founded the band, and the second configuration of the band that included Michael McDonald, I think all of those guys would be recognized. I would hope that as many of those guys that could, would choose to show up and have a go at playing because it would really be fun for everybody."
Patrick's thoughts on touring now:
"We did the tour with Steely Dan last year and then this summer we toured with Carlos Santana. I love shows where we're the headliner and so on, but I enjoyed the heck out of playing those shows with Carlos this year. We would jam with him almost every night. We would do "She's Not There" or something like that and just had a great time playing with him.
When when we go off on our own we're just The Doobie Brothers in Concert and then two-thirds of the audience are the hardcore fans that have had the records and know the songs. That's when you can have those light-up moments when you can look out and see the audience with a surprised look on their faces and hear a spattering of applause when they know the songs. Those are such fulfilling moments for me personally
I love the medium-sized halls that have between 3000-5000 seats. Old theaters often sound really good. We recently played the Orpheum Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska and it was just so great. Such a fantastic theater and an incredible audience. I like the towns that don't always have big concerts coming through because it's a little more special when someone like The Doobie Brothers does play there. Those kinds of venues usually sound great and the audiences are enthusiastic and they're coming out just to see you. We have a great house engineer too that makes us sound really good onstage. You can feel the energy and it's as exciting and fun for us as it is for the audience."
(Photo: Tyler Habrecht)
Patrick on discovering how to make some old songs feel brand new again:
"This year we did this thing at The Beacon Theater where we played "Toulouse Street" and "The Captain and Me" both front to back, all the songs and we ended up having a wonderful time. We had never played some of those songs in a live setting before and we realized how well they really translated. We had never tried them before because, in our own minds, they weren't the right songs to play live for our concerts. So this was something new that we discovered, not only do these songs really work, but they're fun to play too (laughing).
We did a little tinkering with the arrangements to bring those songs forward a little bit and I think that those additions really brought the songs to another level. That was something that took us all by surprise and it brought us to a point where we had this interesting material that we had never considered using before. That made things more fun for everyone in the band. We've always included songs that were not hits in our setlists, but to be able to find material that we have never performed before ever, and have it work was a lot of fun. We threw these songs into the set and they really worked as far as the audience responding and so it's nice to have some old songs that feel new again.
We've only done a few of these shows so far, one in New York and another in San Francisco, but they have been such fulfilling moments for myself and the rest of the band too. It's just so fun to challenge ourselves. Normally you start a show at one level and you move in an upward level of momentum until you get to your biggest hits and most popular songs. When you do an album all the way through the energy goes up and down and it's a little bewildering at first (laughing). The first show seemed a little weird but by the next one, we understood that the energy in this kind of setting flows more like if you're at home listening to a record.
We also really take the time to tell some of the good stories behind these songs to help pull the audience in a little more too."
Patrick on new Doobie Brothers music:
"About six months ago or so, when we were all together, we went into the studio with some new stuff just to get our feet a little wet with some of the ideas that we had. Then we kind of sat on that material for a little while and our next task was to find a producer to work with. We wanted someone that could help us with perspective because it's always good to have that view from somebody outside of the band. We searched around and finally spoke to a guy named John Shanks and he has been working with us on some songs. We actually have some stuff in the can that we've recorded and pretty much finished, so we're talking about putting that out sometime next year. We're still in the early stages of figuring out how we're going to market it and what we're going to do with it. That's where we're at right now. I think we've got good songs and good performances so we just have to figure out where we're going with it.
I know those of us that are writers are always working on something. Whether or not we'll end up using it for something, in those moments we have no idea, but in the back of our minds, there's always the thought that if The Doobie Brothers do some releases then this might be good for that. If not then they'll be good for something that we're doing individually on our own. Half of it is the fantasy of what might happen with the song (laughing), that's part of what being creative is all about. First, you have to imagine the music and then you have to imagine what you can do with it. I think it really enriches your life to have some creativity going on all the time. Since I discovered that I can write a song, it has been something that I've tried to do every day for all of my life. There's always something going on inside your head and every experience that you have, you reflect on it and figure out how you can use it creatively."
