Guilty Pleasure’s: 10 songs to listen to…when you’re alone.
Ah…Guilty Pleasures.
Everyone has those songs that they secretly dig. You wail them when you’re driving on the highway, but quickly skip to the next track when you’re in the city driving with the windows down.
Here are the Guilty Pleasures of the writers at Big Apple Music Scene.
(Yes, we know that some of these artists are not from New York)
Tom Cochran - Life is a Highway
This song owned a good solid year of my life growing up…right around the time when I started going to field parties with 6 beers wrapped in socks in a back pack so they wouldn’t break. You’d get to the party and your beer would be in tact, but it would also be warm and bordering hot…”Man, the song is so true…life is a highway.”
Life is a highway
I wanna ride it all night long
If you’re going my way
I wanna drive it all night long
Everything about the video is a guilty pleasure. The hair, the jacket, the playing harmonica in the middle of the road.
Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag
Proudly, Long Island New York produced the supergroup…Wheatus. Surprisingly, this single reached #2 in the UK and #1 in Australia. I used to think the singer was a girl when I belted out the chorus. Sorry man.

Wilson Phillips - Hold On
Oh the sweet sounds of Carnie Wilson, Wendy Wilson and Chynna Phillips. When this comes on I do a mean version - singing all three parts. See Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.

Pat Benatar - Hit Me with your Best Shot
It’s a good thing Pat married her New York high school sweetheart Dennis Benatar, because Patricia Mae Andrzejewski doesn’t have the same ring to it. I was at a wedding and this track came on. I was a couple cocktails in and started playing air guitar….serious air guitar. Mid way through the song I opened my eyes to see many family and friends staring at me. Guilty Pleasure revealed. Blast!
Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone
Yup. You got it. This is a driving on the highway…at midnight song. The song comes on, you check the rearview mirror to see if there are any cars around, you make sure your cell phone hasn’t accidentally called one of your friends…and then you crank it. It’s amazing how far off pitch you can actually get.
T.A.T.U. - All The Things She Said
Catchy tune…and no it has nothing to do with the fact that the two members of T.A.T.U. are allegedly Russian lesbians.
That was proven false anyway, but I really don’t know much else about them…they have an album scheduled to be released late 2007 called Upravleniye Otbrosami (translates to Waste Management) how do I even know that?
I’m letting on more than I should.

The Cardigans - Love Fool
Remember this song? It was featured in Leo and Claire Dane’s Romeo + Juliet. This song pops into my head way more than it should. It’s that high pitch “say that you love me” that stays in your head for decades…aarrggghhhh.

The Bay City Rollers - Saturday Night
This Scottish pop/rock band of the 70’s with their youthful, clean-cut image, distinct styling featuring tartan-trimmed outfits, and cheery, sing-along pop hits made were a worse person…yet better.

Barry Manilow - Mandy
Barry Manilow is Brooklyn New York’s biggest guilty pleasure….period.
The guy is compelling. His endless resume of popular and incredibly catchy tunes speak for themselves. His life has been a whirlwind - from rumors of him being engaged to porn star Robin Byrd (Debbie Does Dallas) to living next to the Regan’s and often sunbathing nude.
He has written numerous TV jingles that you’d recognize…State Farm, Band Aid - which are guilty pleasures in themselves.
But this song and this lyric…Mandy…”Oh Mandy, when you kissed me and stopped me from shaking”
Magical. (Did I say that out loud?)
Rod Stewart - Maggie May
Don’t know if I should be embarrassed about this one or not, but I dig Rod Stewart.
This is a song I’m proud to say that I sing and dance to in my living room while not wearing a shirt after spiking my weird mullet. No wait, admitting that was embarrassing. Guilty pleasure….check.

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Mike on November 19th, 2007 
13 opinions for Guilty Pleasure’s: 10 songs to listen to…when you’re alone.
Nov 19, 2007 at 12:40 am
Hey, I was actually going to include the Bay City Rollers on my list. LOL Who knew they had such a following? :)
Nov 19, 2007 at 1:06 am
And here I was thinking I was the only person that loved “Mandy” and “Hold On.” :-D Great list Mike?
And the Wheatus thing was phenomenal here in Oz, while it lasted. Then we never heard from them again!
Music Blog Spotlight: Our Guilty Pleasures
Nov 19, 2007 at 3:38 am
[…] Mike at Big Apple Music Scene shared his love for Barry Manilow, Pat Benatar, and The Bay City Rollers (ask your Mum). I was with him on everything until he mentioned the kilted ones! […]
Nov 19, 2007 at 6:28 am
Maggie May is cool! I have Rod on my list too — but an actual uncool tune of his. Also, I have to admit you’re dead on about Love Fool. How can such a bad song be in my mind so often I’ll never know. I love that geeky song.
Nov 19, 2007 at 6:50 am
OK man, you had me until the end. That photo of Rod is just wrong.
More Musical Guilty Pleasures From Our Friends
Nov 19, 2007 at 7:03 am
[…] BigAppleMusicScene admits he can only listen to his Guilty Yop 10 when he’s alone. […]
b5media - Guilty Pleasures…100 songs that you love that make you respect yourself a little less…
Nov 19, 2007 at 7:47 am
[…] Big Apple Music Scene gives us songs to listen to…when you’re alone. Mike actually admits that the lyric “Oh Mandy, when you kissed me and stopped me from shaking” is magical. This just in…Mike just lost all his friends. […]
Nov 19, 2007 at 8:52 am
Haha…
Yeah, Bay City Rollers are among the best (worst)…but I sing Saturday Night quite often…it drives friends and family crazy.
As for Rod…I had to show that he did many things to make him far less cool…
My Top Ten Guilty Pleasure Songs
Nov 19, 2007 at 10:40 pm
[…] Mike at Big Apple Music Scene […]
Nov 19, 2007 at 10:49 pm
I love Pat Benatar. Those were all some good songs, not too embarrassing, lucky.
In case you missed it, b5media’s musical guilty pleasures
Nov 20, 2007 at 11:38 am
[…] Mike at Big Apple Music Scene tells us of the 10 songs he listens to alone [Big Apple Music Scene] […]
So, Maybe We’re All A Little Guilty…
Nov 20, 2007 at 12:29 pm
[…] Mike, our glorious channel editor and writer for “Big Apple Music Scene,” brings us “10 Songs To Listen To….when you’re alone.” I think I actually love every song on my list, and I can’t think of a school dance when I didn’t scream/belt to Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone,” but I probably like The Cardigans “Love Fool.” I really really love that song. Really. [Big Apple Music Scene] […]
Aug 6, 2008 at 9:37 am
How can u young whipper-nappers feel guilty about Maggie May?? The song is ABOUT the Queen Diva of The Big Apple Music Scene for thirty years! Everybody knew Maggie, and she had a powerful influence on the scene from Bob Dylan well past Boy George.
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