On Demand
Musical 'Dirty Secrets'
Friday, March 28, 2008
A day after he was sworn in as New York’s new governor, David Paterson was quick to acknowledge that he and his wife had extramarital affairs. Today, we confess the "dirty secrets" in our pop music past -- the albums, concerts and fan letters that even our closest friends don't know about. Cintra Wilson, New York Times and Salon.com contributor, and Anne Midgette, the Washington Post's acting chief classical music critic, share their darkest musical secrets. Plus, we take your confessions …er, calls.
Tell us: We all have a bad album, concert or fan letter waiting to be exposed. What's a dirty secret from your pop-music past?
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Yes. I was a big Yes fan in middle school and high school. Odd now.
Just this. Three straight guys sharing a house in Watertown, MA, all groovin' to ABBA.
When I was in college I firmly believed that Morrissey (The Smiths) changed my life, especially the song "Hand in Glove".
Shaun Cassidy - I was obsessed - I was 13
i'm 25 but i listen to the partridge family and ABBA nearly everyday on my way to work. it's become ritualistic. and i do this despite the fact that i have 80gb worth of other music on my ipod that ranges from horowitz concertos and edith piaf to blackalicious and mudhoney b-sides to elvis (both presley and costello) and otis redding. i just can't stop it. i also pulled a muscle once dancing alone in my room to neil diamond and have willfully seen neil diamond cover bands.
Sha Na Na in junior high.
nearly every boy band since....
During my junior year in college (circa 1990), I became unaccountably addicted to Madonna's The Immaculate Collection and played it constantly. Still get gooseflesh when I hear the warm-up harmonizing to "Like a Prayer."
Oh, where do I start, LOL!
Anything by the "Jackson Five", "You Sexy Thing" by Hot Chocolate, "Vogue" by Madonna, "Midnight Confessions" by The Grass Roots, "Go All The Way" by The Raspberries, "Love Shack" by the B-52's...I'm a real sucker for a good three minute pop song.
Where to start? Probably the worst is Meatloaf. Not "Paradise by the dashboard light," that song just gets on my nerves, but I still love "2 out of 3 ain't bad..." Come to think of it, I do like a lot of cheesy 70's stuff -- "The Pina Colada Song" and "Margaritaville" were early favorites (I turned 6 in 1979, I guess my parents liked this stuff?) I'm sure my husband could make a whole list of embarassment from my ipod!
Milli Vanilli! I loved loved loved the Smiths, but I don't think of that as a dirty little secret.
Rick Springfield! saw him at Carnegie hall when i was around 12, circa 1982...
Ok, this isn't narcing on myself, but you have to make an exception for the fact that I have a Christmas photo of my brother holding up a copy of Eric Clapton's "Journeyman" and looking like he just won the lottery.
Possess autographed copy of Michelle Branch's "Spirit Room."
The first tape I ever bought that wasn't by Huey Lewis and the News was Girl You Know It's True by Milli Vanilli. The second tape I ever bought that wasn't Huey Lewis was the Milli Vanilli remix album.
Barry Manilow, yeah, oh hell he's still great. No one can churn out a pop tune like he can.
JBA
If forced at gunpoint, I could produce from somewhere in my vinyl collection two Bruce Willis albums.
The shame is having bought them without similar duress.
I think I own one more Bruce Willis album than Bruce Willis does.
Hey!
I attended a Barry Manilow concert this past December with thousands of other people. The man can sing and tell a story!
It was a great evening and every person there was having a great time.
He may not be fashionable these days but do not put down an entertainer just because you don't like his style.
I enjoy many genres of music, I don't dis other peoples choices.
I have more musical skeletons in my closet than Elliot Spitzer. The first record (well, actually it was a cassette)I ever bought was Michael Jackson Thriller followed by Poison, Look What The Cat Dragged In and then Megadeth, Peace Sells But Who's Buying? The days before I developed musical taste were dark times indeed. I've also seen Rush live three times. I also know all the words to "Total Eclipse Of The Heart". And I think I still have a crush on Tiffany. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to jump out of a window.
