What is MOR? The appeal of an easy-listening, comfortable music genre

Steppin’OutJoe Jackson

Joe Jackson – Steppin’ Out

A stylish number whose flowing piano and bass evoke the feeling of riding in a car through city lights at night.

Its engaging melodic structure shines with an arrangement that blends waltz time and four-beat, making classic rock accessible to a wide audience and easy to cover.

It’s a beautiful acoustic piece with outstanding pop sensibility, a lively melody, and a simple, refined arrangement.

Rainy Days and MondaysPaul Williams

RAINY DAY’S AND MONDAY’S BY PAUL WILLIAMS W/ LYRICS

Though the lyrics, which sing of anxiety and melancholy, aren’t flashy, the chorus melody is striking in this ballad number.

He also self-covered the song in 1974 on Here Comes Inspiration, and his vocal timbre and distinctive delivery feel uniquely personal.

With Karen Carpenter’s vocals versus his, even with the same song, many pieces take on a different character as works, giving them a deep, multifaceted appeal.

We’re All AloneRITA COOLIDGE

We’re All Alone – Rita Coolidge

This is a cover of a track from Boz Scaggs’s studio album Silk Degrees.

While her gospel-honed vocal technique shines through, she isn’t a singer who trades solely on vocal power; her appeal lies in a gentle voice and robust expressive ability—a natural, burnished, ‘smoky’ quality befitting a seasoned female singer.

The DrifterRoger Nichols

Roger Nichols – The Drifter

This song is an early work by the golden duo of Roger Nichols and Paul Williams.

He also self-covered it with Roger Nichols & The Small Circle of Friends, the group he formed as a musician with his close friends, the McLeod siblings.

Beyond the catchy piano performance, it features sweet arrangements with strings and horns, and the vocal arrangement truly shines—it’s a wonderful track.

I’m Not In Love10cc

I’M NOT IN LOVE – 10cc

Nowadays we have ordinary effects units, but back then they used techniques like multitracking and tape loops to achieve sampling-like effects (a naturally overdriven tone).

It’s a work that reveals their uncompromising professionalism as musicians, with an enduring, never-tiresome, universal sound.

By adding their signature touch to high-quality pop enhanced with rich choruses and vocal effects, they successfully layered in a solid rock flavor.

Love Is BluePaul Mauriat

Love Is Blue / The Olive Necklace — Paul Mauriat

This piece, characterized by a pop yet wistfully flowing melody line, is inspired by Paul Mauriat’s sentimental and romantic instrumental arrangement featuring the harpsichord.

Its soothing, familiar, and calming sound makes for a déjà vu-like BGM that helps you spend time in peace.

Stranger on the ShoreFrank Chacksfield

Stranger on the Shore　－　Frank Chacksfield

A superb performance by British orchestra leader Frank Chacksfield, featured on Beyond the Sea.

Released in 1964, this rendition reimagines clarinetist Acker Bilk’s massive hit in an orchestral setting.

While preserving the original’s sense of seaside solitude and stillness, it crafts a warm sonic world woven with lush strings and harp.

Its gentle melody and tastefully refined mood-music arrangement are ideal for relaxation.

Performed by an orchestra of around 40 players, it truly embodies the essence of easy listening.