We Promise Not To Tell
Everybody had at least one.
The song you'd quietly crank up when you were alone...then immediately make fun of if one of your buddies admitted they liked it. Whatever the reason, millions of Boomers spent years pretending they didn’t dig these tracks, when they kinda, totally did. Did you?
Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with us.
"Copacabana" (Barry Manilow)
Rock fans loved making fun of Barry Manilow. Then Copacabana came on at a wedding and suddenly everyone became an expert on Lola, Tony, and the nightclub. It's ridiculous. It's theatrical. It's also impossible not to sing along once the chorus starts.
William Morris Agency (management), Wikimedia Commons
"Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" (Rupert Holmes)
It's a song about two married people trying to cheat on each other...who accidentally end up cheating with each other instead. Completely ridiculous. Completely unforgettable. And somehow, millions of Boomers who swore they didn't even like the song can still sing every word (and do it with a smile on their face).
Infinity Records, Wikimedia Commons
"Mandy" (Barry Manilow)
If your record collection was packed with Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith, admitting you liked Barry Manilow wasn't exactly an option. So you never did. Which raises an interesting question: who exactly bought the seven million copies of Mandy?
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images, Enhanced
"Disco Duck" (Rick Dees)
Almost nobody admits owning this record anymore. That's probably for the best. The only problem is that Disco Duck didn't reach No. 1 by selling twelve copies. Somebody was taking that duck home.
Larry Bessel, Los Angeles Times, Wikimedia Commons
"Convoy" (C.W. McCall)
Most people had never been inside a big rig, yet suddenly everyone knew CB radio lingo. Amazing how many 'I don't even like that song' people could still say 'Breaker one-nine' without missing a beat.
"Afternoon Delight" (Starland Vocal Band)
You probably weren't telling your buddies this was your favorite song. That would've meant admitting you owned it in the first place. Oddly enough, plenty of the same people who rolled their eyes at Afternoon Delight somehow knew every harmony by heart. Then Will Ferrell and Anchorman came along and suddenly everyone had an excuse to sing it again.
Walt Disney Television Photo Archives, Getty Images, Enhanced
"Feelings" (Morris Albert)
Nobody admitted owning Feelings. Which is remarkable, because it sold millions of copies around the world. Apparently those albums were buying themselves...or everyone was purchasing them 'for someone else.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
"You Light Up My Life" (Debby Boone)
Nobody ever handed their buddy a Debby Boone album and said, 'You have to hear Track 3.' Yet You Light Up My Life spent ten straight weeks at No. 1. Either millions of people were buying it for someone else...or a lot of Boomers have been rewriting history ever since.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images, Enhanced
"Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree" (Tony Orlando & Dawn)
You weren't putting Tie A Yellow Ribbon on because company was coming over. But if it came on the radio, it had a funny way of staying there. A surprising number of Boomers apparently developed temporary paralysis whenever the station-change button was within reach.
Fotograaf Onbekend / Anefo, Wikimedia Commons
"Seasons In The Sun" (Terry Jacks)
People spent fifty years calling this song too sad, too sappy and too sentimental. They also made it one of the biggest-selling singles of the decade. Apparently millions bought it strictly for research purposes.
Bell Records, Wikimedia Commons
"Muskrat Love" (Captain & Tennille)
Nobody wanted to admit they liked a love song about two muskrats. That's a sentence that sounds ridiculous even today. And yet mention the title and watch how many people start humming before they realize what they're doing.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons, Enhanced
"Y.M.C.A." (Village People)
If you were a rock fan in the late 70s, disco was supposed to be the enemy. At least that's what plenty of Boomers claimed. Strange, then, how so many of those same people somehow knew exactly when to yell, "It's fun to stay at the..."
John Rodgers, Getty Images, Enhanced
"Sometimes When We Touch" (Dan Hill)
This wasn't the song you admitted loving if you were trying to look tough. It was emotional, dramatic and wore its heart on its sleeve. Which probably explains why so many people insisted it wasn't theirs...despite somehow knowing every lyric.
"Rhinestone Cowboy" (Glen Campbell)
Plenty of Boomers spent years insisting they weren't into country music. Then Glen Campbell showed up with Rhinestone Cowboy and suddenly there was one very convenient exception to the rule.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
"Having My Baby" (Paul Anka)
Critics rolled their eyes. Plenty of listeners acted like they agreed. Then the record climbed all the way to No. 1. It's amazing how often public opinion changes once nobody's watching.
Los Angeles Times, Wikimedia Commons
"Honey" (Bobby Goldsboro)
Ask someone about Honey today and there's a good chance they'll joke about how syrupy it is. Then ask them how it ends. The number of people who can answer from memory tells you everything you need to know.
"Knock Three Times" (Dawn)
Nobody was pretending this was musical genius. It was just ridiculously catchy. For a song people dismissed as lightweight pop, it sure had a way of sticking around. Chances are you finished the ceiling-and-pipe routine in your head before this slide was over.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
"Baby Come Back" (Player)
Soft rock has spent decades being treated like the uncool cousin of classic rock. Then Baby Come Back starts playing and suddenly everyone decides changing the station can wait another three minutes.
"Don't Give Up On Us" (David Soul)
David Soul was Hutch from Starsky & Hutch. Plenty of people assumed his music career was just another actor cashing in on TV fame. Then Don't Give Up On Us hit No. 1. Turns out listeners were paying a lot more attention than they ever admitted.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
"MacArthur Park" (Richard Harris)
It's become fashionable to joke about the cake in the rain. Fair enough. But the people making those jokes almost always know the lyric by heart. Apparently, MacArthur Park stuck with a lot more listeners than they're willing to admit.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images , Enhanced
"Saturday Night" (Bay City Rollers)
Bubblegum pop? Never. At least that's what people said. Then somebody started singing 'S-A-T-U-R...' and the whole room became a spelling bee.
"The Night Chicago Died" (Paper Lace)
The history in this song is, let's say, creative. Nobody cared. The chorus was catchy, the story was dramatic, and millions sang along anyway. Sometimes a great hook beats historical accuracy.
"Billy, Don't Be A Hero" (Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods)
Too dramatic. Too sentimental. Too pop. Those complaints didn't stop it from reaching No. 1. For a song so many people claimed to dislike, it sure found a lot of fans.
ABC Photo Archives, Getty Images
"Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" (B.J. Thomas)
You probably weren't calling this the coolest song on your playlist. But it quietly outlasted countless songs that were supposed to be cooler. Besides, it's hard to stay in a bad mood while this one's playing.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
"The Streak" (Ray Stevens)
People remember laughing at The Streak. They just don't always remember buying it. Convenient, considering it was one of the biggest-selling records of 1974.
Charlie Gillett Collection, Getty Images
"Hooked On A Feeling" (Blue Swede)
The 'Ooga-Chaka' intro is either brilliant or completely ridiculous. Maybe both. Thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy, Boomers now have a perfectly good excuse to admit they always liked this one.
ABC Photo Archives, Getty Images, Enhanced
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