Guilty Pleasures? Pshaw!
Rolling Stone recently released their list of the top 25 Undisputed Guilty Pleasure Bands and uh…I’m a little miffed that the bulk of this list comprises the music of my youth. Am OLD.
1. Rush
2. E.L.O.
3. Journey
4. ABBA
5. Chicago
6. Boston
7. Foreigner
8. Bread
9. Bon Jovi
10. New Edition
11. The Monkees
12. Motley Crue
13. STYX
14. Eddie Money
15. Simply Red
16. Kelly Clarkson
17. America
18. Wham
19. R.E.O. Speedwagon
20. Poison
21. Lionel Richie
22. Kansas
23. Air Supply
24. Hall & Oates
25. Britney Spears
That’s not to say I liked them all but seriously, people… Can you honestly say Journey was a *guilty* pleasure? Come on. You know good and well that you were lip-syncing to Don’t Stop Believin in the mirror and couple skating to the power ballad-y goodness of Open Arms with the same reckless abandon as every other 12-24 year old in America in 1980. There’s no guilt there. It was love. Stone in Love.
And Foreigner? Made me wanna know what love is. Made me Hot Blooded. And when my 9th grade boyfriend broke up with me because I wouldn’t have sex with him? Foreigner made me Cold as Ice. Yeah. And you know you loved some Foreigner, too.
And though he probably SHOULD be considered a guilty pleasure, who didn’t know all the words to EVERY Lionel Richie song whether you liked it or not?
I could go on all day but, by your luck, I have to make dinner so I’ll just leave you with MY top 3 choices for guilty pleasures off this list and you can leave me yours, from on or off the list, if you dare.
1. Wham - Because men running around in short shorts and dayglo colored gloves could be nothing BUT a guilty pleasure and to prove my point, I always liked Careless Whisper. Secretly. Guiltily. It’s in my iTunes library RIGHT NOW.
2. Hall & Oates - I said it before and I’ll say it again, if loving Hall & Oates, secretly or otherwise, is wrong, then I don’t wanna be right. Ah-I can’t go for that. No-oh-oh. No can do.
3. The Monkees - Because? They weren’t even a real band. And yes, I dug ‘em. A lot. But dude…I was, like, four.
This list rocks (heh, heh). I have half of those bands on my iPod and I was in elementary school during the 80’s. My sister is 25 and has an “I’d rather be at a journey concert” license plate frame. Guilty pleasures? Never. I’m proud to say I love Journey and the rest of the list.
Guilty pleasures??? GUILTY?? Aw, hellz to the no.
Well, alright. MAYBE Poison is a guilty pleasure. And Air Supply. And STYX. Okay. Those are guilty. And maybe Chicago, except not the Tower of Power horns. Because speaking from a musician perspective, those horns were bad ass.
Is it wrong that I had albums of almost all of those? And saw Motley Crue and Bon Jovi in concert no less than 3 times each?
Oh, WAIT! WHITESNAKE. There. That’s the guilty one.
That list (save for Britney and Kelly Clarkson) looks like every mixtape I made in jr. high.
The Monkees? Ouch. My first concert was the Monkees. Okay, it was the reunion tour, but Weird Al opened — that’s cool, right?
(My current “guilty pleasure” is 70s Lite-FM, like Jimmy Buffett or Gordon Lightfoot.)
How the heck did Kelly Clarkson make it in between Simply Red and America? Does not compute.
My top three:
1. ABBA (not just cuz of the music, but because of their totally hip threads)
2. Monkees (if Marcia loved Davey Jones, so would I)
3. America
XM’s 70s channel is #1 on my radio.
what are you talking about? i STILL karoake to Foriegner’s “Head Games.”
I think I am of your um generation and many of those bands were simply PLEASURES, not guilty! Although Bread and Simply Red? I don’t think so.
On my iPod right now:
Air Supply? Check
Hall and Oates? Oh yes
STYX? Guilty!
Rush? You know it!
Journey. Hi, I had a Neal Schon poster on my bedroom wall.
Foreigner. Urgent! Emergency!
WHAM? I own every album AND every George Michael album and know every song on all of them by heart. When I first saw the Bad Boys video it was ALL OVER.
But my favorite guilty please: Culture Club (not “Do You Wanna hurt Me” but “Time” godilovethatsong)
I don’t think I’m prepared to live in a world where Chicago is a guilty pleasure.
At least Firehouse isn’t on the list. *whew*
Miss Britt’s last blog post..This Show Can’t Go On Without YOU
Monkees? I’m a Believer!
PunditMom’s last blog post..Mom-101 Goes All Political!
Guilty pleasure? Um…no. Save for Kelly and Britney, these are my groups from the 70s, when I was in junior high and high school.
If this list doesn’t illustrate the demise of Rolling Stone as a reference for great music, I don’t know what does. Ugh. Just ugh. There isn’t a band or musician on there I don’t loathe.
Rush?! A guilty pleasure?!
Guilty pleasures are those one-hit wonder tunes from the 80s - like “My Sharona” (The Knack), “Perfect Way” (Scritti Politti), and “Too Shy” (Kajagoogoo), among many others. I see your point re Wham, but George Michael stuck around after Andrew Ridgeley split.