Patrick on The Doobie Brothers first Las Vegas residency, beginning in 2020:
"It was an opportunity that just presented itself. Obviously, it's kind of getting to be a 'thing' in Las Vegas. The business folks that run those entertainment centers where people just go to get away and play are always looking for something to get people in. They've been doing residencies with Aerosmith, Santana, Cher, Foreigner... there have just been countless artists doing it. In the past it was Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Wayne Newton (laughing) and so it's just a cool thing that we never really thought about doing ourselves.
When it was offered we realized it's a great gig for an artist because you don't have to play and then travel to the next gig. The crew isn't packing up the gear every night and loading it just to unload it somewhere else the next day. Then there's the lighting and sound, just so many complicated components, so this is a real gift to any artist to be able to come in and play for a couple of weeks. As a touring professional band, it's lucrative and while we don't do it just for the money, we do have to get paid."
Patrick on what he hopes that people walk away with after seeing the band play live:
"I don't know if we are at the top of our game, but I do know that we have a really great band. Everyone is dedicated to doing the very best that we can. We work hard to make those three-part harmonies really tight and that's a huge part of the band. We are hard rocking and can get as heavy metal as anybody (laughing) because we like to play all kinds of music. That may be the oddest thing about the band, the fact that we're all over the map with what we play. There's country, some jazz-tinged stuff, we play super hard, loud stuff, we play straight-ahead blues. There are also ballads and some stuff that we think is really pretty (laughing) and delicate.
We enjoy the challenge that comes with trying to inject different sounds and styles into our concert every night. We care about different musical forms and that's something that we really want people to understand after listening to the band play live."
(Photo: Kelly A. Swift)
Keep up to date on everything that The Doobie Brothers have going on by bookmarking their official site. Check out their tour dates here and grab some of the bands' merch too!
We are flashing back to some of the best of the best content here at DailyBOOM.
ICYMI
When I was growing up in the late seventies The Doobie Brothers were truly a staple in my house. My dad was WAY into classic rock and for two hours each night (like it or not), I was given the kind of musical education that will truly last for my entire lifetime. The older I get, the more I realize just how much I love songs like "Long Train Running" or "China Grove" and it's not just because the bands' four Grammy's and 48 million records sold tell me that I should. I genuinely appreciate the intricacies of their work.
The Doobie Brothers are spending their summer on the road co-headling a tour with Steely Dan, a combination that sounds like nothing short of perfection to me. While their styles are technically different, they compliment each other fantastically. Somewhere between tour stops in Utah and Colorado, Tom Johnston, founding member/lead vocalist/guitarist, gave me a few minutes of his time to discuss life on the road and new music to come from The Doobies.
(Photo: Andrew Macpherson)
Cate Meighan: I know that you've been out on tour with Steely Dan for a while now. How is that going?
Tom Johnston: We've been out on the road for about a month and a half now and we've got another month and a half to go. The crowds have been great and I'm happy to see that they're embracing a wide spectrum show like this. There's quite a difference in our musical styles, but somehow they seem to really compliment each other and I think it's great. We've played with Steely Dan as recently as last year, but this is the first actual tour that we've done with them in many moons (laughing). We played with them back in the 70's and now Donald (Fagen) has got something really great going on with a very large group of exceptional players and they put on a great show. The crowds have been very into it and vocal- dancing around having a great time and so it has been a lot of fun interacting with the crowd.
CM: It seems to be a great summer in general for rock tours and the fans are truly excited about the shows coming to venues near them.
TJ: I think besides being a great escape mechanism, the idea is always for people to just come out and have a great time. Forget about your troubles for a little while and just immerse yourself in the music. In this case, they know songs from both bands so it's not like their going to a show where they won't know a portion of the music. They're already familiar with it and it's already a bit of a comfort zone for them. We're very fortunate to still be on the road and doing this after so many years.
CM: Are you seeing a variety of different generations at your shows now?