OK, so Karen's a Barry Manilow defender. The man's musical success is undeniable. Funny how no one has stepped up to the plate for Bruce Willis.
In my tween years, I had such a deep love for the New Kids, in particular Joey. I listened to their first self-titled cassette and Hangin' Tough both until the actual tape broke and had to buy new ones. I saw them in concert and nearly lost my mind! Today, I consider myself kind of a music snob so it took a while for me to publicly admit my past love. Now my view is, whatever, I was 12. Did you expect me to be listening to Brian Eno?
I can proudly claim having purchased Billy Joel's 52nd Street as my first personally bought album, But I am not so quick to mention that I had begged for and received Chic, The Village People, and Peaches and Herb's albums well before that. ;o)
Any of my own music embarrasses me.
I don't subscribe to the notion of "guilty pleasures". It's a bunch of BS first perpetrated by snotty, pompous "rock critics" and their insistence that only certain music is PC to listen to, and, of course, only they can decide what that music is.
I listen to The Beatles, Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett, The Monkees, Doo-wop, Elmore James, Ella Fitzgerald, '60s garage-rock, The Four Tops, Fairport Convention, Elvis and everything in between.
And I've nothing to be ashamed about.
Relax Jeffrey! No offense but your post was kind of snotty and pompous! This is all in good fun.
death cab for cutie. jesus just typing the name makes me retch a little. listened to thier second record for like a year straight when it came out. thank god i got back into heavy metal. i could be weraing eyeliner right now and knitting dolls.
I believe that everyone is entitled to like one britney spears song - mine is "Toxic".
i think ol' jeffery slott(miss dion if your nasty),there must have nothing but crap music in his collection.
Normally I listen to a lot of Hip Hop/Rap, R&B and Reggae. But, my guilty pleasure is ABBA's "Dancing Queen", I just love that song :-P
Belle and Sebastian. I can't believe now that i liked it as much as i did. But I still think If You're Feeling Sinister is a great record.
I have a cassette of Missing Persons from the 80's.
asia- heat of the moment
I heard Ace of Base's "The Sign" the other day on the radio for the first time since 4th grade. And I rocked out to it. It was glorious. Thankfully nobody else was in the car.
In defense of DeBarge, for all of us who grew up loving (and awkwardly dancing to them in crepe paper strewn gymnasiums) cheesy slow jams, they were a great little family of singers!
Devo. I admit it. And I still like "Whip It."
Great Topic.
My dirty music secret is that I have several Elvis gospels albums in my music collections. I am a 45 year old black male with now reason for having Elvis gospel albums. My late grandmother loved all types of gospel music and that even included Elvis. So when she died I collected these albums. And surprisingly, I never threw them out--they even started to grow on me.
Thanks,
HB
In highschool I loved all the New Wave hair bands but the weakest of the bunch must have been The Thompson Twins. (Remember Blonde gal, Redhead guy, and Dreadlocked black guy-- all with the SAME haircut?). I liked their song "Doctor, Doctor" so much that I convinced by elderly grandfather to listen to the opening bars through massive headphones asking him, "Isn't this amazing?"
John Waite, I Ain't Missing You at All. YES.
Hanson! And now I listen to experimental music...
ok ok...I have the best of Bette Middler and yes note my location, I might not be allowed off the L train this evening...
Three Yanni albums.
(shudder)
Motley Crue's "Looks that Kill." I'm embarrassed to say that I know every verse verbatim. I was fascinated by the video when I first saw it on MTV and recorded it on video to watch over and over again.
I can still rap the entire "Humpty Dance," on the spot. But I'm not actually ashamed of that.
I am, however, deeply ashamed that I still get emotional when I hear Bad English's "When I See You Smile" (or Mr. Big's "Just To Be With You," for that matter). I actually have a little knot in my throat just typing this. Oh God, I think I'll have to go to YouTube now...
