Friday, April 01, 2011

Guilty pleasures vol. five: Ten terrible iPod admissions

Every time one of these beauties comes up on my iPod, I don't just let it play, I enjoy it. I've even been known to repeat them once or twice.

I know I'm letting you down and for that, I am sorry. But people, this is who you're dealing with.

*  *  *

1. I Think I Love You, The Partridge Family (You should know that I sing along with different lyrics.)

2. Sugar Sugar, The Archies (Pour a little sugar on it, baby? You don't have to ask twice.)

3. Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves, Cher (I swing back my mane-like hair and hold my wrist limply in front of me as I sing along to this one.)



4. Build me up Buttercup, The Foundations

5. Cherry, Cherry, Neil Diamond (But you already knew about this one.)

6. Carrie Anne, The Hollies (Baby, I know exactly what the attraction of what the older boys and prefects is, but let's keep the party polite.)



7. The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian, The Raiders

8. Dizzy, Tommy Roe

9. Rollercoaster, The Ohio Players (Guilty pleasure or no guilty pleasure, the following footage is pure genius. You're welcome.)



10. Kung Fu Fighting, Carl Douglas

And oh hell, here's a bonus--and a painful, painful, painful one at that: Hungry Like the Wolf, Duran Duran



* * *

41 comments:

VideoDude said...

Okay, I have to admit I used to do a Sonny Impression and sing along with "I Got You, Babe".

Jon Moore said...

I think everyone does it, most just don't admit to it. Yeah, that too, but I'm referring to Erin's post.
Me? Crank up some Lovin'Spoonful.

Dan Bushman said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Judy said...

ABBA does it for me...but always did like Cher's outfits...

Dan Bushman said...

Will you move to my neighborhood so I have a friend who digs the same music as I do?

You nailed every single one! That blows my mind!

How about Gary Puckett and the Union Gap's "Lady Willpower"? Or is that just for us "manly voices" folks?

danb said...

SOS by Abba. A must have.

danb

Anonymous said...

Erin, I am soooo excited!!! I, too, have long recognized how sexy and hot "Sugar Sugar" is. Pour a little sugar on it, honey, indeed.

Does this song do anything for you? It's cheesy, yet moving and poetic. They are all making love to me with their eyes. And their hair. And their suits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb7S8-Iewi0

Anonymous said...

Hey, that didn't work at all. Maybe this time?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb7S8-Iewi0
I think I peed myself at your lyrics to I Think I Love You. Genius, genius, genius. I will have to try it out.

Leslie Morgan said...

1971 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzwowI1Psy4

Loved it then, love it now. You can't HELP but dance to it.

Anonymous said...

I am deeply troubled by this post and comments. You all obviously failed to ingest adequate quantities of mind altering drugs in your formative years.
Disclaimer: This is not an endorsement of drug abuse by the author. Any injury by such behavior is purely coincidental.

rj

danb said...

The vids are nothing short of awesome, by the way.

I'll never forget the first time (1985?) we saw that damn "Wake me up before you go-go" video by Wham!. Your reaction was priceless- do you remember?

danb

Jim said...

What Anonymous said. In a good way, of course!

Erin O'Brien said...

Don't bogart that joint, my friend.

Goddamnit. I miss that shit.

Um, Dan? Do I remember my reaction to a music video 26 years ago? This is a joke, right?

Girls, love "The Air that I Breathe" and "Treat Her Like a Lady."

I left much off the list, peeps, including (gulp) ABBA.

Allison Diamond said...

"Bad Blood." I've been known to put that song on repeat.

danb said...

We watched the video, and you were guffawing about the lyric "The sun shines bright as Doris Day", and then you said something like, "What the fuck is up with (George Michaels) teeth?". Hysterical laughter ensued.

danb

Leslie Morgan said...

Erin, how could you have spaced that shared event Dan remembers so vividly?

Girlfriend, I finally managed to post my fine vintage men inspired by your Emir, if you have a moment.

Contrary Guy said...

Thanks for the Ohio Players vid; the song was always one of my favorites while riding the bus to school back in the day, but this wacky performance is even better... with gratuitous Wolfman!

Anonymous said...

All are great songs and were an influence on my musical upbringing. One song and artist nobody mentioned is Cleveland's own Alex Bevan, "Skinny Little Boy from Cleveland, Ohio." Love that song!

philbilly said...

"Why do you build me up[build me up]Buttercup,baby, just to let me down[let me down] and mess me around?" The Foundations.

The definitive version of "I got You, Babe " is UB40 with Chrissy Hynde, an homage that does justice to the spirit of the original and takes it global.

"Apple, peaches, pumpkin pie, you were young and so was I,I."
Jay and the Techniques.

philbilly said...

