Rollin'...in my five point oh...

...with my ragtop down so my hair can blow...

Yeah, I admit it, it's Vanilla Ice...not me, but the lyrics.

I was rolling home from work today (in my spectra blue mica Toyota Prius, and no, it doesn't come in a convertible, so my hair was not blowing), and the guys on the radio were discussing the fact that Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer were doing a tour called The Big Pants Tour. And that got me thinking.

No, not about the rest of the lyrics to 'Ice Ice Baby' (but you have to admit, the opening hook is catchy), but about our guilty musical pleasures. We all have them, and it makes me wonder what other songs other people like that are considered cheesy, out of touch, or are just plain unknown.

Based on my age (that VH1 special "I Love the 80's" is right up my alley, and that's all I'm saying), I'm probably like most people hit their teens in the early/mid-80's. My MP3 player has a few gigabytes of songs that show that You Can Still Rock In America, that there's nothing like Girls, Girls, Girls to make you wish you were in Panama, and you'll always be cool if you can get Back in Black.

So what are some of my guilty pleasures? Well...

1. Blame It On the Rain by Milli Vanilli. Yeah, they were lip-synchers, but the song was great. Cheesy pop, but great. "Blame it on the rain/that was fallin' fallin'/Blame it on the stars/that shined at night/Whatever you do/Don't put the blame on you/Blame it on the rain, yeah yeah."

2. Heart and Soul by T'pau. Back in '87 I was at one of my military schools, and I would head to the gym when my class was done near midnight (I LOVED that 24 hour gym). Anyway, this song would play almost every night, it was a top 40 type of song, and I got hooked. "Give a little bit of heart and soul/give a little bit of love to grow/give a little bit of heart and soul/and don't you make me beg for more."

3. Only in My Dreams by Debbie Gibson. I know, you're thinking, "This guy is gay." I'm really not. When I was an aircrew member in the Air Force we used to stop at Clark Air Base in the Philippines, and in the cafeteria was a jukebox (I still want one for my Man Room). There was a little Filipino chick that worked in the barber shop there and when I'd play that song she'd come out and flirt with me. I know, I know, TOTALLY lame, but I loved those days of flying around the world. Strangely enough, I checked out the video on MTV.com a few weeks ago, and I was cracking up. "As real as it may seem/It was only in my dreams." Hmmm, Tiffany went nude for Playboy, maybe Debbie will give it up soon!

4. One Way Love by Elizabeth Daily. This is from 'Better Off Dead,' one of the best movies of all time. It doesn't really remind me of anything besides the movie, but it's a great song and makes me think about how much I liked learning 'the international language.' And the car in the movie? A 1967 Chevy Camaro. Hell to the YEAH.

5. Lovin' Every Minute of It by Loverboy. I know everybody was Working for the Weekend, but this song just rocked. It's a great workout song. It was also the class song when I graduated high school. "You want me/To come alive/So flick the switch into overdrive/You and me can let it be/Ready (ready) Aim (aim)...FIRE." This is one of those songs that I want to sing along to when I'm working out or doing cardio--and only my desire not to make a total ass out of myself in the gym keeps me from doing so.

I'm sure I could fill pages with songs and lyrics, and why I like them. Some bring back one memory or another. Others give me a little motivation when I'm lifting weights or doing cardio. And some I just like for no particular reason.

So no matter if I'm in the mood to Train in Vain, or I feel like I'm getting Money for Nothing, if I just Hang on Loosely, maybe I'll find Two Tickets to Paradise and wind up as a Sharp Dressed Man instead of Dancing in the Dark.

And remember, anything less than the best is a felony.