I was a Lobo and Burt Bacharach fan back when I was learning English in Brazil and the school had a collection of American records put together as a window into American pop music.
My girlfriend was recently humming a painful Bangles song. First I made fun of her, begging her to stop. And then, to her surprise and probable dismay, I proceeded to sing all the words. And I loved it. The song....Eternal Flame. C'mon, you know you all know the words too.
why would you be ashamed of something you like. If you liked the song when you heard it wats wrong with it. This comes off as snobbish
When I was young we lived in Germany and we would take epic road trips, listening to music that we (my mom and dad and three sisters and I) could harmonize to. To this day, I know all of the words - and several harmonies - to Kenny Rogers greatest hits, Dolly Parton's greatest hits, the entire Barry Manilow catalogue, Crystal Gale's greatest hits, several Bay City Rollers albums and most of the Reader's Digest cassette tapes collections of the 1970s. Sadly, I think I am pretty cool. I am going to force my kids to learn those harmonies, too.
I actually OWN a Celine Dion CD...and I HAVE listen to it (only on headphones) and (gulp) I did....(do?) enjoy it. The werdest part is I'm considered to have fairly decent taste in music in other areas...I love Bill Calahan and the like, for instance. Imagine Bill Calahan and Celine Dion battling it out in my Ipod? I can't.
I WIN!! I played Helen Reddy's "Angie Baby" over and over hundreds of times, until my brother BROKE the 45. I still mourn the loss.
I must have been fairly pitiful back then, because I was also asked by the local radio call-in host to stop requesting Paul Simon's "My Mother Love's Me" every day after school.
Have faith, I'm good now. I even like Avenged Sevenfold.
from NYC.
The utter chagrin lies Not the songs I've listened to...many of which are bad...bad...but in the routines I have 'choreographed' to them. In private. With only the imaginary spotlight and audience to see the dream alive.
#46 reminds me--99 Red Balloons, the German lyrics, of course
Warrant, "Cherry Pie" was my 8th grade rollerskating favorite. I was young and brain-washed by all of that 80's flowing hair horror! I'm the victim...
Hi to the Jeager Meister Shot Girl! Cintra you know what I'm talkin' about!
This was played in clubs and was critical of US over-consumption...but it had a good beat and you could dance to it! Not my Fave but it came to mind right away!
Pop Will Eat Itself -
Def Con One
Original Lyrics:
Big Mac, fries to go
Gimme Big Mac, fries to go
Big Mac, fries to go
Gimme Big Mac, gimme fries to go.
Dear BORED--this isn't about whether the music is good or bad, it's about emotions around the music.
High School Musical 1. And now 2. And I'm 46 and have good taste, mostly. Blame it on my kid--but you have to admit, it's kind of catchy.
I just turned 60 but, I must admit, I liked so-called "bubblegum" music . . . and still do! It was clever, catchy pop . . . toe tapping good mood music!!! Yummy, Yummy, Yummy . . . I've got love in my tummy!!!
The Pussycat Dolls. And I'm a 40-year-old feminist. The shame.
Type O Negative. I got "Bloody Kisses" when I was 15. I keep trying to give it to a goth friend, but even she won't take it from me.
Terry Jacks - "Seasons in the Sun"
There, I said it....
I really can't think of anything in my music collection that would qualify. NOT because I own only the coolest music in the world but I'm really not embarrassed by any of it. Is something wrong with me?
I mean I can rock out to 80s pop, shed a tear to soft rock and drunkingly sing "Sweet Home Alabama" at a bar and love it like the first time!
I've got a small collection of background music cues used on "The Price Is Right." Especially considering this music was never intended to be heard without the voice of someone describing a refrigerator or "a neeeeeeew caaaaaar!" over it, it's amazingly well-written and well-played. It's far better music than it ever had to be, and there is nothing on earth that will lift my spirits faster than a cue called "Splendido." Come to think of it, the only thing I feel the least guilty about is that my game-loving friends and I refer to that cue by a nickname derived from the fact that it's only ever played behind descriptions of tables and chairs. To us, it's "Nothing but Furniture."
holy crap. that sigfried and roy song is the best.
