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Vinyl Junkies Making Mixtapes – Guilty Pleasures

Outline / Notes

Guilty Pleasures Mixtape Side A

1. Vanilla Ice – Ice Ice Baby, Hooked – To The Extreme, 1989

When it was originally released as a single it was actual the “B” side, but a DJ in Georgia played the wrong side and it resulted in a record deal. It was the first single in the US to hit #1 by a rapper (not first rap song, Rapture by Blondie gets that credit). Although, the song sampled from “Under Pressure” by Bowie and Queen, Vanilla Ice never had permission to use it. A lawsuit was never filed and in 1992 when Queen released their compilation Classic Queen, they mention in the linear notes it was featured in Ice Ice Baby. But Vanilla Ice were sued by Wild Cherry for Play That Funky Music.

2. Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive, Love Tracks, 1978

Originally released October 1978 on the album – LOVE TRACKS, it became global anthem for those who have felt politically oppressed, physically challenged or otherwise pushed to society’s margins. 

3. Journey – Don’t Stop Believing, Escape, 1981

Released on 1981’s Escape. BIGGEST selling digital rock song in the history of popular music, yet it barely cracked Billboards top 10 on it’s original release…it made it to number #9.

4. Ah Ha – Take On Me, 1984

Released in 1984 in Europe, where it charted to #3 in Norway, but completely flopped in the UK. It wasn’t until the song was re-written and new video was made for it. Because MTV played it, it was picked up by the radio stations who started playing because of this and it eventually hit #1 in October of 1985.  Video was huge factor in the success of the song

5. Wham – Careless Whisper, Make It Big, 1984

Wham, Make it Big – 1984, which also included Wake Me Up before GoGo, which might actually be more of guilty pleasure – but I honestly I feel that was a crap song, So we are going with Careless Whisper. While George Michael wrote most of the songs for Wham, Careless Whisper was the one of the songs that Andrew Ridgeley got half songwriter credit on…so it’s interesting because it was also George Michaels first solo release – It was also Epic’s records first single that sold a million copies.

6. Bangles – Manic Monday, A Different Light, 1986

Written by Prince, ironically The week ending April 19, 1986, Prince’s song “Kiss” was #1 on the Hot 100 while “Manic Monday,” which he wrote, was #2.

7. John Denver – Take Me Home Country Roads, Poems, Prayers, & Promises. 1971

Written about roads on West Virginia, but the reality is when it was written John Denver had never even been to West Virginia! Did you know it was co-written by Bill & Taffy Danoff who later had a hit with “Afternoon Delite”. Charted at #2.

8. Bill Medley, Jennifer Warnes,– I’ve had time of my Life, Dirty Dancing Soundtrack, 1986

Bill Medley was in The Rightous Brothers. Jennifer Warnes had done other duets for films such as An Officer & A Gentlema “It was the last song on the last tape submitted on the last day for the movie’s final scene.

9. Toto – Africa, Toto IV, 1982

My least favorite on this list. In December 2017, a Twitter account launched dedicated to getting Weezer to cover this song. Using the hashtag #WeezerCoverAfrica, the account, run by a 14-year-old girl, posted a series of Tweets along the lines of, “May your day be as blessed as the rains down in Africa!” On May 29, 2018, the band complied, releasing their version of “Africa.”