Geez, Erin, I meant to post "Kind of a Drag" by the Buckinghams, but posted "Buttercup" from your list instead. Must a'been subliminibable.

"Kind of a drag when your baby says good-bye,
Kind of a drag when if you laugh you wanna cry.
[cue horns]
Oh, girl,(LISTEN TO ME WHEN I'M SPEAKIN', 'CAUSE YOU KNOW THE WORDS I'M MAKIN')Even though you made me feel blue
(AND I KNOW THAT YOU'VE BEEN CHEATIN', OH, I HOPE THAT WE'LL BE MEETIN'.)I still love you,(OOH, I STILL LOVE YOU.)I'll always love you(OOH, I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU.)Anyway, anyway, anyway.
(Organ Solo)
Oh, listen(LISTEN TO ME WHEN I'M SPEAKIN','CAUSE YOU KNOW THE WORDS I'M MAKIN')to what I've gotta say;(AND I KNOW THAT YOU'VE BEEN CHEATIN', OH, I HOPE THAT WE'LL BEMEETIN'.)
Girl, I still love you,
(OOH, I STILL LOVE YOU.)I'll always love you(OOH, I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU.)
Anyway, anyway, anyway.(Fade Out)

I-pods aside, this music is best enjoyed while driving convertibles possessing either cast iron V-8's or dual sidedrafts.

The Expatresse said...

Nothing to be guilty about. I love all of these. I even went to see Duran Duran not too long ago. They were great.

Vince said...

Christ, reading this was a frightening descent into the bowels of sound memory. Do you remember Adam and the flaming ants. I'm convinced that the Gays decided that from '72 'til '93 was their era. Look at the get up from most of the 70's and all of the 80's. What the heck would Magnum PI or the Fall Guy define these days. And as for the A-Team, if that does not have echo of Will and Grace only more so.

WV Ovagga

Dudesworthy said...

Vince, what you have said is completely 100% true.

I know for a fact that the Gays held a supernumerary meeting at the Santa Barbara Bowl Restaurant on July 15th 1973, where they decided that, for the next 20 years, all the fashions would be fabulous (they held a follow-up meeting in 1979 where they decided that neckerchiefs were out - Elton John argued passionately against).

I know this because a friend of my girlfriend's dentist knows a professional dogwalker who took the official minutes.

Bill said...

Jesus! Do you guys also work out to Richard Simmons? WTF?

Dudesworthy said...

Bill!

I've been missing your snarky comments lately, where you been at?

I imagine that your top guilty iPod pleasure is 'Nixon Now' amirite?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceocNS-toDk

(I'll freely admit to youtubing Sunday Bloody Sunday by George Bush regularly)

Erin O'Brien said...

Nixon Now! Beautiful, really.

Bill said...

dude: I don't remember that tune but I did watch your link and, you have to admit, the conservative chicks were pretty hot.

Vince said...

fyi http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/should-professors-be-political/2011/03/31/AF1RwXIC_story.html

Bill said...

This ties the vince link to this post:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxZVTQK2YTo&feature=related

Erin O'Brien said...

Does anyone here speak Vince? I also am in need of some Bill translation.

Thank you.

Bill said...

Vince's link was about professors being political. I linked to "don't know much about history". It's a comment on teaching AND an ipod song. Duh!

Anonymous said...

Sweet music, but damn some people see political bullshit under every rock, get a life or at least try to enjoy the distractions.







James Old Guy

Erin O'Brien said...

Thank you, James.

Bill said...

James: Political bullshit? That's actually funny. This blog never gets into political bullshit! I think Sam Cooke was a lib.

Joe said...

I have all but one of those tunes on my iPod. Add some "The Night Chicago Died" and some sweet "Ballad of the Green Beret" and you would be set.

Bill said...

Do any of you guys rock out to this Elvis tune?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ox1Tore9nw

Erin O'Brien said...

Joe: Check on the paper lace. Don't have the green beret, but I do have (ahem) the raspberry beret.

sarahm59 said...

"Sugar Sugar" was the first song on the reel to reel tape at the old outdoor Winterhurst skating rink. We would stand on the edges waiting for it to start then leap on to the ice when it began. Many of these songs were on there. For years when i would hear one of them i would start singing the next one on the reel...

sarahm59 said...

thank god for "the gays"...

Anonymous said...

Say good or bad about ABBA, but if you're a musician you have to tip your hat to the BB boys who revolutionized arrangement and layering in their tunes. Elvis Costello pays a brilliant homage to the famous Dancing Queen piano riff in his "Oliver's Army."

Unknown said...

Bananaphone...Raffi Rocks - Always Has - Always Will