Although I am a doctor today, I was 8 in 1969. I still listen to my greatest hits of the Partridge Family in my car in secret. When David Cassidy toured last year I dragged my best fried to the concert. When he did a Partridge tune, I still knew every word. She's my best friend and she was embarrassed for me.
Patrick Swayze - She's Like the Wind - I thought it was the most fabulous song and he was the most fabulous singer in the world when I was 16 - There was a brief George Michael period as well that I'd rather forget.
I think I can top everyone in terms of sheer moritification and shame. One of my early memories is playing basketball in my driveway with a friend, jamming to the New Kids on the Block Xmas album! My jump shot may not have improved much over the years but I'd like to think my musical taste has..
Flute Rock !!!
I had just about every Jethro Tull album on cassette in high school. I'll still stop and listen to Aqualung on the radio, but it's the more obscure albums like Heavy Horses or Songs from the Woods that are truly embarrassing.
I am waiting for someone to call in about either Amy Grant, Celine Dion, or Twisted Sister... My worst is definitely "Mandy" by Mr. Manilow.
I lost my virginity with Dave Matthews Band playing on the stereo. I had actually pre-planned this, because I WANTED to remember it forever. I have never told anyone.
I think my dirty secret is probably less sophisticated than most of the rest, but I have a great weakness for Aqua's "Barbie Girl". It came out at an impressionable time in my youth, what can I say...
Really, though, I've just come to deal with the fact that I have extremely eclectic and occasionally bad taste.
AHA-take on me!!!!
signed-the last living AHA fan
For all my goth inclinations and dark brooding, one magical week in 1995 in Cabo San Lucas had me cranking up "This is the Rhythm of the Night" every opportunity I had (while Bela Lugosi shuddered in his grave...)
everyone, just give up now. I don't think his mom liked this...
Rick Wakeman's, Journey to the center of the earth. do you want to talk pretentious. do you want to talk bombast. Hey. I was a depressed introverted teenager and they hadn't invented dungeons and dragons yet!
Runner up: Peter Allen, Bi-Coastal. much much later and extra extra embarrassing- I am straight!
#69--And the video was as awesome as the song!
"Lost in Emotion" by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam. Loved it when it came out but, even then, knew it was garbage and NEVER admitted it to anyone!!
Elvis? Doo Wop? Not embarassing in the least! Celine Dion is the object of my secret fandom -- some of the best pipes in the business, despite her Vegas-ness...
Okay, I have a few that are on my iPod shuffle mixed in with the stuff people wouldn't give me a hassle about:
1) The following Helen Kane's songs: Get Out And Get Under The Moon, That's My Weakness Now, Button Up Your Overcoat.
2) Henry Mancini's stuff: The Pink Panther Theme & Baby Elephant Walk.
And I'm still trying to find a perfect version of "Little Brown Jug". Halp, plz?
So busted. The bubblegummy hair metal that I loved and grew up on. Motley Crue. Poison. Europe. Cinderella. Later, there was Bang Tango and Skid Row. OOHHHH - Let's not forget RATT.
I adore Cat Stevens Greatest Hits...rather blushing but I am on that Peace Train!
Like Brian Lehrer, who I greatly admire, I am an American Idol fan--it's my guilty pleasure! So I'm in good company.
wings' "silly little lovesongs"
i guess a more intrepid soul would be able to defend this tune through irony; however, i can't. i love it, including its terribly saccharine melody and sickening chorus. dig it.
I am a 30 year old recovering jazz purist and while I am newly open to a variety of music I still bitterly scoff at my 15 year old self who was fond of Kenny G's Breathless.
rebecca, you win.
Let's not forget the disco version of the third movement of Brahms' Fourth Symphony. No recollection of who did it. So awful, and soo cool to hop around to after drink or two!