Hall and Oates, though. I’ll admit that “Adult Education” resides on my iPod, and I love it.
mothergoosemouse’s last blog post..And oh, how your mommy loves you
Gee thanks….Now I’ve got Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long” stuck in my head…
Now that’s an eclectic list.
I think I’m going to start another blog and name it Maneater.
Thanks for the memories! LOVE most of those bands, but I have to agree, who the heck thought Kelly Clarkson and Britney could stand up with these legends? I don’t need my ipod now, ’cause all the songs are running around in my brain unassisted!
I’m going to say John Denver, Abba and Ratt.
How’s that for all over the place?
Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah’s last blog post..Motherhood is So Glamorous (Insert Sarcasm Emoticon Here)
I loved rush or at least Danny Peart’s big brother Neil who was the drummer! In the 70’s he was the guy who built rafts out in the lake for us too!
mak (a port girl forever!)
Oh, dear. Most of those bands comprise my entire collection. I’m young-ish, too, for that- at twenty eight. I love those bands. Almost all of them. I will say that I’ve had various cars broken into a total of four times and every time, my cds were gone through, but not a single one was stolen. I guess there’s an upside. ;-)
Oh man, I am QUEEN of loving cheesy music.
See evidence here:
http://www.greeblemonkey.com/2007/11/more-embarrassing-songs-that-i-ow n.html
Please say you’ll still be my friend.
Bon Jovi, Poison and Britney Spears.
Admitting that is like asking if you still respect me in the morning after a one night stand…LOL.
Redneck mommy’s last blog post..Withdrawal
Now wait a minute. America a guilty pleasure? They rocked that album. I own it. I love it. Ventura Highway. Come on!
Kelly Clarkson needs to scoot her ass up to number 1 and get away from them.
Air Supply, Lionel Ritchie, and REO Speedwagon are actually not guilty pleasures, either. They were good at the time, but were like eating too many circus peanuts. You never want to touch them again.
The Monkees were the Spice Girls of their generation. Although, their music still rocks. Don’t care if they were manufactured and Peter Tork was the only real musician when they were invented. Mike Nesmith went on to help pioneer MTV. Davy Jones went on to appear on the Brady Bunch…Mickey Dolenz spawned an 80’s B-movie actress.
Man! I love ELO, too. Am not afraid. I have some of the Xanadu soundtrack on my MP3 player right now.
Sadly, after “Maneater” I had to abandon Hall and Oates.
Styx, well “Domo Origato Mr. Roboto”. You have to feel guilty listening to that one. You might even want to shoot yourself.
That list looks like a random shuffle on my iPod.
Any hair band from the 80’s, now that’s a guilty pleasure.
Loved loved loved WHAM! I was so going to marry George Michael. Well that was all before the him being gay thing got in the way.
Man! I just threw out a Monkees cassette tape I found in my basement. I’ll now have to buy “Last Train to Clarksville” on iTunes.
This list is great!
Vicky’s last blog post..This Isn’t a Restaurant Buddy
Those bands are guilty pleasures?
Your three are good. I’ll see those and put these in the pot:
Frank Sinatra (and the Rat Pack) (or not)
Doobie Brothers
Tony Orlando
Am OLDER than you. :) (Right?)
Just saw America and A Horse With No Name…felt good.
What about Rick Springfield and the Bee Gees?
Am I the only one that still rocks out to “Jessie’s Girl?”
Yes? Oh crap.
the mama bird diaries’s last blog post..one night in boca
I went and saw Air Supply yesterday and I am squeeing with excitement that I got a photo with them.
Plus, my hair currently sorta channels Steve Perry, unfortunately…
(I know. Ultimate Dork, here)
Loralee’s last blog post..Dude. Cops must totally LOVE pulling ME over.
I always love these listy things.
My guilty pleasures:
1) Madonna
2) Bee Gees
3) Deborah Cox
Hmmmm….I have seen about half those bands in concert *LOL*And Stone in Love was my favorite song senior year of high school. *shiver* Was it really THAT long ago? Wow. I. Am. Old.
I did a Girls Weekend in Myrtle Beach 2 years ago and we got tix to see Journey at the House of Blues. Granted, it was NONE of the original band members, but who cared?
And now I can’t get “Don’t Stop Believin” out of my head…
In the Trenches of Mommyhood’s last blog post..When Age Is More Than Just a Number
I am a huge fan of 80’s hair bands. I was all about Poison, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Cinderella…..this list goes on and on. I love 80’s music to this day and have the entire “Greatest hits of the 80″ discography on my Itunes. Every 80’s song every done all in one place! Ahhh yeah!
There is no way ELO is a guilty pleasure. The were mega-talented!
Neil’s last blog post..If I Was Married to Helga from American Gladiators
What an interesting list. Some of the groups are from my youth, some a bit more modern. I’m certain I’m older than you since some are “more modern” to me. But wow…what a list.
I still love R.E.O and now my girls love ABBA too!
Wait, the Spice Girls aren’t on there AT ALL?! That is just weird.
the Monkees!!!!
last train to clarksville :)
i LOVED your post about the oil running out!!!
(i have a degree in environmental science)