Mellow Mellow FM: Summer Fun, A Glass Of Rum & A Piña Colada Song

Pearl Charles

For this episode of Mellow Mellow FM, I wanted to stay as close as possible to the piña colada sound of the sunny Californian West Coast. Enjoy this preview of an old-fashioned, virus-free summer, while drinking rum and Coca-Cola, to quote Barry White! 😊

Escape by Rupert Holmes is probably the most archetypal yacht rock song ever, because the genre is basically all about escapism. The lyrics were inspired by a want-ad he read whilst idly scanning the personals one day. He imagined himself answering the ad and built the song on the fantasy that it was his own wife who was bored with him. The chorus originally started with "If you like Humphrey Bogart", which Holmes changed at the last minute, replacing the actor with the name of the first exotic cocktail that came to mind and fit the music. To this day Holmes still does not drink piña coladas himself.

After the shine of glam had faded in the mid-seventies, successful British rockers Mud searched for new directions for the second half of the decade. They were one of the early adapters of disco when they recorded Shake It Down in 1976, but it was a one-off single. Two years later they released a very nice blue-eyed-soul song, Drift Away, which was made famous by Dobie Gray a few years earlier. It did not help them to return on the charts and record sales dropped fast. After one more rock ‘n’ roll album in 1979, the band decided to split.

Next up is a Mixcloud Exclusive, followed by a regular part of Eddy's Eighties Grooves.

Tracklist:

Sammy Davis Jr. ‎– Baretta's Theme (1976)
Dave Valentin – Sidra’s Dream (1980)
Prep – Rain (2020)
Bell & James – You Never Know What You've Got (1978)
Faragher Brothers – The Best Years Of My Life (1976)
Chaka Khan – What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me (1981)
Kid Creole And The Coconuts – Endicott (1985)
Billy Ocean – Love Zone (1986)
Rupert Holmes – Escape (The Piña Colada Song) (1979)
Barry White – Rum And Coke (1980)
Pearl Charles – Imposter (2021)
Fleetwood Mac – You Make Loving Fun (1977)
Richard Myhill – It Takes Two To Tango (1978)
Mud ‎– Drift Away (1978)
Henson – Part Time Lady (1974)
Bradley Smith – Rubber Bandit (1979)
Joey Stec – Do You Know (1976)
Kelly Willard – Blame It On The One I Love (1978)
Alan O’Day – Started Out Dancing, Ended Up Making Love (1977)
Larry John McNally ‎– Just Like Paradise (1981)
Terence Boylan – Did She Finally Get To You (1980)
Paul Anka – Flashback (1973)