A couple of days ago I read this story in the paper about a Bosnian couple who are going through divorce proceedings as a direct result of each getting caught cheating on each other -but, here's the twist, with each other.  In a scenario that seemed almost identical to that  portrayed in Rupert Holmes' sappy but engaging 1979 number one pop hit single "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" in which a guy, bored with his relationship, answers a newspaper personals ad to find that he has a lot in  common with this blind date (pina coladas, walks in the rain,  and a dislike of yoga and health food etc.). He finally meets up with this mystery  woman only to discover it  was in fact his own "old lady" that he thought he had little in common with.  This unusual and unlikely situation brings the two formerly drifting lovers back together again and they all live happily  ever after.  But not so in the recent  real life similar scenario with the couple in Bosnia where the disgruntled pair (Adnan Klaric 32 and his wife Sana, 27) go online in search of new love.. There under the pseudonyms "Sweetie" and "Prince of Joy" each meets some seemingly new soul in whom they can confide and find solace complaining about how awful their marriages have become. Finally they've found someone who understands. They've found their soulmates (they think). So they arrange to meet up in person.  And when they do:  Shocker!   Each accuses the other of being unfaithful and they start divorce proceedings pronto.

    
                                               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.

          
So anyways this whole story was just so reminiscent of the Rupert Holmes hit (except for the outcome) that I had to go back and track down "Escape" as it was originally simply known as - on video.  On YouTube there are close to a hundred videos that pop up  when you put in a search of "Rupert Holmes Escape The Pina Colada Song)" including the Sims Movie 2 version above and a great many more "visual interpretations" including numerous lip-syncing ones like the playful one posted by the young courtneySpace and her friend (scoll all the way down). One mime version of the song was done as a college class project for a final test. And of course there are also numerous cover versions of the thematically timeless song. Interestingly Rupert Holmes himself doesnt have  a visual version. He never made a video for the song. It was pre MTV/VH1 days but there is one for the lesser hit "Him" taken from the same 1979 album "Partners In Crime"  (the video clip is from Top Of The Pops, I believe) 

 But perhaps the wittiest and most accurately insightful dissertation on the topic of Rupert Holmes' "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" was by Joel and the Bots on the long gone (and missed) 1990's Mystery Science Theater 3000 TV show. (see immediately below).   In my research I also was reminded that many people mistakenly credit Jimmy Buffet for  writing and making a hit of this song. I also learnt that - outside of the myriad of amateur YouTube type covers done on the song - that there aren't as many others as you would expect and those that are, are not what you would expect - such as one by Boston hardcore/grindcore group Anal Cunt.   Further note that even though "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" was released in 1979 and hit the number one pop chart slot in December of that year, it remained a hit throughout 1980 and hence is often referred to as a part of eighties pop culture.