Soft Rock Music

Rupert Holmes wrote this song for his 1979 album Partners in Crime. He was looking for something up-tempo to balance out the ballads. They had laid down the beat, using two drummers, and the tune, but it was difficult to find the right lyrics. The day before the last scheduled day of recording, Holmes says he was in his apartment and looked through a copy of The Village Voice. He went through the personal columns because he says that people fascinate him. A woman had placed an ad in there that described herself in glowing terms. He thought that if she were that wonderful, why did she need an ad? Perhaps for adventure with a stranger. That’s the story behind the story of this song of a man who is tired of his lady and wants to escape with another after reading an ad in the personal columns. The twist is that his old lady was looking for something, too. She wrote the ad and they rediscover each other in O’Malley’s bar. Holmes says that the story is not based on his life.

Another bit of trivia is that Holmes actually doesn’t like piña coladas. The original lyric was “if you like Humphrey Bogart,” but that didn’t sing as well.  Also, the song was first titled “Escape.” Once they added (The Piña Colada Song), it took off.  The drink grew in popularity after this song was a hit.

The song was released as a single in 1979, backed with “Drop It.” It has the distinction of being the last #1 song on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for 1979 and the 1970s. It also went to #1 in Canada. It was #3 in Australia, #4 in New Zealand, #10 in Belgium, #13 in The Netherlands, and #23 in the U.K.

On the track were Rupert Holmes (vocals, keyboards, synthesizer), Dean Baling (guitar), Frank Gravis (bass), Leo Adamian (drums), and Steve Jordan (double drumming with Adamian).

Rupert Holmes is an accomplished musician and singer-songwriter, as well as the author of several Broadway Plays (e.g., Say Goodnight, Gracie and The Mystery of Edwin Drood), the TV series “Remember WENN,” and the novel Where the Truth Lies. He has won Tonys, Emmys, and Edgars. His songs have been performed by Barbra Streisand, Judy Collins, and Britney Spears. And yet…people know him for  “The Piña Colada Song.” Such is show biz.

Here are the lyrics to “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes:

I was tired of my lady, we´d been together too long
Like a worn-out recording, of a favorite song
So while she lay there sleeping, I read the paper in bed
And in the personal columns, there was this letter I read

“If you like Piña Coladas, and gettin’ caught in the rain
If you´re not into yoga, if you have half a brain
If you like making love at midnight, in the dunes of the cape
Then I´m the love that you´ve looked for, write to me, and escape”

I didn´t think about my lady, I know that sounds kind of mean
But me and my old lady, had fallen into the same old dull routine
So I wrote to the paper, took out a personal ad
And though I´m nobody´s poet, I thought it wasn´t half bad

“Yes, I like Piña Coladas, and gettin’ caught in the rain
I´m not much into health food, I am into champagne
I´ve got to meet you by tomorrow noon, and cut through all this red tape
At a bar called O’Malley’s, where we´ll plan our escape”

So I waited with high hopes, then she walked in the place
I knew her smile in an instant, I knew the curve of her face
It was my own lovely lady, and she said, “Oh, it´s you”
And we laughed for a moment, and I said, “I never knew”

“That you liked Piña Coladas, and gettin’ caught in the rain
And the feel of the ocean, and the taste of champagne
If you like making love at midnight, in the dunes of the cape
You´re the lady I´ve looked for, come with me, and escape”

“If you like Piña Coladas, and gettin’ caught in the rain
If you´re not into yoga, if you have half a brain
If you like making love at midnight, in the dunes of the cape
Then I’m the love that you’ve looked for, come with me, and escape”

‘Yes, I  like Piña Coladas, and gettin’ caught in the rain

I´m not much into health food, I am into champagne

I´ve got to meet you by tomorrow noon, and cut through all this red tape
At a bar called O’Malley’s, where we´ll plan our escape”

For More 70s Tunes

The System has daily featured music from all sorts of genres of 1970s music. You’re welcome to listen to any of the 40+ selections in The System. Thank you for stopping by. Hope you enjoyed “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes.