Yacht Rock Essentials: “We Just Disagree,” Rock Journeyman Dave Mason’s Biggest Hit

American Songwriter ^ | September 1, 2024 | Jim Beviglia

[nickcarraway]

Dave Mason-We Just Disagree

[toddausauras]

It’s really a major a.m. radio essential from that time. Perfect record.

[willgolfforfood]

Great great song!!

[Magic Fingers]

Totally subjective...I thought “Feelin’ Alright” and “Only You Know and I Know” were great tunes, but IMO “We Just Disagree” was a snoozer and devoid of dynamics.

[hercuroc]

So high rock me baby and roll me away.

[Night Hides Not]

Give Dave’s rendition of “Along the Watchtower” a spin, it’s great.

[Tax-chick]

Billy Dean covered it in 1993.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOwAQrvslOI

He had several successful songs in the early 90s. My son William (1994) was called Billy as a young boy, on account of Billy Dean. He calls himself Will these days, though. He lives in New York City and works in advertising for a bank.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Only you know and I know. Delaney and Bonnie on tour with Eric Clapton. “I don’t want to discuss it” followed that song. Clapton doing a beautiful solo.

Delanie and Bonny were 2 pretty hard core leftists but then most artists are.

[DoodleBob]

Ping

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

1). There is no such thing as an essential Yacht rock song because they're all horrible.

2) This one not only has the typically bland yacht rock instrumentation, but incredibly schmaltzy lyrics as well. Would have been rejected for some terrible 70's "Movie of the Week" about divorce.

[thepoodlebites]

Dave Mason (1974), I know every song by heart.
All Along the Watchtower,
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D6D27zT_iko&pp=ygUjZGF2ZSBtYXNvbiBhbGwgYWxvbmcgdGhlIHdhdGNodG93ZXI%3D

[Chode]

i don’t know from Yacht Rock, but it still hurts sometimes...

[FoxInSocks]

We Just Disagree is not yacht rock. Not even close. There are almost no yacht rock elements in that song.

[xoxox]

Saw Dave Mason and Jim Krueger at an actual yacht bistro in FL in the early 1980's. Hands-down one of the best shows I've ever seen, evah. My date, an au-pair from Sweden who happened to a classically-trained pianist (and therefore the real deal) was even more amazed at the sound those two created, just the two of them. I still can remember the vocal harmonies of that song reverberating through my bones.

At the same venue, around the same time (with a different date), I had the happy occasion of seeing Pure Prairie League, in a lineup that contained Al Garth. Again, tremendous show -- something about that room -- and Al led the most rousing rendition of "Willie and the Hand Jive" that I have ever heard. Evah! Rock on, kiddies.

[xoxox]

Apples and oranges, hombre.

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

We Just Disagree is not yacht rock.

I guess we just disagree.

Heh.

Of course it's yacht rock! It's got that quintessentially annoying smoothness, the "mature" lyrics< and would fit right in with pretty much anything by Michael McDonald. It's from 1977 - smack dab in the middle of the yacht rock/easy listening era.

Google "yacht rock" and "We Just Disagree", and there are plenty of cross-references. Most of the music press considers it pretty squarely in the yacht rock category. Here's a list of the "Top 50 Yacht rock songs", and We just disagree is at 40 or so.

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/best-yacht-rock-songs/

Down with yacht rock!

[KevinB]

I sat at a bar in St. Thomas and had a beer with Dave Mason, who lived on the island, back in 1989. I was on my honeymoon at the time. He was much more interesting to talk to than my new wife. A couple days later, Hurricane Hugo visited and destroyed the island, stranding my wife and I there for a couple of weeks. The hurricane was an omen for my marriage.

[FoxInSocks]

The guys who invented the term yacht rock — and still rate songs every week on their podcast — gave We Just Disagree 17.75 out of 100 points. Careless Whisper by Wham! is rated higher.

Songs at 50 and above are considered yacht rock. Songs below 50 are . . . nyacht. It’s the Yachtski scale. They know of what they speak. That’s my go-to source. :-)

[Captainpaintball]

Not yacht rock. But a great song. I heard him call Rush one time.

[Captainpaintball]

And the term Yacht Rock does not automatically mean good. I think the score they give is the thing that confuses most people. (By the way one of the arbiters of the genre is a commie)

I see people on social media begging others to accept the song they like as yacht rock, as if it even matters.