I swear I have great taste.
Survivor's Eye of the Tiger!!
I actually saw Rick Wakeman's "Journey to the Center of the Earth" live at the Spectrum in Philly. After going through it once - he played some stuff (I think) from the 6 Wives and then admitted that he hadn't planned on an encore, so they re-did the 2nd half of "Journey".
"Crystals of opaque quartz, studded limpid tears"
Nerd heaven.
Rebecca, somewhere out there someone has a tragic story to tell about DiVinyl's wretched "i touch myself" so I agree, you're impressive.
I remembered another album I have - The Residents "Commercial" album. It is so obtuse, I would die if anyone ever heard this blaring from my home. But what a unique f'd up group; love to hear a Sound Check about them someday.
I tell everyone that my first album purchased was The Beatles "Revolver", when in fact it was Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, "Beat of the Brass." What can I say, I still love the sound of those horns and the smoky, "This Guy's in Love With You."
I could not comment during the show, as I was out. Now, I am back.
First, I defend ELP. I think they were great. Also, named not on the show, but in the posts, ABBA, I love them.
I have nothing to confess in the way you have asked, nothing of which I am ashamed.
Most of my pretty large modern collection is music about which I learned by listening to WNYC programs: New Sounds; Sound Check; Hearts of Space; and general music programming. WNYC music is a great teacher
Most of my Jazz collection is based upon music I heard 1965-67 on WHAT in Philadelphia. Sid Mark and Joel Dorn were also great teachers.
But I have been sucked in. Sourced from two Hearts of Space programs, I bought two albums based upon one track each, which turned out to be the only good track: Peter Michael Hamel "Organum"; David Darling "Journal October".
>>RSM
My first concert was ZZ Top, during the Eliminator tour.
A guilty pleasure from college days:
Suzy Quatro's "Devil Gate Drive"
You are all babies....I was a Bobby Rydell groupie
A late addition:
A number of years ago my wife and I got rid of our record collections by leaving them at the curb. I was mortified to see that the Bay City Rollers and Abba were on top of my wife's pile. Worried about what the neighbors would think, I covered them with one of my Crosby Stills Nash and Young albums.
Oh, and I still like Mmmbop by Hanson.
I listend to this show, and for about 15 minutes had to roll back the years to when I was maybe 9? I had a record w/ a guy who could have easily been mistaken for a cute girl... who was he!? Ah yes, Shaun Cassidy! When I "grew up" I think at 10, I got a bb gun for christmas and used the record for target practice. I ashamedly admit I loved the record the year before! Da do run run run da do run run :)
I have listened mostly to Electric Light Orchestra since jr. high school (I'm 36). Is it a dirty secret? Ya - kinda.
#76 - I found Bang Tango on youtube and 'Someone like you' is actually still very listenable.
I don't believe they are dirty little secrets. it's all music good or bad and if it puts a kick in your step at any particular time who cares how it stands up in the taste test. Like Peter Pumpkin Head says in XTC's song, "Any kind of love is alright." Pull those old records out and dance around the house - live a little.
try to improve ur music cos we are not all in love
I used to be ashamed of how much I liked the Carpenters ... I listened recently to a few of their old lovelies. I thought about how beautiful Karen's voice was and thought what a pity she was unable to mature into that gorgeous instrument.
The shame is gone ... I made a whole Carpenters play list for my ipod.
The first 3 Yes albums (though
I still love Steve Howe as an
accomplished and inventive
guitarist) now give me pause,
but don't know how I can
account for my love of the
disco hit "Funkytown" ?!?!?!?
My sister and I, then 17 and 16, made out with 2 guys in the England Dan and John Ford Coley band. They told us their names were Ovid and Bubba. We went to see the band in concert the follwing year, and chanted, "Ovid and Bubba". Who knows what their real names were!
While I still think Der Kommisar by Falco is a catchy tune I can't figure out why I had to by the album, which is terrible. Needless to say, it is now on the discard pile (but still in my house...strange!)
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