All those years ago we were so cool. You had to listen to the right music. Good music. Was there any other kind of music? I grew up in the 80’s. I was in metal bands all through the late 80’s. So I was well versed in Metallica, Dokken, Megadeath, Ratt, Poison, just to name a few. I would not be caught dead listening to anything else. This was the world of music. I bought into it full, or is it fool, heartedly. But that was almost twenty five years ago. Twenty five years is so long and yet it goes by so fast. What’s my point? Who the hell knows? Oh right I have grown and now find myself turning up songs that would have, in my clique, been social suicide. So here they are my top five guilty pleasure songs.

5. La Isla Bonita, Madonna. I love this song. I think I even got laughed out of a warehouse party for saying so back in the day. The vaguely island or Latin rhythm screamed vacation. This was the summer/vacation romance. That magically trip love that pops up once or twice in a lifetime. This song is fun and captures a moment. I turn this up now whenever I hear it.
4. My Prerogative, Bobby Brown. This was a huge hit my senior year. But in my little slice of the cafeteria you did not listen to dance, pop, R&B. it was metal or nothing. You had to make a case for it. Probably should have listened to the lyrics on the chorus and I would have understood better how to live a little bit.
3. Bust A Move, Young MC. This one takes me right back to senior year. This is winter break and what fun it was. Graduation and freedom were around the corner. My group of friends had imploded and fractured and I found this song playing almost everywhere I went. I would just hope nobody saw me as I drove listening to this masterpiece, alright that might be a strong word but it’s good.
2. The Right Stuff, New Kids on the Block. This just screams youth and fun for me. This was there break out hit and I am still embarrassed to say I know most of the words, and I probably should be embarrassed. Its light and its fun and its… well not metal. I think I had exhausted that genre by 17 anyway. It was either too glam or too dark. Pop was taking a hold on me and kept quiet.
1. Girl You Know It’s True, Mili Vanili. I raged against this song senior year. These guys could not speak a word of English and I was supposed to believe they could sing? No thank you. This was everything that was wrong with music and I hated it with a passion. Of course now 25 years later what happens when it comes on the radio? I sing along and I don’t care who sees me or knows. Try it next time you hear you will be surprised at how many people around you at the stop light will harmonize with you on the “ooh ooh oohs”
There they are. My five guilty pleasure pop hits from high school. Don’t tell anyone. I can trust you right? Do you have one? Are you brave enough to post it in the comments? As one of my former students would say “I bet you won’t”