I’m going to conclude my musical entries with one about my favorite cheesy songs. These are the guilty pleasures that are probably on most people’s “bad songs” list, but somehow never made it on mine. For whatever reason, these are the songs I never skip on my iPod and they always make me smile. Warning! These songs are bad!
1. “Goodbye Girl” by David Gates. I never liked anything by Bread and I certainly never expected to like this song even after all these years, but I do. I remember seeing the movie, starring Quinn Cummings, Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason, when I was probably 12 or so and loving it. Shortly after,I raided my piggy bank for enough money to buy the theme song on 45 and listened to it until I wore it out (or lost it). Yes, it’s schmaltzy, but I love it.
2. “Arthur’s Theme” by Christopher Cross. By now you’ve probably left the computer to throw up, but stay with me because things will get worse. I love this song! I remember my friend Rachel’s dad having a Christopher Cross cassette and we’d listen to “Sailing” on our way to the lake (he owned a sailboat). I never liked that song, and Rachel and I would make gagging noises in the back seat, but “Arthur’s Theme” somehow stuck with me. Maybe it’s my love for Burt Bacharach that makes this song tolerable.
3. “Superstar” by The Carpenters. If you’ve seen the movie “Tommy Boy” you know the power of this song. If David Spade and Chris Farley can bond over this song then it’s good enough for me. Actually, I have had a life-long love/hate relationship with The Carpenters. I loved them as a kid, hated them as a teen and young adult, then re-discovered them a few years ago and fell back in love. Don’t get me wrong, it’s pure cheese, but fun anyway.
4. “I Think I Love You” by David Cassidy. Man, I loved David Cassidy as a kid. I watched “The Partridge Family” and owned all of David’s albums (still do) and I thought he was the hottest thing; much cooler than his brother Shawn. Plus we all know the only reason we watched “The Partridge Family” was to drool over David and laugh at Danny. This is one song that has remained a favorite of mine throughout the years.
5. “Xanadu” by Olivia Newton John with ELO. This is the cheese cherry on top of a pile of cheese. If memory serves me right, the movie starred ONJ as an alien that comes down to save a skating rink called “Xanadu.” It was so bad, but the song is a slice of cheesy pie. It’s about dreaming big and making that dream come true with skating and lights and music and aliens and ELO!
What are some of your musical guilty pleasures?
Pretty Pretty Bang Bang 
Xanadu? Really?! Should you be in therapy?
Yes, I should probably be in therapy. I mean, look at my friends… I TOLD you this was a cheesy list!
I secretly like the entire Xanadu soundtrack. But if you ever mention it in my presence, I will simply deny it.
And she’s not an alien, but one of the Muses, down from Mount Olympus to inspire what’s-his-name to pursue his dream, after he sees her painting. A very plausible plot line.
Cindy, I should have known you’d know the plot line to Xanadu! Well, a Muse from Mount Olympus makes so much more sense than a plain old alien.