Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Coming up, possibly the most likable person I’ve ever interviewed. Rupert Holmes…He’s Such a great storyteller… Well it’s a special one today as he tells the story of a beloved song that was the final #1 Hit of the 70s and would’ve been the first #1 of the 80s but Payola ruined that… Escape (the Pina Colada Song) Although he did hit #1 a week into the new decade but it’s ironic that this song was the last #1 of the 70s and one of the first of the 80s because the song itself has one foot in both decades and to think it’s singer and creator had a completely different lyric when he went into the recording booth but in a split second he changed the main lyric from one unique phrase to another that was completely off the wall and the split second decision changed everything. He was freaking out because he had to some crazy word play to make the syllables fit and the song had to have a second drummer to make it all fit but it became one of the most famous songs ever… The story is next on Professor of Rock.
#classicrock #shorts #80smusic #softrock
Hey music junkies Professor of Rock alway here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time.
It’s time for another episode of our series Revelations, where featured artists reveal rare stories about their greatest songs and albums. On this installment of Revelations, we get the straight story of a song that was the last number one song of the 1970s and then fell to #2 in the first week of the 80s, only to regain the top spot in the 2nd week of the new decade. Payola caused that. It was the right song at the right time as it had one foot in the 70s and one in the 80s. I’m talking about Escape the Pina Colada song from the most likable storyteller of his time. The ultra multi-talented Rupert Holmes. Depending on who you speak to, I’ve heard people lay claim to it as a 70s hit and just as many claim it as an 80s classic. It undoubtedly has a strange aura around it that seems to hypnotize you as a listener, and the story of how Rupert Holmes created it is just fascinating. It was actually supposed to be "If you like Humphrey Bogart," and then in the middle of the recording, Rupert changed that lyric to Pina Coladas, and he’d never even had one! So let’s get into it. You’ll love this guy.
As you probably know, Rupert is a Tony Award-winning playwright, a television writer, and a novelist. Thanks for watching. Leave us a comment about Rupert Holmes and this classic song. What are your memories of it? Do you consider it a 70s song or an 80s song? It will be a fun discussion. If you like our videos, we invite you to subscribe below to be a part of our community, to get the band shirt of the day, click on our links below, and to get even more content and insider access, join us on Patreon. Help us keep the music alive. Until next time... Three Chords and the Truth.
Coming up, possibly the most likable person I’ve ever interviewed. Rupert Holmes…He’s Such a great storyteller… Well it’s a special one today as he tells the story of a beloved song that was the final #1 Hit of the 70s and would’ve been the first #1 of the 80s but Payola ruined that… Escape (the Pina Colada Song) Although he did hit #1 a week into the new decade but it’s ironic that this song was the last #1 of the 70s and one of the first of the 80s because the song itself has one foot in both decades and to think it’s singer and creator had a completely different lyric when he went into the recording booth but in a split second he changed the main lyric from one unique phrase to another that was completely off the wall and the split second decision changed everything. He was freaking out because he had to some crazy word play to make the syllables fit and the song had to have a second drummer to make it all fit but it became one of the most famous songs ever… The story is next on Professor of Rock.
#classicrock #shorts #80smusic #softrock
Hey music junkies Professor of Rock alway here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time.
It’s time for another episode of our series Revelations, where featured artists reveal rare stories about their greatest songs and albums. On this installment of Revelations, we get the straight story of a song that was the last number one song of the 1970s and then fell to #2 in the first week of the 80s, only to regain the top spot in the 2nd week of the new decade. Payola caused that. It was the right song at the right time as it had one foot in the 70s and one in the 80s. I’m talking about Escape the Pina Colada song from the most likable storyteller of his time. The ultra multi-talented Rupert Holmes. Depending on who you speak to, I’ve heard people lay claim to it as a 70s hit and just as many claim it as an 80s classic. It undoubtedly has a strange aura around it that seems to hypnotize you as a listener, and the story of how Rupert Holmes created it is just fascinating. It was actually supposed to be "If you like Humphrey Bogart," and then in the middle of the recording, Rupert changed that lyric to Pina Coladas, and he’d never even had one! So let’s get into it. You’ll love this guy.
As you probably know, Rupert is a Tony Award-winning playwright, a television writer, and a novelist. Thanks for watching. Leave us a comment about Rupert Holmes and this classic song. What are your memories of it? Do you consider it a 70s song or an 80s song? It will be a fun discussion. If you like our videos, we invite you to subscribe below to be a part of our community, to get the band shirt of the day, click on our links below, and to get even more content and insider access, join us on Patreon. Help us keep the music alive. Until next time... Three Chords and the Truth.
