Music: 10 Guilty Pleasures Part II - Songs from the Microphone

Here we have done it again. Yes, it is another list of 10 musical guilty pleasures...at least they were deemed so by a large group of my friends and family. We used the same criteria as in Music: 10 Guilty Pleasures Part I.

I do realize that some people will argue the songs that are chosen - please know that some I love dearly are on the list too. But I go by a majority rules for this list. Oh, well. I AM going to add a bonus song to this list though - simply because it IS my Hub and I like this song an awful lot.

Y.M.C.A is a song recorded by disco group Village People and it was released in 1978. YMCA reached the nuber 2 spot on the US charts in 1979 and the number 1 spot in the UK about the same time. The song went on to become the group’s biggest hit – holding the record of being one of fewer than 30 singles to have sold 10 million or more copies worldwide.

Cotton Eye Joe is a dance mix sung by the Rednex. The song was very successful in Europe and reached the number one spot in the UK in 1995. In the US it peaked at number 25. Blender magazine ranked Cotton Eye Joe as number 38 of the “50 Worst Songs Ever”.

Walk Like an Egyptian is a song performed by the group the Bangles. The song made its arrival on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1986 – it peaked in the UK in the number three spot and in the US in the number one spot. Walk Like an Egyptian is the first song by an all-female group (who all played their own instruments) to make it to the number one spot on the Billboard single chart.

Ghostbusters is a song recorded by Ray Parker Jr. in 1984. The song is the theme for the Ghostbusters movies and it hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1984 – where it stayed for 3 weeks. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song but lost.

Holiday Road is a song written and recorded in 1983 by Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. The song is best known from the movie National Lampoon’s Vacation opening sequence. It peaked at number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1983.

I Will Survive was first performed by American singer Gloria Gaynor and was released in October 1978 (my birth year and month – sweet!). It is one of the most famous disco songs ever and is still Gloria’s biggest hit. I Will Survive is often recognized as a symbol of female strength and gay pride.

Hello is sung by Lionel Richie and was released in 1984. It reached the number one spot on three Billboard music charts and it is considered by some to be Lionel Richie’s signature song.

Gloria is a pop song written and composed by Umberto Tozzi and Giancarlo Bigazzi that became an international hit in 1982-3 when sung by Laura Branigan. The song sold more than 2 million singles in the US alone.

Ice Ice Babe is a hip hop song written and performed by rapper Vanilla Ice. Ice Ice Baby is Vanilla Ice’s most popular and most famous song. The song didn’t reach instant success but when it did become popular it topped the Australian, Dutch, Irish, Italian, and UK charts.

Take On Me is a song by pop band A-ha. It was written by band members and was produced by Alan Tarney. It was released in 1985 and combines synthpop with varied instrumentation. The song was not an instant success. The original song was recorded in 1984 and it took 3 releases to chart in the UK and did not chart in the US until 1985.

This song contains a lot of swearing so dont listen to it if you dont appreciate that kind of language. Also - please dont listen to the song with your kids in the room.

Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangsta is a rap performed by the rap group Geto Boys. The song is best known for its role in the movie Office Space. You can hear the music in the background during the printer scene. I had to add this song as a BONUS favorite guilty pleasure of my own.