It was 1987. Hair was huge. Synthesizers were everywhere. And Yes, the band that basically invented sprawling, twenty-minute songs about topographical oceans, was trying to figure out how to be a pop band without losing their souls. That is the messy, loud, and weirdly fascinating backdrop of Yes Rhythm of Love. If you listen to it now, it sounds like a time capsule of a very specific moment in rock history where the old guard met the MTV generation head-on. Some people hate it. They think it's too slick. Others? Well, they realize it’s actually a masterclass in production and high-energy performance.
The song wasn't just another track on the Big Generator album. It was a statement. It was Trevor Rabin, Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Tony Kaye, and Alan White trying to follow up the massive, world-altering success of 90125. You remember "Owner of a Lonely Heart," right? Of course you do. But repeating that trick is harder than it looks.
What People Get Wrong About the Yes Rhythm of Love Era
There is this lingering myth that the band was miserable making this music. It's not that simple. Honestly, the tension was the point. You had Jon Anderson, the "cosmic" voice of the band, returning to a group that was being driven by Trevor Rabin’s arena-rock sensibilities. Rabin brought a cinematic, heavy-hitting guitar style that clashed—and sometimes melded—perfectly with Anderson’s ethereal vibes.
When you play Yes Rhythm of Love, you aren't hearing a band on autopilot. You’re hearing a group of guys in their late 30s and 40s fighting to stay relevant in an era dominated by Def Leppard and Bon Jovi. And they did it. They actually did it. The track reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, which is wild when you think about where they started in the early 70s.
The Beach Boys Connection You Probably Missed
Listen closely to the vocal harmonies. Most people assume it's just the "Yes sound," but there is a heavy influence of the Beach Boys here. Tony Kaye once mentioned how much they admired those vocal stacks. They weren't just singing; they were engineering a wall of sound. It’s dense. It’s layered. If you pull apart the vocal stems, the complexity is staggering. It’s proggish complexity disguised as a pop hook. That’s the "secret sauce" of this era. They used their massive brains to write "simple" songs.
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The Music Video and the "Controversy"
Oh, the video. If you haven't seen it lately, go find it on YouTube. It’s peak late-80s aesthetics. Fast cuts. Industrial sets. Models. It was directed by Alex Proyas, the guy who later did The Crow and Dark City. You can see his fingerprints all over it—the high-contrast lighting and that slightly gritty, futuristic edge.
At the time, some die-hard fans felt betrayed. They saw the "Rhythm of Love" video and thought Yes had "sold out." But let’s be real for a second. The music industry in 1987 demanded a visual presence. If you didn’t have a flashy video, you didn't exist. The band was leaning into the artifice of the era. Trevor Rabin's guitar work on this track is particularly searing, providing a bridge between the classic prog-rock soloing and the more aggressive "big drum" sound of the decade.
Breaking Down the Gear and the Sound
If you’re a gear head, Yes Rhythm of Love is a goldmine. This was the era of the Fairlight CMI and early digital recording. Trevor Rabin was a pioneer in using the studio as an instrument.
- The Snare Sound: Alan White’s drums on this record are massive. We're talking gated reverb for days. It was recorded in various studios, including Lark Studios in Italy and Southcombe Studios in Los Angeles.
- The Guitar Riff: It’s a Stratocaster through a heavy rack setup. It’s got that "wet" 80s chorus sound but with a lot of grit.
- The Vocals: Jon Anderson’s voice was treated with more processing than usual to fit the "sheen" of the production.
It’s easy to dismiss this as "commercial," but the rhythmic shifts in the bridge are actually quite complex. It’s in 4/4, mostly, but the syncopation makes it feel like it's tripping over itself in a way that feels very "Yes." They couldn't help themselves. They had to make it a little bit difficult.
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The Struggle of Big Generator
The album Big Generator was a nightmare to finish. It took years. It was expensive. It broke people’s spirits. Atlantic Records was breathing down their necks for a hit. Trevor Horn, the legendary producer who helped craft 90125, started the project but eventually left because the creative friction was too much. Rabin eventually took over much of the production.
When Yes Rhythm of Love finally hit the airwaves, it was a relief. It proved that the "90125" lineup wasn't a fluke. It showed they could survive the internal bickering and the changing tastes of the public.
Why the Song Still Holds Up
Usually, 80s pop-rock ages like milk. It gets sour and weirdly thin-sounding. But Yes Rhythm of Love has a weight to it. Maybe it’s Chris Squire’s bass. Squire never played "simple" lines. Even in a pop song, he’s playing lead bass, weaving around the melody with that signature Rickenbacker growl.
You can hear the influence of this sound in modern "prog-pop" bands. Groups like Muse or even some of the more technical alt-rock acts owe a debt to what Yes was doing here. They were proof that you could be technically proficient and still get people to dance. Sorta.
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Critical Reception vs. Fan Reality
Critics weren't always kind. Some called it "faceless." But if you look at the charts and the concert attendance from that era, the fans felt differently. It revitalized their career. It brought in a younger audience who didn't care about "Close to the Edge." They just liked the groove.
There’s a tension in the fan base even now. If you go to a Yes message board today, you’ll find people arguing about whether the "Rabin Era" is "Real Yes." It’s a silly argument. It’s all Yes. The band has always been about evolution. From psychedelic rock to symphonic prog to 80s pop and back again. Yes Rhythm of Love is a vital piece of that DNA.
Actionable Steps for the Modern Listener
If you want to truly appreciate this track and the era it came from, don't just stream it on low-quality speakers. You need the full experience.
- Find the 12-inch Remix: There are several extended versions and remixes of "Rhythm of Love" that lean even harder into the production tricks of the time. They are fascinating to listen to with headphones.
- Watch the 9012Live and Union performances: Seeing the band play this material live reveals the raw energy that the studio polish sometimes hides. Trevor Rabin’s live playing is explosive.
- Compare it to "Shoot High Aim Low": Listen to "Rhythm of Love" and then immediately listen to "Shoot High Aim Low" from the same album. It shows the range the band still had—from high-energy pop to moody, atmospheric soundscapes.
- Check out Trevor Rabin’s solo work: If you like the sound of this era, his album Can't Look Away is basically the spiritual successor to Big Generator.
The bottom line is that Yes Rhythm of Love represents a band refusing to become a museum piece. They wanted to be in the conversation. They wanted to be on the radio. And for a glorious, neon-soaked moment in the late 80s, they were exactly where they wanted to be. Whether you're a prog purist or a pop fan, you have to respect the craft. It's loud, it's bold, and it's quintessentially Yes.