TJ: We generally see people at our shows ranging from their 30's to their 60's, but we're also seeing some kids who are big fans of both bands and really into the music. That's gratifying when you realize that you've reached that many people with your music and that it means something to them. It's nice when they decide to take the time out of their busy lives to come and see a show. I think it's great when people go back and check out music from the past and the ability is definitely there, most notably by downloading it. That has become the go-to way for most people to listen to music and it has changed the way that music, be it old or new, is presented to the public.
CM: Everything changes and evolves over time so how has life on the road changed for you over the years?
TJ: In the 70's we flew, I mean early on we were in a Winnebago (laughing), but then we flew. Quite frankly that was great and I loved it. Nowadays it's all buses and it has been since we reformed back in 1989. That's basically how most people tour unless of course, you're in the top echelon because then you've got a private jet. We're not there just yet so we're on a tour bus like most everybody else.
We play an hour and a half every night and then Steely Dan comes out and I think that they play for about two hours. After that, we all head to our buses and hit the road for the next town. It's not nearly as glamorous as people often think (laughing).
CM: It's not all glamorous, so what keeps you out there on the road?
TJ: It's the playing for sure. I'll always love playing the most and then interacting with the crowd. The best moment of the night for me is always when the crowd starts responding. When they're singing the songs and they know the words. To me, that interaction is what it's all about and it makes all of the traveling worthwhile.
We're very fortunate to be able to do this because there is a demand for this show. People want to see the bands that are out on this tour and so it's a joy to get out there and play every night. I guess people look at it as a job, but we really don't see it that way because it's more of a privilege to get paid for doing what you love.
(Photo: Kelly A. Swift)
CM: I know that the band has been working on new music. Is there an update on the status of the next project?
TJ: It's really in progress and I have no idea when it's going to come out. We started working on some things last year and we've also been writing on our own. One song is semi-recorded for demo purposes. I'm not anxious to get off this tour, but when I get home I am looking forward to going back and working on the new stuff. I think it's imperative that we put out new material.
Technology has really changed how we do things too. In the old days, you had yourself and a guitar. You came up with chord changes and lyrics. Nowadays with the software that exists you can have your own studio in your house. You can lay down the track- play the drums, you can play the bass, the keyboards. Then you can also play guitar right into the computer and you can sing into the computer as well. Back then, you would grab maybe a drummer to work with and take a song as far as you could. Then you would bring it to the studio with a producer and the whole band so that everybody could come up with parts. The producer would come up with ideas and the song would come to fruition that way. Now with all of the technology, you can walk in with a complete idea of what you have in mind. It doesn't mean that it won't get changed, but you're able to present a much more detailed version of what you're trying to do and I absolutely love it.
(Photo: Kelly A. Swift)
You still have to start with a good idea though. You need chord changes and an idea of where you want the song to go. That part of it is still the same.
The writing process is a bit different for me now though because I used to write alone. Now I'm realizing that to do it with other people that have ideas when you're stuck, is a real blessing. It moves the process along and they may have some really great ideas that I would never have thought of, so it's great. Sometimes when you're writing alone you find yourself running into a wall, for whatever reason, that you just can't break through. Then when you get with someone else they'll break that wall right down for you which is fantastic. I'm looking forward to getting as many songs written as possible and then choosing what songs to use and getting them out. I think it's imperative for a band to keep moving forward. It doesn't matter how long you've been doing this, you still need to stay as fresh as you can. I think if you rest on your laurels you're giving up something, so moving forward helps to make it all valid for me.
CM: How far in advance do The Doobie Brothers plan their next career moves?
TJ: Well planning a few months ahead happens, like now we know that we'll be out on the road this summer with Steely Dan. Then in the fall, we have another tour and in the interim, we know that we're going to be working on new stuff. We're busy all the time, doing different things in different places but I can't imagine ever planning a whole year in advance. Life kind of handles itself sometimes and you just have to go with it.
(Photo: Andrew Macpherson)
Keep up to date on everything that The Doobie Brothers have going on by bookmarking their official site. Check out their tour dates here and grab some of the bands' merch too!
