Mix Tape Friday: Guilty Pleasures

Sean at the palindromatic and entertaining Everything Is Pop, Pop Is Everything suggested a great mix tape: guilty pleasures. I love pleasures that leave me feeling a bit guilty, so let’s go there this week. There’s nothing more fun than a guilty pleasure song. You know it’s lame, you may be embarrassed if friends catch you listening to it — but you can’t help but sing along and give the tune your full music love and affection.

I have an electronic treasure trove filled with guilty pleasure songs — plenty to fill several mix tapes. But I reached out to the beloveds — Renae and the sister, HollyC and RCofCHS, French and Filegod, the Northwest Doppelganger and Swirlie Grrrl — to help me flesh out this week’s tape.

I’m dying to tell who suggested what, but their secrets are safe. I also wish I could tell some of the stories behind their choices — some are surprising, some are just damn funny — but those are their tales. They need to get their own blogs.

The beloveds and I are around the same age, so some of these — The Partridge Family, The Monkees, and Bread, in particular — were requested more than once. Interesting that a lot of our guilty pleasures are rooted in our childhoods; I hope you young’uns can appreciate the brilliance of this bopping banality.

Embrace your lameness!

Toni Basil :: Mickey

Avril Lavigne :: Girlfriend

R.E.M. :: Shiny Happy People (Hip Mix)

The Archies :: Sugar, Sugar

Shalamar :: Dead Giveaway

Josie Cotton :: Johnny, Are You Queer?

The Monkees :: I’m a Believer

Power Station :: Get It On (Bang a Gong)

Queen :: Flash Gordon

Def Leppard :: Photograph

Bon Jovi :: You Give Love a Bad Name

Lynyrd Skynyrd :: Gimme Three Steps

Tim Curry :: I Do the Rock

Kenny Rogers & The First Edition :: Something’s Burning

Lou Christie :: Lightning Strikes

Nu Shooz :: Lost Your Number

Mariah Carey :: Vision of Love

Christina Aguilera :: Dirrty

The Cowsills :: Hair

The Partridge Family :: I Think I Love You

Marshall Tucker Band :: Heard It in a Love Song

10CC :: The Things We Do for Love

The Fifth Dimension :: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In

Wham :: Everything She Wants

Bree Sharp :: David Duchovny

Bread :: Baby I’m-A Want You

Barry Manilow :: Mandy

The Bee Gees :: Lonely Days

The Carpenters :: Superstar

Al Stewart :: Year of the Cat

And now for the lamest of the lame — and this one’s mine. I lost some of Favorite Boy’s respect when I ‘fessed up to this one:

Richard Harris :: MacArthur Park

We had the 45 of this Jimmy Webb classic growing up. The B-side was “Didn’t We”; I wanted to include that, too, but I couldn’t find a digital copy.

Bet you didn’t think I could pick an R.E.M. song that could rate as a guilty pleasure, did you? You underestimate me. Michael wanted to do an Archies-type song — and “Shiny Happy People” was born. Rumor has it he so hates the song, he gives all those residual dollars to charity. So we have Michael’s guilt and our pleasure whenever we dance to the song. This is a different mix, and it’s a bit more entertaining — especially when followed by the inspirational “Sugar, Sugar.”

“Everything She Wants” is one of my very favorite guilty pleasures. Whenever I hear it, I become George Michael. I emote. My hips move. I throw my arms wide and sing at the top of my lungs. It used to embarrass the Beloved Ex; he was always shushing me in fear that the neighbors would hear me. To hell with ‘em, I say!

If you monitor Shows I Gotta See on the navbar, you’ve probably giggled over this week’s show — a concert by one of this week’s guilty pleasurers. Yep, I’m goin’ all Manilow this weekend. The sister and I are taking my mother as part of her birthday celebration. Secretly, between you and me, I think I’m going to enjoy the show. Let’s hope this weekend’s snow forecast doesn’t shut down the Copacabana.

* * * * * *