"Escape" (later known as "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)") was the highest-charting hit for Rupert Holmes. The song was also number one at the end of the 1970s and at the beginning of the 1980s. To this day, Holmes regards the song with a mixture of pride and chagrin; while it has made him wealthy and famous, as one of his friends described it, it is "the success that ruined his career", drawing attention from his more serious and heartfelt musical works. Contrary to what many people may believe, this is not a Jimmy Buffett song, nor has he ever covered it on any of his albums.[1] Rupert Holmes (born February 24, 1947 in Northwich, Cheshire, England) is a composer and writer who grew up in the northern New York City suburb of Nanuet, New York, and attended nearby Nyack High School. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Story

The song speaks, in three verses and three choruses, of a man who, disenchanted with his current relationship, reads the personals and spots an ad that catches his attention: the ad of a woman seeking someone who, among other things, must like piña coladas. Piña Colada (Spanish, strained pineapple : piña, pineapple + colada, strained) is a sweet, rum-based cocktail containing light rum, coconut cream and pineapple juice. ...

His interest grabbed, he writes back and arranges to meet with the woman "at a bar called O'Malley's", only to find upon the meeting that his new lover is his current lover.

The song ends on an upbeat note, showing that the two lovers realized they have more in common than they suspected, and that they do not have to look any further than each other for what they seek in a relationship.

The chorus:

If you like Piña Coladas

And getting caught in the rain

If you're not into yoga

If you have half a brain

If you'd like making love at midnight

In the dunes on the Cape

Then I'm the love that you've looked for

Write to me and escape.

Origins

Contrary to the belief of some, the inspiration for "Escape" did not come from a similar event happening to Holmes. Recorded for 1979's Partners in Crime, the song came from an unused track for which Holmes wrote temporary lyrics (that version, "The Law of The Jungle", was released as part of his 2005 Cast of Characters box set), and the lyrics were inspired by a want-ad he read while idly perusing the personals. As Holmes put it, "I thought, what would happen to me if I answered this ad? I'd go and see if it was my own wife who was bored with me." 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 he could think of (ironically, he doesn't care for them -- he once noted on TV's Uncle Floyd Show that they tasted like Kaopectate). The choice was a good one, it improved the scansion of the chorus immeasurably and made the song into an instant earworm. The rest was history. Partners in Crime (1979), an album by Rupert Holmes, includes the hits Him and the Billboard #1 hit of December 1979 and January 1980. ... Humphrey DeForest Bogart (December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957) was an American actor. ... Floyd Vivino aka Uncle Floyd (b. ... Kaopectate , Kaolin and Pectinis an orally taken medication from Pfizer for the treatment of mild diarrhoea. ... In literature, meter or metre (sometimes known as prosody) is a term used in the scansion (analysis into metrical patterns) of poetry, usually indicated by the kind of feet and the number of them. ... Earworm, a loan translation of the German Ohrwurm, is a term for a song stuck in ones head. ...

Career

After its release as a single, the song became immediately popular, though sales were slow due to the song's actual title, "Escape" going unnoticed in the place of the oft-repeated cocktail. Holmes reluctantly agreed to rename the song "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)". The song shot up through the charts, becoming the last number-one Billboard Hot 100 hit of the 1970s. Although some sources list this song as the first number-one hit of the 1980s, this is not true; the first chart of that decade, dated on January 5, 1980, was topped by "Please Don't Go" by KC and the Sunshine Band. "Escape", which was #2 that week, returned to #1 for an additional week on the January 12 chart. A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Please Dont Go was a song recorded and released in 1979 on the KC and the Sunshine Band album Do You Wanna Go Party. ... KC and the Sunshine Band is an American musical group. ... is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

"Escape" has made appearances in such movies as Shrek, Bewitched, Dirty Work, The Sweetest Thing,Detroit rock city, Tommy Boy and Mars Attacks!. Also on Mystery Science Theater 3000, during one of the host segments of Show #421 Monster A-Go Go, Joel, and the robots discuss the parallels surrounding the song. The song was also the basis of a major episode storyline for the popular Australian television series Kath and Kim. This article contains a plot summary that is overly long or excessively detailed. ... Bewitched is a 2005 comedy film produced by Columbia Pictures and inspired by the classic television series of the same name. ... Dirty Work is a 1998 comedy buddy film starring Norm Macdonald and Artie Lange, and directed by Bob Saget. ... For the Juice Newton song, see The Sweetest Thing (Ive Ever Known). ... Tommy Boy is a 1995 comedy movie starring Chris Farley and David Spade. ... Mars Attacks! is a comedy and science fiction film by Tim Burton based on the popular card series Mars Attacks. ... Mystery Science Theater 3000, often abbreviated MST3K, is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc. ... Jane Turner and Gina Riley as Kath & Kim Kath and Kim is a satirical Australian television series shown on the ABC network. ...

While Holmes has since had a successful career as a playwright and novelist, and fans feel affection for his other musical works, this song remains his most recognizable trademark. Holmes himself joked "No matter what else I do, my tombstone will be a giant pineapple." A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is a person who writes dramatic literature or drama. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ...

Babe is a song on Styxs 1979 triple-platinum album Cornerstone. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... This is a list of number-one hits in the United States by year from the Billboard Hot 100. ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Please Dont Go was a song recorded and released in 1979 on the KC and the Sunshine Band album Do You Wanna Go Party. ... KC and the Sunshine Band is an American musical group. ... Michael Jacksons Visionary chronology Dont Stop Til You Get Enough (2006) Rock With You (2006) Billie Jean (2006) Off the Wall track listing Dont Stop Til You Get Enough (1) Rock with You (2) Working Day and Night (3) HIStory track listing Black or White (3) Rock... Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958), commonly known as MJ as well as the King of Pop, is an American musician, entertainer, and pop icon whose successful career and controversial personal life have been a part of pop culture for the last three decades. ...

Covers

• Performed by Kiki and Herb on the 2004 live album Kiki and Herb Will Die for You: Live at Carnegie Hall.
• Covered by Grindcore band Anal Cunt on their 1995 album "Top 40 Hits".

Kiki and Herb (Justin Bond and Kenny Mellman) are an American drag cabaret duo. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Top 40 Hits is the name of an album by Anal Cunt, released in 1995. ...

External links

• "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" at songfacts.com